Daughter w/CD, on Remicade, Question about suppressed immune system

[MN_Moose]

Hello, I am new here - my teen daughter was recently hospitalized and diagnosed w/Crohn's, but thankfully we are home now.

Her flare-up has subsided, and she had two infusions of Remicade, 1 week apart, the last being about 2 weeks ago.

She is on the tapering off stage with her Prednisone and is also taking Pentasa.

My question is about her suppressed immune system and cold/flu season now upon us, and my son has a typical cold with regular 1/minute coughing.

I have confined my son to his room and have been lysol'ing everything, making sure he doesn't step foot in the kitchen and not use the same bathroom as her.

Am I beeing a bad father for doing this? Do you have better suggestions for what has worked for you?

 

[Clash]

Welcome to the forum! My college age daughter came home one weekend with some type of viral/cold/funk and I didn't let her any where near her brother who has Crohn's disease. Ha! I even broke out the surgical masks when my daughter started hacking and coughing and made my son C stay far away!!

My son is on Remicade as well as methotrexate(an immunosuppressant) I will be getting him the flu shot when I can slow him down enough to go! I can say that since we have started treatment C(my son) has had fewer viruses, colds, infections than me or the rest of the family.

By the way, I confined the sick daughter instead of the CD son, just because I didn't want her in the kitchen spreading the germs that might eventually make it up to him through food and such. Not that the daughter minded being wait on hand and foot, she has a little princess in her at times!! HA

 

[Samboi]

Be eternally vigilante!
Once we get a cold - it lingers and is always hard to shake.
I have absolutely no qualms about being forthright with others about spreading their germs.
I have banned students from the classroom when they are sick and I left a meeting because a woman turned up with a head cold. I gave her a dressing down for turning up.
I have asked people to move away from me and not to touch my things when they are sick.
What makes other people sick puts us in hospital.
If one of my kids has a cold or virus - they are confined to their room.

 

[spingirl]

I always thought that it was infections people had to worry about with Remicade? Virus too? I am not on it (I take Aza) but I still have a hard time shaking whatever I get. I know its not the same type of medicine but...I get a flu shot too just in case.

Don't feel bad about keeping your kids separated and sanitizing everything. Better safe than sorry. I'm sure your son understands. Its the hands. Can I tell you - when I was a new mother - I never got sick because I was constantly washing my hands. I'd make my son wear those disposable surgical gloves when he was out of his room. Do you just have one bathroom? That toilet handle is the worst! I want to find some of that barrier tape the dentists use. Mine uses it on his light switches. You just reminded me. i have to find some of that. Good luck! Hope it all works out well.

 

[MN_Moose]

Thank you all for your replies - yes my son is very understanding, and he does like being wated on hand and foot

Sounds like we are doing the right thing with the isolation until the coughs and sneezes go away.

 

[rileys]

I was diagnosed during my student teaching semester 2 years ago, and have been teaching elementary children since then (colds, flu, snot, GERMS EVERYWHERE!). I get Remicade infusions every 6 weeks, and despite everything I have read about having a weakened immune system, I've had only one minor cold in the last 2 years.