1. There really isn't much to blog about.
2. I've had my nose in a good book.
Shane is going really well. Today he dropped his steroids down to 50mg so not long now and he'll be off them. Remember the steroids are working to keep Graft vs Host disease (GVHD) at bay. Shane's skin has improved, but it did something strange last weekend. I noticed on Saturday that he had a tan. Which was a bit strange as he hadn't spent any time outside, and there really was no sun to get a tan in. The next day most of his skin peeled off. So I think pigment changes are going to be one of the few clues we can have for presence of GVHD. The long term effect of being on steroids is starting to show in Shane's looks. He suffers from a condition called "Cushings syndrome"which is characterised by round face and fatty deposits around the body. For most people it just looks like Shane has put on weight. But the truth is its the steroids.
As for everything else, Shane's platelets were still low today, but are expected to pick up soon. Some of his meds were changed around this week as they were interacting a little too much. This was picked up by blood tests rather than Shane actually noticing anything.
Hygiene is so important for Shane's protection. Each week I clean the house down from head to toe including all the light switches, remote controls and mobile phones. Shane has been given very strict guidelines about food hygiene, oral hygiene and personal hygiene.
The preparation of food is vital as food not cooked well can be dangerous. Food needs to be reheated to 75 degrees to kill any germs. Meat and poultry should be well cooked, raw foods need to be washed thoroughly and/ or peeled, and Shane needs to adhere to a "pregnancy" diet - i.e. no soft cheeses, raw mushrooms or deli meats.
Excellent oral hygiene is also important. Your mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria which is why Shane needs to continue his mouth washes up to four times a day as well as usual brushing.
Personal hygiene is obvious. Regular showering, clean clothes, clean environment, regular hand washing etc. We always wash our hands, almost a hundred times a day it feels like! Clothes are washed in water over 60 degrees to kill germs, the same as our dishes when washed in the dishwasher.
There three main ways to spread germs:
1. Airborne droplets - for example sneezing or coughing. One of the easiest ways to prevent this is just basic manners. Cover your mouth when you cough/sneeze, turn your head away from others, and wash you're hands afterwards (always!).
2. Skin to skin contact - someone carrying a bug can touch you directly (example kissing) and you can contract the bug also. The best ways to prevent this is by staying away from others when you / they are unwell. This means avoiding other people when unwell and regular hand washing - especially after touching you're nose or mouth.
3. Skin to object - this happens when someone who is unwell touches something like the elevator button, then you touch it afterwards. Again, regular hand washing is so important. We have to be so vigilant. The smallest little slip up means that Shane is back in hospital.
A classic example of poor hygiene was in the news this week with the lead singer of frenzal rhomb having a pig tape worm removed from his brain after suffering seizures. This was crazy because this guy is a vegetarian and obviously doesn't eat pig meat. Drs believe he ingested an egg after a person he bought a burrito off had eaten poorly cooked ham, grown a tape worm himself, and then didn't wash is hands properly after going to the toilet. Gross!
Well, thats about all from us this week!
Hope all is peaches at your place!
Peace
xx
No comments:
Post a Comment