The Common Cold

[NikkiNicole]

Week 3 back on my MTX injections ... I had to have a toenail removed on Monday (separate issue from Weg's - old injury) and that night I felt hot/cold, etc. Yesterday I had the sore throat from hell and began coughing a ton. It kept feeling like my throat was closing up so I'd cough. Today, I am coughing more, getting dizzy spells, and feeling just sort of ........... strange. I feel like I am breathing through stuffing. Like, I am a teddy bear and the stuffing is leaking into my lungs.

Honestly, I feel like every time I try to talk to my doctors they brush me off as having such nothing symptoms. So, I am hesitant.

I am pretty certain this will just be a cold so ... my question is this: Has anyone had a really bad cold while on their immunosuppressants? I know that MTX isn't as strong as RTX and CTX so I am not terribly worried but at the same time, I'm curious?

I've had baby colds before while on my meds but this feels 100x worse.

I feel like I only come on here to whine. Part of me is thinking I'll finish this post and then go do something more fun and funky!

[Rose]

Since my drug induced remission in October 2008 I have had a few colds and a few bad bouts of flu. If I developed a temperature, as long as it remained low grade, wasn't getting worse and returned to normal in a day or two I was reassured. Same with coughs, aches and pains etc. I would watch for a few days and if there was improvement all good but if things were getting worse would have gone to the doctor without delay.

I had expected tp be more prone to colds and flu being on immune suppressants but it seems that I am no worse that anyone else in my family.

Hope you are feeling better soon

Rose

[Pete]

I've had two colds while on mtx. My experiences were similar to before wegs -- a couple days of sneezing and coughing followed by 3-4 days of trying to blow the goop out of my head. I take Zicam during the days of sneezing and coughing, otherwise, I just continue with normal medications.

[Geoff]

HI NIkki, sorry to read you are under the weather. I have to agree with Rose in that I thought I would have a perpetual cold/flu after being diagnosed with WG, in fact its been the opposite!
However I have had colds/chest infections etc and at first it does give cause for concern, and so it should. Having discussed it with my docs, they say to treat it as you would with a cold but that if it persists and or if some symptoms that you would associate with your Wegs DX appear, then flag it up.
When you had a cold/flu before DX, did it behave in the way you are experiencing now? i.e do you normally get stuffed up lungs etc or is this a departure from the norm? WIshing you the best.

[NikkiNicole]

I can't describe this cold. If it is a cold? I get dizzy spells. I feel like the world whirls around ... then I feel very out of it in my head. My throat is full of mucus, and at moments, I feel like I am choking and have to cough and it sounds like a seal. I can occasionally get yellowish mucus up ... but not normally. My throat feels constantly like it's being squeeze, my ears have pressure behind them (possibly from my throat).
Basically, I am miserable.

[annekat]

The dizzy spells could be related to the ears, and the pressure behind them could be related to the mastoids being full of fluid or something. These things could be Wegs related. Just ideas, don't know. The mucus could be a cold or Wegs. This came on quite suddenly, no? That would make it seem more like a cold or some kind of virus. I'm sorry you feel so rotten and hope it improves soon.

[NikkiNicole]

It's just weird. It's like nothing I've ever really felt before. Lightheaded allllllllllllllll the time. I'll be fine and then ... poof, something moves in my throat and I am coughing and my lungs hurt BAD, and it's hollow and echoey, and then I get mucus out of my throat.
I'm not a happy camper.

[Jayne 14]

Oh hon : it's horrible feeling rough on top of all we deal with
I have to say even though I'm on MTX ( 6 monthes ) I've not had a bad cold so can't advise you . As Geoff said I thought I'd be under weather too more and so far apart from 1 or 2 off days every week or so I'm ok
Hope you feel better soon


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