Common Cold and Mercaptopurine

[leithcote]

Dear all,

I am in the unfortunate situation of having caught a cold whilst on mercaptopurine. My colleagues at work (as they all presumably have a perfectly functioning immune system) shook it off after just a few days.

My cold, however, doesn't seem to be resolving itself at all!

Some advice please as to how long I should wait before checking in with my GP? I assuming that it will eventually sort itself out, but as things seem to be moving towards my chest (nasty cough and phelgm - yuck), I'm wondering if it's worth getting checked over - as the last thing I want is for an opportunistic chest infection to develop!

With thanks,
Tony.

 

[Silvermoon]

My "colds" usually start in the head with sinuses, then move to the chest after a week or so and settle there for up to 10 days, so yes, it can take a while....

However, not that anything can be done for a viral infection, if it lasts much longer than 2 weeks, I would see your doctor to see what your blood tests are showing (if you are having regular tests, that is; otherwise, to get one done) and have him give a listen to your chest to make sure you are coughing that stuff up, and it is not just sittting there make a nice warm, moist environment for a bug to set into.

other than that, lots of fluids (water and fruit juice) and plenty of rest is probably the best thing you can do for yourself.

Hope it clears up soon for you.