Tip #65 Bibs and Bobs: Germs, You're Outta Here!

     It hasn't been that long since we've addressed germs with respect to visitors (Tip #224 Greet visitors and Stay Healthy), but that post focused mainly on the importance of industrial strength hand-sanitizer and how to go about getting people to use it. In this post, I just want to remind you of some of the small things you can do to stay healthy. Why so much of a focus on all the germ stuff? It is a act that we are all in contact with germs each day, people get sick or they don't and then the world goes on....  BUT, if you are recovering from serious illness or trauma, the last thing you need to be dealing with is getting a bug and either hindering your recovery or barely maintaining it.  With that in mind, here are a few more tips that I believe help people to stay healthy (or healthier at least) in a world full of germs:

• Get your flu shot. Patients and Caregivers alike should be getting a flu shot. There seems to be  a lot of controversy, and some resistance about how well it works for many (and I've even had people tell me it's a governmental conspiracy but we won't go there....). There are great resources all over the web that explain it, so if you are reluctant to get it, maybe read up on it before making a decision to not get it. I also say that if you aren't sure it does anything (prevents anything) so you think why bother? Well, I ask you this: if there was a small chance that you could help yourself or your loved one get better and stay safer, why wouldn't you want to decide to get it? People die from the flu every year; especially compromised people (sick people who can't fight germs as well because they are sick). I encourage you to find your own resources, but here is a link to an Ontario health and long term care website has some good info: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/publichealth/flu/vaccine.aspx
• Use a new hand towel in the bathroom each day, or even twice a day if there is a lot of traffic in through your house. If you have community nurses coming in, I would also suggest that you keep a roll of paper-towel on your bathroom counter, as they usually prefer to use that when washing for extra cleanliness.
• Purchase a few masks (sometimes you have to get a whole box, but it's usually under $10). Ask a visitor/family member/caregiver who has a cold or virus to wear one of the masks when they are in the room you are, or when preparing food for you. It's handy to bring a few with you when going to medical appointments (I once had a very sick patient transfer attendant with a leaky nose in very tight quarters in the back of the transport unit - I would have loved a mask!). 
• Purchase a box of gloves (medical gloves, but no need for sterile ones). The same caregivers who wear the mask can also wear the gloves when caring for you/touching items you have.
• Use Lysol wipes (or some sort of comparable antibacterial cleaning wipes) for things like:

• Wiping down counter before and after doing all medication preparations
• Wiping down the phones, cell phones, remotes, and computers now and then
• Wiping down door handles, cupboard handles, the squirt part of hand sanitizer pumps, and anything else that people touch a lot.
• Wiping down Feeding pumps, your IV pole, IV pumps, and other medical equipment.
• Don't be afraid to ask people (kindly) to wash their hands if you see them doing things like licking their fingers to flip through pages, or blowing their nose, or playing with their lip rings, etc. Be pleasant, but unapologetic. You need to stay healthy.
• Keep antibacterial hand wipes beside the bed. I know that these days some say that you shouldn't use antibacterial soaps, wipes. gels, etc. all of the time, and I do agree, because we create all sorts of superbugs when we follow that pattern. That said, if you're sick, use them and ask others to use them. If you can't get out of bed very much, then you want them to be antibacterial after you've touched your wound/changed a dressing/touched something, spilled your medications on yourself...
• Use thermometer covers. They are thin plastic covers that go on the end of a thermometer, so that you are protecting the thermometer from germs (nurses still wipe it down with alcohol wipes sometimes too, but it is still better than not doing so).
• A steamer is fairly expensive, but seem to be all the rage right now. They are used for sanitizing handles, doors, floors, counters and more, and are great because you don't have to use chemicals (which also have the added bonus of having scents that are often not helpful). 
• Regarding medications:
• If you are trying to count how many pills you have left, or are trying to get just one pill out, try not to dump the pills out. The more you handle them, the more potential for germs
• If you are using liquid medications and it is easier to pour some out into a container first, make sure that container is clean, not used with any other med, and ideally, don't dump the remnants back in the bottle. If you use a dropper for the meds, don't let it touch your mouth.
• If you are using ointment on a wound/cut, etc., don't put it on the site directly. Put some ointment on a q-tip, gauze, even paper-towel, and apply it from there. That way you don't contaminate your tube of ointment.
• When you come home from tests at a hospital/medical office... wash your hands and change your clothes before crawling into bed. Let the washing machine fight your germs while you rest:)

     I'm fairly anal about making sure that the house is as germ-free as possible, and I do all of the above. I am sure that there are many. many, many more ways to protect from germs, but I leave you with this - make sure that you are not living in a state of fear and being obsessive about ridding germs. There will always be germs to fight, and you can't win every battle with them. I would suggest trying to strike a balance between doing a reasonable amount of germ-free sentry duty that implements the types of suggestions above, while enjoying the people and the things around you - without constant fear of getting even more ill.

Happy germ-fighting!