Wearing mask to avoid additional germs?

Hi @elizabethjoy For those of us who are immunocompromised, yes, wearing an N-95 mask continues to be our best defense, besides frequent hand washing, to avoid colds, flu and covid when we’re out in enclosed public settings or even family gatherings.
Often I’m the only person in a store wearing a mask. But they have kept me safe even before covid after having a bone marrow transplant. A mask is a small inconvenience to stay healthy.
You’ve really had a long bout with your covid and pneumonia, so you sure don’t want to add to that if you can avoid getting sick.
I’m glad you have family support in masking up. Do they mask around you too?

They keep distant if they have colds or anything. It's heartbreaking to not get to hug my grans & babysit weekly right now, but my energy is also so low that I just can't do what I want or used to

The lack of hugs is tragic. I think it’s what I missed most early in my treatments. Now, I have a ‘work-around” that has allowed for more hugs. I toss on a large shirt with long sleeves over my clothes. With a mask on whomever I’m going to hug and myself, we get a good hug-fix in and then the shirt gets tossed into the hamper. Even my nurses okayed that method while in the hospital…as long as no one has any symptoms. The goal is no cross contamination so wash hands after hugging as well. But at least you can feel the embrace of your little grand kids! It is still a small risk so used your judgement.
I hope you feel better soon! Are you currently on any medications?

Ah thanks, what a sweet idea. Thanks for sharing. No medicines except occasional ibuprofen when I'm desperate for pain relief. & Vitamins, etc. & Humidifier when I sleep (with eucalyptus on the pad). Ok have a couple of more heart tests coming up. Take care. Blessings!

Both my husband and I isolate as much as possible because of potential high risk outcomes with Covid. We both wear N95 masks if we will be around anyone or someone comes to fix something in the house. We have discussed that even if this covid ends we will still mask.

Thanks for that response. I guess it's just our way of life now.

I still wear a mask due to autoimmune issues and having such a rough case of Covid last year. I wash my hands often try to keep them off my face and eyes. I know it seems like we will wear them forever, but, I pray one day all of this Covid will be behind us and we can be normal again! God bless you!

I wear a mask whenever I go out of my house into the public. I have had Long Covid over two years and still seeing specialists to help with my wide variety of symptoms left behind after Covid’s visit in late 2020.

I have not hugged my family for years. I have not seen most of my family or many of my friends, because of a fear of catching a common cold or worse. My immune system is no longer as strong as is was. I have infections all the time because my body can’t fight or remember how to fight infections that run through everyone’s bodies.

My great-grand kids hug my long legs, as long as they do not have a cold or feel ill. I am 5’ 11”, so I get some kind of a hug, unless they are ill, and air hugs are given which make them feel loved still.

I hope they begin making some connections to what we are experiencing and ways to treat us without having to have procedures or take multiple meds to treat individual medical issues.

I am so sorry. I too am battling more upper respiratory infections since Covid last year and my immune system is weaker. I still wear a mask too. What a horrible virus that touches everybody so differently. My heart goes out to you immensely. God Bless!

I still mask, and will for the foreseeable future. I also wear large sunglasses to avoid to avoid my eyes being conduits for COVID (yes, that's a real thing), and a big sunhat to protect my face from the sneezes and coughs of others. It's not just COVID, there are also a ton of nasty upper respiratory viruses circulating. I have nodules in my lungs, which they think are from aspirating stomach acid. I had pneumonia from September until January. It's not fun.

The Washington Post has interviewed experts three times since COVID began to see what they're doing and not doing to protect themselves. The most recent interview was earlier this month, and is very interesting. Here's a link to it. As a subscriber, I can "gift" articles so that non-subscribers can read them too. https://wapo.st/42GaOYB