A question for the experts...common colds

[freakyschizogirl]

Hi Guys.

I am currently experiencing my first cold of the year (and its summer!).

I just wanted to ask as i am unsure but does the wegs/ pred affect the way we fight off common colds etc? I am down to 3mg of pred now and had 3 rounds of RTX.

This cold seems to have taken its time developing as i've had a sore throat for 3 days but only now have the dry cough and runny nose kicked in - plus i'm still having hot and cold flushes.

I have been taking Paracetamol, manuka honey for the past few days and a bit of cough syrup today as its the only thing that stops me coughing.

At christmas time i had a cold which i worked through and then 2 weeks alter another one hit so i'm kinda worried the same will happen again and is this likely?

Sniff, cough, runny nose, sniff sniff.

[gunnyl]

The medications we take for Wegeners are immuno-suppressants so yes it will affect the way your body fights off any number of things. Stay on top of it and make sure that it doesn't develop into pneumonia of which I fought a bought a few months ago. Washing your hands and sterilizing everything is very important for Weg's patients and it is to keep us from developing these things by minimizing our exposure.

Be diligent!

GL

[mishb]

Sam,

My rheumy said that if it is just a cold, get to your GP just to make sure, and also (as Gunny says) so you can stay on top of it.
However, if you start coughing up muck (of any colour) go to A&E, tell them your health situation.......because it can easily turn to pneumonia.

I hope it doesn't linger too long.

[freakyschizogirl]

Its now day 4 of my cold and woke up at 2am with a coughing fit. Still having hot flushes and my throat still hurts. Guess a visit to the GP wouldn't hurt.

[freakyschizogirl]

GP says that although my throat looks inflamed she doesn't want to give me antibiotics in case it isn't an infection and to just 'ride it out'

[Dirty Don]

GP says that although my throat looks inflamed she doesn't want to give me antibiotics in case it isn't an infection and to just 'ride it out'

I caught bronchitis, panicked, called rheumy, she sent me back to my internist (GP), he said the same as yours, but did give me antibiotics and a timeline: if the bronchitis didn't start to clear on its own in so many days then take the anitbiotics...it didn't, I did take them, it then cleared in about 4-5 days. But, 'riding it out' isn't a bad thing...both docs told me same thing inasmuch as I can catch colds just like anyone else, and certainly should be wary, but not to panic each and every time...hehe...I'm learning!

[Al]

A couple of points, Sam. First, antibiotics do nothing for a cold, since antibiotics work only on bacteria (when they do), but a cold is a virus. Secondly, I am leery of "just a cold" for Weggies. With a suppressed immune system, any infection can go to the lungs quickly. Plus, in all cases, infections bring about an immune response, as they should. But immune responses are precisely what WG is all about. Your body has no way of knowing whether that response is appropriate or not. My own suggestion is to report your concerns to your Wegs doc, who knows your history. (This is especially true if there is fever, weight loss, or if the infection does not resolve in a timely matter.) In the meantime, get some quality rest!

Al

[freakyschizogirl]

Thanks for the info guys.

Al - the GP said my lungs were clear so I'm happy with that.

Even with my weaken immune system colds with me don't usually take this long to clear but maybe that's just a sign I'm getting older.

Did I mention I was dizzy too? If I'm not feeling any better by friday I may ring adds. Better ask the experts.

[Sangye]

I have a cold this week, too. It's mostly just making me really weak. I've had a few colds while being immunosuppressed, including one that I got during my rtx treatment last year. In general you'll do well by taking 2,000 mg vitamin C a day, resting and just letting it run its course. If you're still having fevers and chills after a few days call your doc. If your chest feels tight or heavy, call your doc. Otherwise it's likely just a cold virus and may take longer than usual clearing out.

You may be feeling dizzy if it's affecting your inner ear.

