Low immunity tips

[-Lady Noir-]

Apart from the usual food safety and such, is there any other tips you have for keeping your new kidney safe?

[okarol]

My suggestions (from a mom's perspective):
Keep hydrated, especially if you're sick with a cold or flu, and keep an eye out for a fever. Avoid sick people, especially in flu season. Use hand sanitizer. Take meds routinely and get labs done on schedule. Learn what the lab values mean. Occasionally check your weight and blood pressure, keep a log. Live your life!

[RichardMEL]

Pretty much what Karol said.

I keep the hand sanitiser at home (in main rooms, bedroom, bathroom) and at work (at my desk) and use it on a regular basis - specially before I go near food (and after). If I do washing up and stuff, I also have an extra wash. Yes, if I even feel a tinge of something I get stuck into hot tea (or water if it is hot) - I've found if I don't drink enough it can drive the creatanine up and is obviously not good for the bean. I try to have 2.5L daily, and more if it is hot (it is summer here now).

Avoid people caughing or who seem sick obviously - in the most polite way - and be aware when out in terms of food. Like I won't eat from a place that has their food under a warmer - could have been there for hours! So, I will go for stuff I know has been freshly prepared (like an asian stir fry, pad thai noodles, a soup or something).

One tip the dietician told me that I never though of was avoid soft serve ice cream from places like McDonalds or other fast food places. Not an issue per se with the mixture of the ice cream (apart from making you fat ) but she claimed that if they don't clean the nozzles and tubes properly because it's dairy going through bacteria can live and grow in there and it could get dangerous.

I won't go to somewhere like subway because of all the ingredients just sitting there at the bench. I'm sure 95% of the time it would be fine, but I don't want to get the one where some lettuce or cheese or something is a little dodgy. Also avoid deli meats like salami, ham etc for a similar reason.

i think a lot of it is common sense. I mean I don't go out in a plastic suit or mask or anything, and I'm not washing my bed sheets every day and scrubbing the walls madly, but I do try and keep things clean at home and am way more conscious of washing my hands on a very regular basis than I ever used to be. Go to toilet - WASH (long time!), cuddle kitty (WASH), go out and touch external doors and stuff, WASH. Going to take meds, or eat food? use the antibacterial on hands - just in case.

Really the biggesst risks are what you put into your body(ie: food) and when you touch something then unconsciously touch your nose or eyes - all common entry points for bacteria so I try to be conscious of that stuff.

[Chris]

If you have handi wipes there, I'd use them on the phones at work, along with the keyboard if he uses one.

[Sugarlump]

Take a garlic capsule everyday for natural immunity...naturally antiseptic/antibacterial/anti-inflammation and doesn't interact with post transplant meds.

I'm interested in knowing if diet helps. My doc told me a vegetarian diet helps lower creatinine so I've been following a mainly vegetarian one with loads of superfoods like broccoli, watercress, beetroot, pineapple etc plus bottled water since I've been told there can be traces of arsenic in tap water that is very toxic to the kidneys.

[monrein]

I have a box of proper masks (they need to be good ones) on hand and I try to carry one with me when I'm in crowded places, like the subway or the hospital lab.  Not that I wear it, but I have it in case I feel too close contact or is someone is sneezing etc and I can't get away.

I also try to eat lots of healthy veggies and fruit and most importantly low salt...to avoid high blood pressure.  And stay away from dodgy food places as others have said.

Of course the most obvious thing is strict adherence to the drug taking and go to the doctor immediately in case of fever (above 37.5 is the rule here).

[wj13us]

I'm going to add a slightly different prospective.  When I got my transplant in '73 we had none of the stuff commonly talked about today.  There were no hand sanitizers, wipes, or cleaners that promised to kill 99.99% of germs.  We were told to be careful for a few months but that was it.  I've never rally taken any real precautions.  Heck in college I've lived in a fraternity house and no it was not that far off from what was seen in the movie Animal House.  I did and still do rarely get sick I've gotten the flu twice in my life (pre flu shots) and a cold maybe once a year if that.  If I look back at my employment record I'd guess I average 2 - 4 sick days a year (usually gout realted).

