This past week marked the one-year anniversary of receiving
my breast cancer diagnosis. In the beginning, I was of the belief that I just needed
to stay well for the next biopsy or the next surgery. Little did I know that I
needed to stay well for the entire winter season. That seemed like a Herculean feat,
especially with how bad the cold & flu season was. My reconstruction doc
put the fear of God into me during the appointments just after my first two
surgeries. I learned if I got sick, even a cold, that I could get an infection
in the breast expander. If that happened, the expander would need to be surgically removed,
the tissue allowed months to heal, then the process would start all over again. There was
no way that I wanted to try it a second time, so I became a bit of a germaphobe.
Here is how I stayed well:
1) Hand washing- I washed my hands a lot! Every time we
walked into the house, I washed my hands and requested that the kids wash their
hands. I washed my hands before every meal, too.
2) Sanitizing wipes- I wiped all the door knobs, light switches,
handles, and remotes down a few times a week. I wiped down my desk and
equipment in my office at work at least once a week (more if others were sick).
3) Hand towels- I replaced the hand towels in our house
daily with a fresh one. This one is probably one of the big reasons that my
whole family stayed well.
4) Gloves- Anytime that I was out in public, I kept my winter
gloves on when I touched shopping carts and doors. I tried to limit my outings
and did not go many places besides home, work, and doctor appointments for
about 6 months.
5) Clothes washing- I washed all outerwear once a week (coats, hats,
gloves, scarves) to reduce germs. I washed all the bedding in the house on a
weekly basis.
6) Peppermint Tea- I drank one to two mugs of peppermint tea
daily. Peppermint tea is supposed to boost your immune system.
7) Vitamin C- I took one chewable Airborne tablet twice a
day. Emergen-C is good too, but it contains soy and made me quite sick.
8) Supplements- I took JuicePlus+ fruit blend and garden
blend twice a day.
9) Neti Pot- I know this one is a scary one for many people.
I used the neti pot twice a day (morning & night). I think that the saline
water helps to reduce the number of germs that enter the body through the nose.
10) Humidifier- We ran a humidifier in our bedroom at night.
I tend to breath and sleep better at night with the humidifier going.
11) Sleep- Try to get plenty of sleep. Sleep is so crucial to
staying well. If you do not get enough sleep, your immune system can crash.
12) Hands- Keep your hands away from your face. This one is
more difficult for me. It was one technique that I had to work on.
I had a sore throat for a few days last winter in about mid-February,
which made me freak out a bit. Thankfully, it turned out well. Besides that, I
stayed well all winter. I would not say that my tips are the only way to go,
but that is how I survived last winter. I hope that the info above helps you
this winter season.
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