[marta]

Must be the week for Weggie colds. I too have one and am feeling much like you Sam. I've got the cough, completely wasted for energy , sinuses are stuffed and yes my previously unplugged by Magical Maui eustachian tubes are now plugged up again (so my hearing sucks yet again). I am pretty certain that it's just a cold though and am vigilant about the virus opening me up for a bacterial infection. I do have antibiotics that I keep 'just in case' and am still taking the Dapsone daily to prevent the PCP pneumonia, so I think I'm doing OK. I've also taken 1000mg vitamin C and also my own private magic pill - oregano. It's quite amazing actually because it doesn't boost the immune system but attacks viruses, bacteria and fungal infections directly. Two in the morning and two at night and things move along much faster. I was so stuffed the other day that I did take a decongestant and it seemed to do the trick with only one pill. I'm at 4.5 mg of pred and am so NOT into going anywhere near those high doses again for a long time.

Take care of yourself Sam and Sangye. I've been absent from all things computer - no blogs, no forum, no facebook... just wanted to let you know that I'm not specifically staying off here. Life is busy with a stay at home 5 year old who happens to be a handful. I'm also super low energy from the low pred but I know this too shall pass. I do think about you guys plenty though, you're always in my heart and in my non religious prayers. :rolleyes1:

[Sangye]

I hope you feel better soon, Marta. Oregano is also a great herb to wipe out malaria!

I'm really dragging today. I felt better yesterday. I might not have eaten enough protein, though. I gotta go grocery shopping today (no idea how I'm gonna pull that off) and I'm gonna get a big burger while I'm out. LOL

[freakyschizogirl]

Hope you feel better soon Marta. I've missed you!

I feel so bad in the mornings - sinuses hurt, congested, mucus in my throat and wind pipe so makes it harder to breathe. I feel better after a few paracetamols but I think I will be naughty and play with the decongestants today!

Hope you feel better after your burger sangye! I'm having a burger today too.

[Al]

Must be the week for Weggie colds. I too have one and am feeling much like you Sam. I've got the cough, completely wasted for energy , sinuses are stuffed and yes my previously unplugged by Magical Maui eustachian tubes are now plugged up again (so my hearing sucks yet again). I am pretty certain that it's just a cold though and am vigilant about the virus opening me up for a bacterial infection. I do have antibiotics that I keep 'just in case' and am still taking the Dapsone daily to prevent the PCP pneumonia, so I think I'm doing OK. I've also taken 1000mg vitamin C and also my own private magic pill - oregano. It's quite amazing actually because it doesn't boost the immune system but attacks viruses, bacteria and fungal infections directly. Two in the morning and two at night and things move along much faster. I was so stuffed the other day that I did take a decongestant and it seemed to do the trick with only one pill. I'm at 4.5 mg of pred and am so NOT into going anywhere near those high doses again for a long time.

Take care of yourself Sam and Sangye. I've been absent from all things computer - no blogs, no forum, no facebook... just wanted to let you know that I'm not specifically staying off here. Life is busy with a stay at home 5 year old who happens to be a handful. I'm also super low energy from the low pred but I know this too shall pass. I do think about you guys plenty though, you're always in my heart and in my non religious prayers. :rolleyes1:Glad you checked in, Marta--I was getting a bit concerned. I do understand about the energy level, of course. But it has been a long time, perhaps a depressingly long time, since I've had to chase around a 5 year old....

Just to reiterate my own stance: The phrase "just a cold" sets off serious alarm bells for me. So any hint of same sends me straight to the kitchen to make something with plenty of garlic (which also attacks infections directly), ginger, and--wouldn't you know it--oregano. As I recall, you weren't so keen on my garlic soup recipe; maybe all it needed was the addition of some Italian herbs....

Al

[Al]

Hope you feel better soon Marta. I've missed you!

I feel so bad in the mornings - sinuses hurt, congested, mucus in my throat and wind pipe so makes it harder to breathe. I feel better after a few paracetamols but I think I will be naughty and play with the decongestants today!

Hope you feel better after your burger sangye! I'm having a burger today too.Have you called in to Adds, Sam? And I'd go easy on the acetominophen. (Remember the discussion we had a while back about how easy it is to overdose on the stuff and blast the poor liver?) On the other hand, high-protein comfort food, however you define it, is pretty good medicine....

