Why Take Action Against Germs?
For many with lupus, getting sick from something as small as a head cold can often trigger a large lupus flare on top of everything else.
Colds and flu can settle into your lungs faster than you can say pneumonia; add on top of that an attack of swelling and pain and that infection can take on a life of its own. It can send someone with lupus to the hospital and, since our bodies are too busy fighting itself rather than the infection, it can actually be deadly.
To put it bluntly, anyone’s small cold can actually threaten our lives and cause illness and grief for more than a month.
Some people do not seem to get this fact about having lupus or retain it — or they simply do not care. I have had many occasions where someone comes to my home, or I am invited to theirs, and I eventually learn they or their children have been horribly ill but started feeling better that morning.
It makes me want to scream, leave and sometimes curse. It shows complete disregard for my health and my life.
But with school germs, what can a parent with lupus do? We really have no control over the fact that other parents send their kids to school sick and often kids don’t even show signs of being ill until they are at school and are suddenly feeling awful.
So, I put a plan of action into place last school year and I was amazed that it seemed to cut back greatly on how often I got sick. It may not be the cure-all for the threat of these back-to-school germs, but it made enough of a difference that I am sticking with it this school year and hoping for the same results.
Where Do Germs Hide?
There are places in your home you may not think to clean and disinfect on a regular basis, and these places are often a hiding place of germs and bacteria that can get you sick. Here are a few things I target to cut back on the threat of germs:
Clothing the Kids Wore to School
When they come through the door after school, I have my kids change to after-school clothes and throw their clothing into the dirty laundry.
This removes whatever germs they have picked up while sitting in the lunchroom, the classroom carpet at story time, and those sneezes that landed on them when their best friend forgot to cover their face. I also have them wash their hands after they have changed, which also makes sense to do before their after school snack.
Doorknobs
Your door knobs, cabinet pulls, knobs on the stove and thermostat buttons are prime locations for germs and bacteria. Your family touches these knobs all the time and usually with unclean hands. You should wipe these surfaces clean with disinfecting cloths at least once per week.
