Dear Wendy,
I think that some people do get a pretty good immune system after a transplant. It might take up to a year. I think that might be why certain immunisations are with-held until the 12 month mark as the body can respond to them better then and mount an immune response that might be considered 'worthwhile.'Of course, it can be very individual.
I've just had my first really major flu since diagnosis in 2008 and transplant at the end of that year. Colds yes, but a real flu – the first one. However, when I think about it, even though my neutrophils have been lowered by the thalidomide down to 1.2 ( normal 2.0-7.0), practically everyone I know in this part of the world has had this flu/virus whatever it is. Finally I got it and then my husband. My neutrophils dropped to 0.7, which is entering dodgy territory. I had to stop my myeloma treatment and I'm waiting for my immunity to improve. I've also been on antibiotics. I was told that when someone has a bacterial infection, their neutrophils might be likely to rise, and when they have a virus, they are more likely to fall. Of course, viruses can cause some bacterial infections- that's why we get antibiotics, I guess. Sorry about your colds. I'm sure your consultant or doc will monitor your immunity. When immunity falls too low, a number of things can happen. You might have to go off a treatment for a short while, if your meds are suppressing the neutrophils. Or some people get IV immunoglobulin from their hospital if they've had a number of serious infections in a year.
Best,
Eva
Perkymite 12 years, 7 months ago.
