Dear Firefly,
I guess leukemia, which is what I have, involves immune therapy pure and
simple. As I understand my condition, it involves the undermining of the
immune system, and all treatments are aimed at getting rid of those elements
that have undermined it and bringing it up to a level where it can fight off
illness in general. Certainly if your immune system is down, flu shots are out
of the question. My dearest friend has had flu, or a cold, I don't know one
from the other, for a couple of weeks now and we have been in contact by phone
-- period. This is because recently I had chemotherapy for five days, which
always makes your immune system do a nosedive. As you may have read in these
notes, I am now taking neupogen shots daily, which should bring my count up to
normal, in which case I won't be so vulnerable. I'm hoping that by Christmas
Day we will both have got back to normal and we can actually sit across the
table from each other. If not, this will be the first Christmas we have not
had visual sightings of each other for more than 30 years.
All that to say no, I wouldn't get anywhere near a flu shot if I were you, and
stay away from sick people as much as you can until your doctor says your
immune system is up to coping with that sort of thing.
Mind you, my doctor says it is all right for me to go shopping etc., so long
as I stay out of crowds. But he is giving me Cipro, an antibiotic, twice daily
for protection. If you ask me, doctors themselves don't entirely understand
the mechanisms of the immune system, but they certainly know more than we do,
and we have to trust them. And get second, and if necessary third, opinions if
we have our doubts. (Most insurance covers second opinions, I think. Mine
does.)
Immune therapy ranges from vitamins and herbs up to extreme chemotherapy. If
you haven't already done so, do web searches regarding diet etc. and keep in
touch with this MOL correspondence. There are some knowledgeable people here,
but I'm not one of them. I can't give specific recommendations, but one that
might be borne in mind is straight from my doctor -- avoid uncooked
vegetables. Salad, usually thought of as so healthy, is not recommended -- at
least for me. Vegetables, yes, but cooked.
As regards chemicals bringing you down, I agree with you. My doctor tells me I
will start feeling better some time after my final consolidation. One may no
longer be attached to a bag, but the melody lingers on, for quite a while.
Mind you, my symptoms are not all that dreadful, I suppose -- tiredness and, a
comparatively recent development, a tendency to dizziness. He says they come
from the chemotherapy, and will end after it ends.
If you are feeling great anxiety, don't be afraid to tell your doctor. He
should be able to help you. Some people are too brave for their own good!
God bless you at this season of hope. May things improve for you, and for the
rest of us.
Keep in touch.
-- Ron
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