Chemo and non-vax q...

[Pariah]

FIL is starting chemo in the very near future. They've told us that his immune system will be shot. Should un-vaxed DS be kept away from him during this time? DS is very healthy (getting over a cold at the moment, but his last cold was in July of '07), but we've been told that during chemo FIL will be very susceptible to pretty much everything.

And if FIL shouldn't be around DS, would this apply to DS's cousins as well? They're fully vaxed on schedule, but I'm thinking about how little kids tend to pass around germs and such (older cousin is in school, little one is not yet).

We haven't dealt with this before, so any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Monkeygrrl]

the children shouldnt be kept from him unless they are sick, or FIL is sick...treat it the same as you normally would...FIL may be more sick at times because of the chemo...but not being vax'd or being vax'd shouldnt cause any issue...yes, he is going to be more vulnerable that usual...

this coming from someone who has done the chemo/radiation thing...

good luck to your family and FIL with this...

peace...

[lirpasirhc]

my grandmother died after battling lung cancer (nonsmoker, no risk factors, ) for about 5 years. she did chemo basically2 rounds per year from the time of diagnosis. she had been done w/ a round of chemo for about 2 weeks when she caught a cold and died 2 days later.

since there is no vax for a cold and the flu vax is not effective, i would skip the vaxes. when my gradmother was sick, we were all "undervaxed" by today's CDC schedule (no rotavirus, HIB, prevnar, hep A, hep B, flu, varacilla, fewer MMR/DTP boosters) and we didn't pass on any VPDs to my grandmother. there really isn't a vax that will reduce your child's chance of passing on a disease. getting a vax could impair your child's immune system (at least temporarily) and make him more likely to pass on a cold. i would focus on good nutrition, etc. to boost DS's immune system.

i'm sorry about your FIL.

[ZoeyZoo]

I just wanted to mention to those in your family who do vax to keep in mind that live virus vaxes (i.e., chickenpox, mmr, flumist, etc.) can shed. I would keep anyone away that had these vaxes and are in the shedding period.

I hope you FIL gets well soon.

[Pariah]

lirpasirhc, we're unvaxed and will be staying that way. I wasn't considering vaxing because of FIL, just concerned about the off chance that DS would be in the early stages of chicken pox, pertussis, whatever and expose FIL to it. I know the chances of that are very low, though.

ZoeyZoo, thanks for reminding me about that! I will definitely let them know.

Thanks all!

[lirpasirhc]

Originally Posted by Pariah

lirpasirhc, we're unvaxed and will be staying that way. I wasn't considering vaxing because of FIL, just concerned about the off chance that DS would be in the early stages of chicken pox, pertussis, whatever and expose FIL to it. I know the chances of that are very low, though.

ZoeyZoo, thanks for reminding me about that! I will definitely let them know.

Thanks all!

sorry that i misunderstood. i was NAKing.

[Arduinna]

We are an unvax family and when I had chemo I kept away from sick people and kids recently vaxed due to shedding at my hematologists urging.

[skybluepink02]

Honestly, all children should probably be kept away from him during his most vulnerable time. Even the common cold could be devastating to him. If your nephews have recently been vaxed, they should be kept far, far away from him. If he has to be around them, you should have him wear a face mask and the children should try not to touch him very much.

It's not permanent, and will be hard on the family, but keeping him healthy now will make his recovery much faster and will make it possible for him to regain his strength that much faster.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by skybluepink02

Honestly, all children should probably be kept away from him during his most vulnerable time. Even the common cold could be devastating to him. If your nephews have recently been vaxed, they should be kept far, far away from him. If he has to be around them, you should have him wear a face mask and the children should try not to touch him very much.

It's not permanent, and will be hard on the family, but keeping him healthy now will make his recovery much faster and will make it possible for him to regain his strength that much faster.

I think I agree with this too. I hope everything goes well.

[Arduinna]

Unless his Dr says so you don't need to quarantine a person on chemo or radiation. There are many different treatment regimes and everyone responds differently. They will be monitoring the condition of his immune system and will let him know what precautions need to be taken. I'd follow whatever guidance he gives you, since he knows his health situation best. Provided his Dr says it's ok and the child is not sick it just may do him good to spend time with children, we all need family support and to enjoy life even when we are facing possible or probable terminal illness. My dd was young when I was sick, she still spent time with her friends and they did come over, although I wasn't up to them playing all day here. I did tell their parents to please not let her play at their house or allow their kids to come to mine if they were sick. But that was it, and I never got sick from them.

[maryeb]

NAK...we spent lots of hospital time with my dad recently, while he underwent chemo for the 5th time. He was very sick but the things that were to be kept out of his room were fruits/veg, flowers, and sick people. We actually kept most visitors out except family. Ds was fine, my dad ended up being fine. Good luck to you and your FIL.

[mamakay]

Vax status won't matter. Really, I think it just depends on how hard-core the chemo is. When my FIL was going through chemo, we kept the kids away from him. Kids really are colonized with all kinds of bugs more regularly than adults are, even when they don't look sick.

[junomama]

I'm going through chemo right now, and my doctor said to avoid being around sick people — but one of my little boys has a cold right now, and what can you do? I'm not going to move out of the house while I'm doing chemo. I'm still a mom! I'm also not going to give our boys the whole battery of vaccinations though my immune system is compromised. (As PPs noted, I'm definitely avoiding giving the ones that shed.) I'm just doing my best to get enough rest, make sure I eat well, monitor my temperature regularly (in case of a high fever, which could be a sign of an infection), etc.

The danger with colds and that type of exposure peaks about 7 to 10 days after a chemo treatment - it's when the white blood cell count is lowest. These days, doctors often give a shot of a drug called Neulasta right after chemo to prevent too much of a drop, and that seems to be warding off problems for me so far.

Best of luck to your FIL! I think common sense is the best approach.

[Pariah]

Thanks for all of the replies! I appreciate it.