Is this an obsession

ethel I do feel for you and your anxious lifestyle at the moment and understand just where it is coming from as I was the same when I first started my chemo over 20 yrs ago,so yes there is light at the end of the tunnel and things now are far so advanced from when I was treated all those years ago so give yourself a break and calm down (no disrespect meant there)
Hot soapy water for cleaning your kitchen is all you need and you will not infect yourself from your own home,your immune system is just that "immune" to your own living conditions so don't fret anymore,just keep the little bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket for when you are out and about.

meant shrinking, I wish the tumour would shirk what its doing and just disappear.

They said I needed 4 to 6 lots of chemo, when I start the 4th one, in 2 weeks time I will go for a scan then they will see if theres anything happening, ie if the tumour is shirking or growing. They will then decide whenI have my op. I am soooo scared of an op, I cant think about it. However,
I am managing and life is bearable the worst thing is the cold weather which I used to love and makes my hands go numb.
I see life very differently now that I have time to think about things in depth . I see some sad cases in the hospital and thank my lucky stars that I am not as bad as that (yet?).Thank you all for the continued good wishes. Be back to normal soon and winding you all up

I notice you haven't told us when your chemo treatment is going to finish, ethel. I hope it's soon, if only for the sake of your hands!

ethel I shouldn't laugh but your post about your nice new bowel was hilarious!

Really hot soapy water should be fine for work surfaces and washing up. Bleaching your cloth and sponge frequently should be fine (or a fresh jiffy cloth daily as elegran suggests) The outside of rubber gloves should be bleached too or change them frequently .

Just common sense and be careful not to get any dirt in cuts (disposable gloves for peeling veg, handling raw meat etc, are useful).

Soap and hot water is ample for most things. The hospital rule is to wash your hands for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday to You twice.

DH has antibiotics to take every other day while he's on chemotherapy. plus an anti viral and an anti fungal. I don't know if you have been prescribed anything like this as a preventive measure?

jingle you love me for it

You're 'aving us on now ethelbags. All OCD sufferers can work things like that out for themselves.

Your unconscious was typing that about getting rid of your old bowel and buying a new one - a pity you can't!.

Those knitted nylon scrubbers in bright colours are good for removing bits of food, and don't disintegrate the way the green ones do. You can boil them up to be sure that they are clean.

Packs of disposable blue Jiffy cloths can be used new each day for washing surfaces, and thrown out (I demote them to floorcloths the next day to get a bit more use out of them)

I am with charleygirl in saying that Dettol is not needed if you wash surfaces regularly.

Washing your own hands too often just makes them sore and cracked. One wash before you cook and one when you finish should be enough unless it is something messy. Obviously you don't handle raw chicken first and then prepare cream with unwashed hands, for instance, but if you do things in the right order you are not transferring any germs to something which will not be cooked to kill them.

Please do not waste money buying a steam cleaner. I use a disposable wipe using hot soapy water for cleaning work top surfaces. Sometimes I have to use a liquid kitchen cleaner for the cooker.

For washing dishes, you are getting your knickers in a bit of a twist I am afraid. Hot water with washing up liquid, with or without gloves, use a disposable wipe for dishes but if anything needs a scrub, I use a brush. The hot, soapy water will clean any debris off it.

If wearing gloves, after you have finished washing the dishes, keep the gloves on and wash your hands normally and this will keep the gloves clean.

You do not have to clean the sink or bowl several times a day. A wipe after you do the washing up is fine. Try to relax and please get professional help because you are wearing yourself out.

Sorry I would love a new bowel and I would not be writing this thread, instead I got a new bowl.

I do shop during the day when the kids are at school, I would however like to ask you gnetters advice about how to wash my dishes.
No Im not winding anyone up.
I used to use a sponge scrubber, the type with a dark green side for pans, I read that these scrubbers are loaded with germs so I stopped using them. I then went on to just using a green scrubber which I soak in bleach at night along with the dishcloth and brush. I also pour boiling watter on the scrubber. I use rubber gloves for washing up and have tried just rubbing dishes with my gloved hands but thid does not remove hard bits of food. I don't use the dishcloth for dishes, just for the bench when I rub it after doing my dishes.
I haven't got room for a dishwasher, DD does her dishes on a boil every day.
Would a steam cleaner help with cleaning my bench?.
I got rid of my bowel and got a new one, nice and shiny, I wash the tap every day and rub the sink out several times. I would just like to know what is the best article to use to actually wash the dishes.any advice

annsixty I agree with you. I am not standing up for the staff concerned but nowadays there are no changing rooms or shower facilities and nowhere safe to leave one's outdoor clothes. That maybe one reason but they should at least cover up by wearing a coat. Uniforms are not in touch with the patients, it is handwashing that is the key to stopping the spread of infections but washing in a controlled fashion.

ethel why do you not go to the chemist to buy a small container of liquid hand rub? It maybe kinder on your hands than the frquent uncontrolled washing of them. Remember to apply cream frequently.

