Hi Twinz,
I have been in remission for 10 months now.
I think that there are 3 parts to this:
– Level of immunity
You have probably got up to speed on the relevant jargon: platelets, neutrophils etc. My understanding, as someone with MM, is that the level of neutrophils is the most important in terms of the risk of bacterial infection: this seems to be the bigger danger compared to viral infection. However, I am by no means saying that viral infection is not important. Therefore: how many neutrophils do you have? (other parts of the immune system also being relevant).
I have blood tests every 4 weeks and I am warned to be more cautious when my neutrophils are especially low.
– Quick wins
You mention avoiding busy places and wearing a mask. Then there is also:
– eating a neutropenic diet (e.g. no raw meat or fish)
– washing hands frequently
– avoiding people known to have infections.
– keeping up to date with vaccinations
None of these are particularly difficult to do, and can significantly reduce risk.
– Attitude to risk
An analogy: when it comes to savings and investments, some people are very cautious and put every penny in the bank. Some take more risk, by taking punts on the stock markets of (say) Vietnam and Georgia, knowing that this is more risky (i.e. you could lose money) but it could bring more reward. There is no right or wrong in this, but some people take more risks then others.
Likewise, once unnecessary risks have been removed (the ‘quick wins’ such as those above), it depends on your own attitude. It is perfectly reasonable to be cautious and lead a low risk lifestyle: I get the impression that that is what you are doing. My lifestyle is more risky: since going into remission, I have had a number of holidays, saw my youngest graduate from university, went to a pantomime in London’s West End…
Have I had infections? Yes! I came back from one holiday with gastroenteritis and from another with a cough that took weeks to clear up. I don’t regret it, though. There will come a time when I fall out of remission, and after that there could be tough times ahead in terms of chemo side effects, bone pain etc. One thing that is going to help me cope is having fond memories of the sightseeing, local cultures, and spending time with family while doing all this. My life, my choice. It also means that they have fond memories of me enjoying the local cuisine, “Dad dancing” in public (I am unembarrassable :-)), heart to heart conversations etc.
Therefore, when you ask “will it [the fear of infections] eventually improve”, I suggest that it is up to you.
If you want to deal with this fear – and I did go this stage during the first few months of chemo – I suggest going a bit outside your comfort zone, getting used to that, then a bit further etc. Happy to discuss further.
Regards
Rabbit
