I need your pearls of wisdom

[pelagia]

My husband is going to start traveling again in less than a month.  He plays guitar for a living and will be resuming his life "on the road" albeit to a far lesser extent than before, when he could easily be gone half the year.

This traveling will involve airplanes, airports, concert venues and music festivals with lots of people who want to shake hands or hug him, crazy schedules, staying up late, and more - fun if you like that sort of stuff ( ), but also challenging in terms of staying away from germs, maintaining a med schedule and just generally not wearing himself down.  Some of the trips will last multiple weeks.

Please share any ideas or pearls of wisdom with me.  I am most worried that he is going to forget to take his meds.  Sometimes I will be traveling with him and I could get one of those alarm thingies I read about somewhere here on IHD.  He won't even wear a watch, so I don't feel confident that I can get him to carry something with alarms.  Also, I don't want to be nagging him or being pushy with folks about hugging him, but I am afraid that it is going to make me crazy.  If he has to be around a bunch of people should he focus on washing his hands a lot?  Should he wear a mask on a plane?  What are the real risks?

Maybe the best approach would be for me to take xanax and stop worrying altogether 

[Lori1851]

He definitly needs hand sanitizer with him at all times if he can not wash his hands. As for the meds buy a big pill container that has morning, lunch, supper and evening slots. I use to fill Dustin's a week at a time. He needs to wear a watch or set his alarm on this cell phone if he has one to remind him to take his meds.

Lori/Indiana

[KT0930]

I would be either washing my hands a lot, or using hand sanitizer if there's not a sink and soap available. While waiting for flights, I would sit as far from crowds as possible, though I realize it's not always possible. When on the plane, I would suggest he have his band mates, if there are any, surround him as much as possible, rather than random other travelers. I've heard that we can become accustomed to the germs we're around, so logically, he'd be accustomed to the people he's around all the time. Like Lori suggested, see if you can convince him to at least set an alarm on his cell phone, if he carries one. That's what most of us on here do, I believe.

Good luck, though I know relaxing about it is difficult!

[okarol]

I programed Jenna's phone for the immuno's every 12 hours. Any other meds can be taken when convenient, but the immuno schedule is important to stick to.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): the most important thing people can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness is to clean their hands.
As you know, soaps are cleansers — they actually clean hands by removing dirt and grime. Sanitizers, on the other hand, kill germs but do not clean. But when washing hands is not an available option, keep using the sanitizer.

I always worry about Jenna. I guess that's the way it will always be. Maybe Xanax is a good Idea!  Please send me some too!

I am sure he will be fine! As long as he pays attention to any unusual symptoms, stays hydrated and gets rest when he can, he should do great!

[G-Ma]

As KT said, possibly try to involve the people he is with all the time in what he has to do and it will become second nature and I'm sure they won't mind as they will be glad he is there.  I'm anal about washing my hands and everyone who come in is told to wash.............oh how about a valium salt lick??? we could share.   

[stauffenberg]

Just a few days after my transplant, I took a 26-hour plane flight and had no problems, even though the air in the cabin was constantly recirculated, so I was breathing and re-breathing everyone else's germs for the entire flight.  In the three years since the transplant I live my life just as I always did and take no precautions at all, aside from washing my hands when I come home from being out anywhere.  I even work at a university where there was a menningitis outbreak and all the students were warned to take precautions, but I don't worry.  Results may vary from one patient to another, but for me, the whole post-transplant germ fetish seems to have proved  unnecessary.

[MIbarra]

I'm around kiddos quite a bit since I'm a teacher so I've been exposed to flu, colds, chicken pox, strep... The only precaution I use is washing hands or using sanitizers and a little Lyson on their desks, doorknobs, etc every once in a while. They hug quite a bit and touch EVERYTHING so I think your hubby will be okay with some frequent handwashing.

I also just flew to Mexico and stayed a week and so far didn't bring any bugs with me. I watched where I ate and had only cooked foods and obviously did not drink the tap water.

[pelagia]

Thanks all for the useful perspectives.  I feel better already... 

I do remember reading someplace that the number one killer of kidney transplant patients is heart disease, so that also helps to put things into perspective, doesn't it?

For the festival we are going to next month, they are putting us into a nice B&B rather than the chain hotels where all the other performers will be.  I am looking forward to that.

[monrein]

I also never took any special precautions post transplant and was back at my university teaching job after just five weeks.  I'd wash my hands regularly but not fanatically and the hand sanitizers weren't around the way they are now.  I ate in many restaurants although I tried NOT to do my usual hole-in-wall habit which involves trying places that most people won't even enter.  Had no problems at all.  The worst health issue I can recall was my bout of chicken pox which I never had as a kid but which hospitalized me here for ten days.  The biggest thing though is making sure that Stephen doesn't miss doses of meds.  I always used to carry a morning dose and an evening dose with me in case I was out, realized I'd forgotten and couldn't easily go back home.  Several times I was glad I did that.

Best of luck with the tour and I bet S. will be glad to be back doing his thing with the harp guitar.