Protecting patient from getting infections from me & others

Thank you, Becky. I have another query: we stopped most contact with our grandchildren last winter. They are all in school and they are efficient vectors of disease. Our grandchildren all live nearby and use our swimming pool. We have a sort of utility room that they use to store towels and change clothes. My question is: since that room is connected to the rest of the house via the heating/cooling ductwork, is it safe for my wife to have the grandkids use that room? The concern is that airborne germs could travel through the ductwork.

Brush them. We had one and we brushed her everyday and she never caused dirt trouble inside. We taught her the command “wait” and told her to wait outside the door while we brushed her or wiped her feet in the case of rainy mud. And then said “free” and she would go calmly inside. They are a super intelligent breed and love to learn commands and perform. Our daughter taught her “search” and “basket” and every night before bed she would search the house for her toys and put them away in the toy basket for us. Nice!!!!!

I can’t speak to the ducting of a heating system but I relay my thoughts on having the joys of grandchildren contact.
For me, mental health is a priority. Having contact with friends and family is important for my mental state. In regards to grand children, though they are out and about a lot and can be little germ bags (or vectors of disease), I feel they can usually be in proximity to me. The rules were and are simple, come visit with clean clothes, insure you are not sick, wash your hands when you get here. My wife and I have a very strong relationship, however we both need to interact with others to keep spirits up and those children are a great way to insure that happens.
Hope this helps.

We also have pets. They are essential to our wellbeing. My husband has dementia and loves them. Our grandkids are grown, but we have great grandchildren. I spent time with our 3 yr old twin great granddaughters at a wedding shower on Saturday and it felt so good since I don’t see them often. For me, I need to make sure no one is sick and always wash hands after petting animals, before eating, etc. I’m 1 1/2 years post transplant.

@raanderson Hello, again and I’m sorry I’m a bit late. It looks like you’ve gotten some good suggestions from @sallysue and @grandpabob and @cmael ! I would emphasize the importance of grandchildren!! What has the transplant team told you? You might think of having a meeting with the grandchildren and their parents to explain your concerns. But don’t go overboard! Explain why coming over when they have a bad cold isn’t a good idea. And they should never visit with flu symptoms or a bad cough. If they feel like they can help, it will go better. The utility room shouldn’t be an issue. Just don’t leave wet towels for days at a time.
Could you get another meeting with the transplant team? Will you try the family meeting? Please let us know how it goes! We care!
P.S. Make sure your wife is involved in these meetings! And happy recovery to her!

My husband has had two ASCT at Mayo, and had also had years of chemo. His bone marrow is very tired and we try to protect him in every way we can. That being said we had a little dog for years and we kept her bathed and healthy and there were never any issues. The children should be fine as long as they are well, just be mindful once they go back to school they are building immune systems by being exposed to many things. Making sure they are not coming directly from school, and don’t have signs of illness, my own policy is they have to be vaccinated but that is another discussion altogether. I also ask them to wash their hands well. Finding a balance that protects without being isolated requires a lot of thought, and there might be mishaps but there is no point to going through treatments if living stops. We had one major mishap and because my husbands bone marrow is so tired, it became serious, but we got through it. Make sure you have a good local doctor on board to help if you need it, and enjoy the life you get together as a result of these treatments. My husband masks up and goes to the high school foootball games, the ffa dinners, and any other events crowded with people. I make sure I keep hand sanitizer in his jacket pocket, and our cars and my purse, etc, etc, etc.

If you go out of your house to eat, take your own utensils, be they plastic or not. That way you can be assured your silverware is clean. Take a straw to use for drinks, or bring your own. Don't feel like it is strange to be masked up. I do that many times in the flu/illness seasons. Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
Ginger

@raanderson I’m just wondering if you have figured out how to have the grandchildren over to your pool? I’m sure that both you and your wife will be glad to seem them after your stay at Mayo!

I had to protect my mom from infection. I had clear rules: sick stay away, when I came home from work I shower immediately, I kept hand sanitizer by the front door until they wash their hands and outside shoes off in the house or shoes covers. Then after everyone left, Lysol.

Yes, the kids and grandkids have come over to swim although I think we are just about past swimming season now. We have just kept the kids reasonably far away from my wife. She has a cold right now but is slowly recovering from her chemotherapy. We continue to take the health precautions we learned at Mayo and we are grateful for the tips we have received here.