Having said (written) all that I'd like to make two points. First, yes I'd practice all the good hygiene point mentioned above being more careful is still better than not.

Second, one of the points I often see missing in these discussions is the importance (at least important to me) of a strong body.  From the moment I could I was out playing with my friends.  Since I could not play contact sports in High School I ran track and cross country.  Though I did not computer in college I still did run on a regular basis.  I've always exercised and stayed in shape and am never afraid to push my body to and beyond it's physical limitations.  Though I can't really run anymore I cycle (2,000 to 3,000 miles/yr) and do restive weight training (2X/week).

I can't promise that if you keep in top shape you transplant will last as long as mine but I can say you will feel so much better about your health and self.

Bill

[Brightsky69]

All good advice.
No Subway?? I love Subway. I do try to stay away from fast food places. But..if I don't cook dinner then my BF is eager to get Wendy's or McDonalds. UGH!
Also at work I keep masks in my drawer. Just in case someone has a cold and needs to come around me.
I like the exercise advice also. But I find it hard to get motivated. I still have anemia and get winded quick.

[monrein]

Excellent points Bill!  You are so right about the exercise and keeping in shape... even with my compromised system I go to the gym almost every morning BUT am very careful to wash my hands really well before I leave and I wear workout gloves to cut down on direct handling of weights and handles.
After my transplant in '86 I was careful for a bit but never obsessed.  Common sense makes a lot of sense.

[RichardMEL]

Chris - good point about the wipes - I forgot that one, but I didn't forget for real - on my first day in I bought a big container of wipes and wiped down my whole work area, keyboard, phone, desk etc. I still do from time to time, though I usually just go with the antibacterial on my hands.

Exercise - yes very important. I try to walk at least 2km's every work morning and longer on the weekends. I'm not a gym junkie, but I do believe walking is a great way to exercise the cardio system, legs etc and think it's important to keep up a routine (I just have to add sunscreen etc before I go out of course!).

Again common sense is the key. If it seems like it might be a bit of a worry it's safer to stay away or make other plans or whatever. Chances are you'd be OK, but it's way better in my book to be safe(r) than sorry.

note I write "safer" there because as we all know you can take ALL the precautions in the world and still something can happen that you may have no control over. I think it's best to keep things in mind, but also in perspective and don't go anal about every last little thing - chances are if you did catch something it wouldn't be because you forgot to wipe down your phone or ate at subway, but something else you couldn't avoid, like some jerk coughing right in your face, or an interaction with a med that wasn't expected, or just blind chance of something in the transplant itself.

My theory is if I don't do anything totally foolhardy inviting problems, that I have a better chance than most of avoiding silly mistakes/problems that could crop up.

[Chris]

I also use a mask when cleaning the vaccum cleaner, either bag or canister.

[paris]

I miss Subways so much, but the food sitting there isn't the best choice to make.  And fast foods (unless freshly made) and salad bars and buffets were ones I was told to avoid.  Soft drink soda fountains and ice tea containers -- they aren't cleaned often or well.  I take my own bottle of water when I eat out.  Just my own llittle routine!  I think we all find what works the best for us.   

Also, hand rails, escalators, door handles, anything the entire public runs their hands over, makes me cringe.  If I have long sleeves on, I pull it down over my hand or I pull a tissue out.  I may be hyper, but I waited a long time and there may never be a second chance.  So finding your own comfort level is what the first year seems to be about.

[RichardMEL]

So right. I only go to fast food that is freshly made and I can see them doing it.. Like the upscale burger places that cook it fresh in front of you (as opposed to zapping something in a microwave). Sometimes I walk past subway, or this local place that makes these awesome chicken schniztel rolls, and I almost relent, but then i figure.. no... you're just tempting fate. Like you say this is our gift, we need to make sacrifices to keep it, or do our best to keep it. I know the chances are probably low (specially the further into transplant when the imune supressants are lowered so you have SOME resistance left) but it's just not worth it, and a small price to pay for that peace of mind that you're actively doing stuff to help your kidney, rather than doing something you know there's a chance could harm it.

