Author: Lisa Hyde-Barrett
Mesothelioma Patients and Their Families Urged to Get the Flu Shot
The flu season is estimated to run from December through March annually, although you can get the flu at any time of the year. This year the flu is particularly serious, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing on January 26 that the flu activity has not yet peaked for the season.
The flu can be a serious condition for anybody: patients and family members of all ages, from the very young to the very old. The very young and the elderly are particularly at risk for the severe symptoms that the flu can cause. Patients with mesothelioma are on average around 72-years-old making them in the vulnerable group for this potentially serious condition. This year the flu has affected people in the continental United States and Puerto Rico.
The flu vaccine is recommended for most people. If you have not received it, talk to your medical team about getting it immediately. You can develop the flu even after getting the flu shot, but the course of the virus is usually less severe.
The flu is a virus that is contagious. Someone with the flu virus can infect other people beginning one day before symptoms develop, and five to seven days after becoming sick. Children can pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body. The flu can be passed on before you know you are sick and after the virus enters the body.
People with the flu can spread it to others from as far as six feet away. It is thought to be spread primarily by droplets from people with the flu when they sneeze, cough or talk. The droplets are then inhaled by people nearby into their lungs. The symptoms can come on quickly. The flu has a variety of symptoms. Some of the symptoms include high fever, respiratory illness, chills, severe aches in muscles and joints, pain and tiredness around your eyes, weakness or extreme fatigue, warm flushed skin and red watery eyes, headache, a dry cough, sore throat and runny nose. The treatment for the flu is to drink plenty of fluids, rest, and stay away from people so as not to spread the virus.
The flu can produce serious symptoms for some people who may benefit from anti-viral medications. The three common anti-virals that are prescribed are oseltamivir or Tamiflu, peramivir or Rapivab, zanamivir or Relenza. They all work best if taken within 48 hours of your first symptoms. It is thought that the medicines can shorten the length of your illness by a day, if you take them at the beginning of the symptoms.
The flu is an attack on your immune system. For some people it can be fatal. After getting the flu chances of heart attack are increased six-fold during the first seven days of a flu infection.
For patients and their families with malignant mesothelioma, the flu needs to be taken very seriously. You need to be in touch with your medical team particularly if any shortness of breath develops. Wash your hands frequently, isolate yourself if you suspect the flu, and please let your mesothelioma medical team know. The flu is serious!
Nurse Discusses Importance of Pneumonia Vaccine for Mesothelioma Patients and Their Caregivers
People diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma undergo medical treatments that can compromise their already weakened immune system. This leaves them even more susceptible to developing additional illnesses such as pneumonia or the flu. When being treated at a mesothelioma center, immunizations are offered to patients before they start their treatments to help prevent them from getting sicker. These vaccines are usually administered two weeks prior to starting treatments.
Pneumonia is a specific type of lung infection that inflames the air sacs in the lung and causes them to fill with fluid or purulent material. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. There is a vaccination for the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in the U.S., which is caused by the streptococcus bacteria.
The symptoms of pneumonia can be mild to severe depending on the organism involved, your age, and your overall health. Some of the common symptoms of pneumonia are the same as those of a cold or the flu, but tend to last longer. Chest pain when breathing or coughing, a productive cough, fatigue, fever, sweating, shaking chills, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea are all possible symptoms of pneumonia.
Most kinds of pneumonia are contagious. Both viral and bacterial pneumonia can be spread by inhaling airborne droplets from a sneeze or a cough. It is estimated that about 900,000 Americans get pneumococcal pneumonia every year, and about 5-7% of those infected die from the illness.
Vaccinations for pneumococcal diseases are recommended for all adults over age 65. There are two kinds of pneumococcal vaccines available in the U.S.: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine- PCV13 or Prevnar13, and Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine- PPSV23 or Pneumovax. PCV13 is recommended for all children younger than 2 years old, all adults 65 years or older who have not been previously, and some people with certain medical conditions. PPSV23 is recommended for all adults 65 years old and older, for some people of any age who have certain medical conditions, and for adults who smoke. PPSV23 is recommended to be given at least one year after the dose of PCV13 or Prevnar13.
The pneumococcal vaccine can protect against other diseases caused by the pneumococcal bacteria, such as meningitis, ear and sinus infections, as well as blood poisoning or sepsis. Pneumonia can affect anyone, but two groups are at the highest risk are children aged two or younger, and people aged 65 or older. Anyone who may have a weakened immune system, like mesothelioma patients, are also at risk.
Any caregiver over age 65 should check with their physician about getting vaccinated. Other caregivers who smoke or have other chronic conditions should also check with their physicians about getting the vaccination.
Caregivers need to be reminded that they need to care for themselves as well as their loved ones during this stressful time.
The CARE Act Supports Mesothelioma Caregivers
For many years we have had the privilege of accompanying patients and family members along their journey with mesothelioma. We have witnessed incredible courage and resilience by the patients and the caregivers during their unique journeys with this deadly cancer. Family caregivers are often a vital part of the team. Beginning with the mesothelioma diagnosis, the family caregiver often has to navigate the new and confusing world of medicine.
One of the most confusing times in a patient’s medical care is the transition from the hospital to home. Often the discharge instructions are confusing, and patients and families do not understand all that is involved in safely transitioning home. In the U.S., “informal caregivers” provide many hours of unpaid care for their loved ones.