Al

[freakyschizogirl]

Haven't called Adds as I'm feeling better today. Not 100% but starting to think this was a virus and not just a common cold.

I've had 3 decongestant tablets today and starting to feel a bit looser as my sinuses have been very painful today - to the point of me getting tooth and facial pain.

[Sangye]

Do you get your vitamin D levels checked regularly? I had run out of D last week and put off ordering more online. Sure enough, after several days of missing it I got sick. When it arrived in the mail yesterday I took 2.5 days' worth and within a couple hours I felt better. No cold symptoms today and I don't have that intense weakness.

[pberggren1]

I would not live without my vitamin D.

Speaking of pred tapers and herbs I was talking with a fellow yesterday at the pharmacy that is tapering pred. He is taking curcumin to help get the andrenals back in shape. He just started it so he is not sure if it will help or not. One of his docs mentioned it to him. He has MS.

[Al]

Haven't called Adds as I'm feeling better today. Not 100% but starting to think this was a virus and not just a common cold.

I've had 3 decongestant tablets today and starting to feel a bit looser as my sinuses have been very painful today - to the point of me getting tooth and facial pain.For the record, Sam, a "common cold" is, in fact, a viral infection. it can be one or more of many viruses, but usually it is a rhinovirus. The human immune system knows this bug quite well, so generally deals dispatches it relatively quickly.

But here are my concerns: 1) All viruses evolve very quickly, so just because the immune system knows this one does not mean that it knows how to deal with its descendents. 2) For those who have had their immune systems suppressed, responses may be rather anemic. Moreover, the sluggish immune system response, along with the generally weakened body, may allow opportunistic bugs (viruses, bacteria, and fungi) to gain a foothold. And, the big one: 3) Even when the immune system responds quickly and appropriately, this is not necessarily a good thing for a Weggie. Any IS response can trigger a flare. After all, a WG flare is precisely an immune response that goes too far.

Again, I say that colds are, with Weggies, nothing to sneeze at. I always take very aggressive action if I sense a cold--or any other infection.

Al

[freakyschizogirl]

Well, today is Sunday and I've woken up with Zero energy, sinus pain around my left eye and dizziness. Scared and upset cos I feel like I have less energy than when I was anaemic.

I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow but I dunno what to do. Do I go in or stay off.

[Dirty Don]

I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow but I dunno what to do. Do I go in or stay off.

Well, what kept you out of work in the first place...think about it. Making a living OR living better? If you feel like that, I'd head to the doc...but...good luck kiddo.

[freakyschizogirl]

I'm gonna go see my GP again tomorrow and get my bloods done. Today has really scared me.

[pberggren1]

As soon as I feel slightly off or suspect that it could be an infection or Wegs in the slightest way I immediately go for labs.

[freakyschizogirl]

My GP has ordered bloods but suspects I'm still anaemic and this would account for the dizziness and lack of energy. She's given me iron tablets.

As for the pain behind my eye she says it isn't sinusitis but muscle pain as I have pain in my neck too.

She's signed me off work for a week too.

[gunnyl]

If you are on Prednisone for long periods of time you should be having regular as in every couple of months checkups with an Ophthalmologist to check the pressure in your eyes. One of the side effects of the drug and also Wegeners effects the internal part of the eye. I went blind before I went in the hospital the first time and it was due to the Wegeners causing pressure inside my eyes (prior to my diagnosis). I got my vision back thanks to the work of a really good and very dedicated Ophthalmologist. If you are feeling pressure in your eyes go see an eye doctor!

GL

[freakyschizogirl]

Ok gunnyl.

I will see if the eye pressure goes away, if its still there towards the end of the week i will go see an eye doc.

[freakyschizogirl]

Eye feels a lot better today, pain is hardly there. Hurts when i touch around my eye or if i am near a bright light but no where near as bad as yesterday.

[KathyB]

I'm getting ready to have my first eye checkup since dx. Any recommendations for my new doctor re WG?

KB