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Originally Posted by Sue&Dave
So what strategies do you have when one of the household members is contagious and the patient's ANC has been at .3 and below? I just came down with a common cold - took me by surprise as I can usually tell that one is coming on (praying he doesn't get it since I was likely contagious before I knew I had it). We have always practiced meticulous hand washing, etc., and I am now sleeping in another room to minimize his exposure. I still prepare meals with a mask and frequent hand washing. But when we are relaxing in the evening watching TV or driving to treatment appointments should I still be masking up? (HE masks up at treatment appts). I have been trying to err on the side of caution, but now I am on day 3 of the cold and it appears the spontaneous sneezing and coughing has subsided. Thoughts or suggestions? btw, he is on to Round 3 of Vidaza this week and we saw some slow but promising increases in his numbers. Yay!
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There's a danger of being so overly cautious that it dominates your thoughts and interferes with your day-to-day routines. However, my wife and I actually found it comforting to err on the side of caution, because it reduced risks and gave us control. My opinion about it now is that it's worth the extra caution when it's a matter of days, but that it's going overboard if you take every last precaution for weeks or months on end.
When my wife was in home quarantine after her transplant, we in the family didn't wear masks but we asked all visitors to wear them. In the house we relied on hand washing, using separate towels (no sharing!), and common sense.
I suspect that you'll feel more confident if you keep the mask on, even for driving and TV time, for a few more days, until your cold is definitely behind you. Since you prepare meals, you might give a little more emphasis to canned food, which is very safe and easy to heat up, rather than relying on hand-prepared food like green salads. It's only temporary.