Caregivers in the U.S. include family members who have no formal training in performing the tasks involved in a patient’s care. For patients with malignant mesothelioma, the journey cannot be done by the patient alone. Help is required. Family care giving can be an overwhelming task that can consume the patients’ caregivers, physically, financially, and emotionally.
The vital role that “informal caregivers” play in the health and well-being of all patients has recently been acknowledged. Organizations offering support and tips for caregivers include the American Association of Retired People- AARP (http://www.aarp.org/), and the Family Caregivers Alliance (http://www.caregiver.org/). Together, and with other organizations, they have supported and help passed The Care Act.
In November 2017, the Care Act was passed in Massachusetts. The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act supports family caregivers. When their family members go to the hospital and transition home the law requires that the patient will be able to designate a caregiver. The caregiver will have to be notified when your loved one is being discharged to home or to another facility. The tasks that are required to safely care for your loved one will need to be explained to the caregiver before transitioning home. Some of the examples of what will need to be explained and demonstrated are, medications, treatment of wounds, injections.
It is well known that the glue that holds a patient’s experience together is an unpaid family caregiver. They provide care for their loved ones in an attempt to keep them out of the hospital. Hopefully, The Care Act will help them and their loved ones make the journey a little less confusing.
The CARE Act has been signed into law in 36 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Find out more about the CARE Act at AARP.org.
Communication is Key Throughout Your Mesothelioma Journey
When discussing mesothelioma we often refer to the path from first symptoms to treatment and living with the disease as a “journey.” When you or your family member find yourselves on this unwanted journey, one of the most important skills that you must develop is communication. This may sound obvious, but ensuring you understand everything requires attention to detail.
For most people, this journey is filled with a language that is foreign to them. Terms with long complicated names, a vocabulary of words that are hard to pronounce become all too familiar. The diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma can be overwhelming and confusing on so many different levels.
A recent study of a small number of lung cancer patients and their family members found that one of the issues they faced was that over time communication would break down with the medical team. As you go from one part of the journey to another, for example from chemotherapy to participation in a clinical trial, the number of members in your medical team grows making it difficult to know who to contact for what issue.
How can you avoid breakdowns in communication with your mesothelioma medical team? One of the most important factors is that you feel comfortable with your specialized mesothelioma team. You need to feel that you are known – not as a patient with malignant mesothelioma, but as a person. Personalized medicine for patients with mesothelioma includes the best treatment options as well as the best support staff. Your team is dedicated to reaching the best possible outcome for you or your loved one. That is the goal, but we are all human and miscommunications can happen. Sometimes the information was not communicated at all, or was not understood. Sometimes it is just not what the patient or family wanted to hear.
Throughout your journey make sure that you and your team continue to communicate. Make a list of your questions and ask them. This past week we had a patient who had been told by her local doctor that nothing would work for her, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, clinical trial options, nothing. He advised her to enjoy the time she had left.
She came to our mesothelioma center with no hope and no questions. Her husband had come with many questions. By the end of the day she also had many questions. Her journey with mesothelioma had changed, but now she had a plan, support, and hope.
Everyone’s path is different, keep the lines of communication open with your mesothelioma team no matter what stage of your journey.
Mesothelioma Nurse Asks Everyone to Reach Out to Someone This Holiday Season
As we close out November and National Family Caregivers Month, we give thanks to all mesothelioma patients and to those who support them. From the diagnosis through treatment, to living with a chronic condition, a serious illness is stressful and life-altering. For the patient and the family member, or support person, their relationships are forever altered. Over the years I have met outstanding caregivers and supportive friends who have seen patients through dark times and who have helped immensely in the whole mesothelioma journey.
This past week, I saw once again, the importance of relationships, support, and human interactions. Unfortunately, I saw it from the other side, from a patient who is alone and isolated. I took care of him this past week, while he was having an outpatient procedure, and I was reminded of how easy it can be in today’s world to become isolated.
The man had been a successful professor who has been retired for over 15 years. He did not have a computer- not interested. He had no one to drive him to or from his appointments and he hired a car service for his transportation. He did not list an emergency contact, he had no one. He had no family or friends, and he did not know any of his neighbors.
Although my time with him was brief, the impression he made on me was profound. He was reluctant to let his team know about his situation. His family was gone, he had a distant cousin down south but he had not kept in touch with him. He was so appreciative of any kindness shown him. He was a proud, independent man, who at this point in his life, had no family or supportive relationships.
Social and emotional isolation is a growing problem in this age of technology and instant communications. It is proven that individuals with less social connections have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. Socially isolated, middle-aged and older people have a 30 percent higher risk of dying in the next seven years.
As we enjoy the holiday season – make it a point to look around your neighborhood, apartment building, and office and reach out to someone who might just need a kind word or a conversation to help them get through the day. The relationship you form can save someone’s life and enrich your own.
Free Mesothelioma Patient & Treatment Guide
We’d like to offer you our in-depth guide, “A Patient’s Guide to Mesothelioma,” absolutely free of charge.
It contains a wealth of information and resources to help you better understand the condition, choose (and afford) appropriate treatment, and exercise your legal right to compensation.
Download Now