[Chris]

Since more and more places are putting touch free devices in their restrooms, there are no more paper towels to use to open the door. I carry a couple napkins from restaurants in my coat to use to open the door and quickly toss away. Odd that they have a trash can by the door, but no paper towel dispenser tho.

[RightSide]

My dietician advised me to avoid salad bars due to potential contamination from other patrons.   She advised me to not drink well water, but city tap water should be O.K.

As far as keeping the kidney safe, given where it's located, I try not to bruise or injure myself in that part of my body.  Unlike the kidneys you were born with, the transplanted kidney is much closer to the surface skin and hence more vulnerable to a sudden blow.

Taking a multivitamin that contains vitamin D will help keep your immune system in good shape.

Finally, when doing housework or working on my car, I wear thick work gloves.  Even when I was young and healthy, I sometimes got a nasty infection when I cut myself on a dirty piece of metal while working.  I now try to wear work gloves to prevent cutting myself accidentally.

[Chris]

With the car work I did, I couldn't wear gloves, it would hamper the progress because I did bodywork, plus at the time gloves were unheard of in the shop either in the mechanics bay or the body shop. I'm probably old fashioned and wouldn't wear them if I went back to working on cars. Even working on my own vehicle I don't wear gloves because I like to feel for things better than with a glove, but after getting dirty and needing to go somewhere or eat, I wish I did.

[-Lady Noir-]

What happens if you get a cold? Extra blood tests? Hospital stay?

[jbeany]

For a cold, no.  Flu, most likely yes.  I've had a couple of colds since my transplant - all sneezing, runny nose sorts of things.  I upped my fluid intake, guzzled chicken soup and checked my temp frequently.  It doesn't really go up with a regular cold much, maybe a degree or two from my usual 96. (Yes, I do have ice in my veins.)  If it had gotten high, I would have ran to my doc ASAP.  All of my colds went away in the usual 7 or days.  If any of the symptoms had gotten worse instead of better, I'd have gone to the doc as well.

The hardest thing to learn, and one of the most important is STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE.

[willowtreewren]

The most important thing is to avoid diarrhea and vomiting. If those happen you really need to get to the hospital so you can get your anti-rejection meds intraveneously. Otherwise you could lose the kidney.

That is why they want you to be on top of catching things. Colds, like Jbeany said, are not such a problem. Getting dehydrated or losing too many fluids, can be a BIG problem. 

Take care of that kidney!

Aleta

[Chris]

Yep!
I know that all to well. The thing is to know when to call your doctor to give them as much detail as possible.

[-Lady Noir-]

Cheers guys! Mike has a cold! 

[RichardMEL]

I was told if temp gets over 37.5 to contact the registrar. Otherwise treat it as a cold unless the symptoms were serious and you were concerned. I've had a few semi-colds and mostly it's been OK. Like others - up the fluids, have soup etc and I've done mostly OK. Of course it's summer here - a bit worried about winter, but well just face it when we come to it.

[chris73]

[quote author=RightSide link=topic=21943.msg361882#msg361882 date=129

Taking a multivitamin that contains vitamin D will help keep your immune system in good shape


I was told NOT to take any vitamins....just curious why not?

[Chris]

[quote author=RightSide link=topic=21943.msg361882#msg361882 date=129

Taking a multivitamin that contains vitamin D will help keep your immune system in good shape


I was told NOT to take any vitamins....just curious why not?

That's odd to me. Your the first I know off told not to take vitamins. I have been on them from dialysis and since transplant, plus on seperate Vitamin D, Calcium plus Vit D, Magnesium, Iron. Of course we are all different, but may want to keep tabs about it with your team because the effects the meds can have on your bones.[/quote][/quote]

[Sugarlump]

The hospital renal pharmacist told me we shouldn't take vitamins without checking with doc/pharmacist first because some interact with the other drugs and can block or increase absorption rates, particularly prograf/advagraf/cellcept; especially Vitamin C !!!