Also as I said before, only use hot, soapy water to clean work top surfaces. If you use eg Dettol based products, you are increasing the risk of resistance by killing off the normal flora.

If you cannot shop on line, I would try to shop at a quiet time, eg first thing in the morning when the children are on their way to school and the younger ones are with their mother.

How much longer have you got with the chemo?

This thread has encouraged me to say something that has concerned me for some time now and that is the practise of nursing staff wearing uniform out of hospital. I have a neighbour who is a nurse in A+E who goes off everyday in her navy trousers and tunic and when I was doing the schoolrun we saw a mother who is a ward sister at our local hospital regularly picking up her daughter wearing her uniform. I also see them on public transport although I think some are domiciliary carers as opposed to nurses, all very bad in my opinion.

Absent I know you don't like me but please don't be so abrupt.

Yes!

You do not need Dettol wipes in the kitchen- hot, soapy water is sufficient. Please get some professional help as you are over anxious.

Of course it is - but some colds last for ages- DH has had one virtually for weeks- but it is the initial stages which are so contagious- so your mum was probably absolutely fine- so don't get yourself too worked up about this. Must say it seems unfair to say she is being vindictive for wanting to see you. Would it be best for your hands to use germicidal gel rather than washing so often?

Hope you can relax a little and that the chemo will soon be over and that you will soon be enjoying Spring.

It's perfectly understandable to be anxious. My DH was diagnosed with cancer last year. He is OK now and fortunately didn't have to have chemo, just radiotherapy, hormone injections etc. He took all his treatment (an unpleasant biopsy, several scans as well as the radiotherapy) in his stride and just got on with it, no complaining at all. However, his personality changed completely. He was constantly mithered, looking at me for reassurance for the simplest thing. I would even find him mumbling to himself on occasions with the stress of it all. The anxiety that comes with a cancer diagnosis can be hard to deal with. I think the suggestion of a chat with the Macmillan nurses is an excellent one. My DG is now back to his former self after his treatment and positive outcome. I wish you well ethel.

I think you are reasonable to be anxious because your situation is miserable at the moment.the Macmillan nurses don't do nursing care or put you in bed but they do have sensible advice. I'm a bit OCD myself and make a point of wearing gloves on a bus or pushing a trolley. At this time of the year it doesn't look odd! I've seen people sneeze everywhere and wipe their nose with their hand and wipe said hand on the back of the seat. (It's on a student bus route) and don't start me on feet on seats. But germs don't last too long. Use baby wipes in the kitchen or dettol wipes if you feel happier. I heard a lecture on hygiene where the prof said that kitchen cloths were his bête noire and second to that mixed salads in a bag in supermarkets. I do use a fresh cloth in the kitchen daily and face cloths ditto .bleach tablets from the baby section (for sterilising bottles) dissolved in a bowl of water keep things sweet. Your friend may have a problem herself but a wipe down with a dettol wipe would solve your settee problem. Be brave and keep going.

I think you should ask peple who have active colds to stay away until your treatment is over, just to be on the safe side.

I also think that it could be worth you making a call to MacMillan - I know that you have already made a contact there - and they will give you a chance to express your anxieties and explain in more detail what you should or should not be doing.

And I do understand that you cannot help worrying - I was overly anxious about the possibility of a DVT after my hip surgery, but all was well.

Its scary as they haven't explained it all to me in a clear way, they said 'you cant infect yourself' but how does that work. I watch tv programmes all day now and keep looking at stuff like housecleaning and it always seems that if you don't clean things they will infect you. EG. if you have a sponge scrubber for dishes , they get infected with bits of food etc therefore I have infected myself.
Should I allow realtives to come to the house if they have colds or should they have sense to stay away. I really cant feel responsible for my mothers well being if its going ot infect me

PS, how long before your treatment ends, ethel, if you don't mind saying?

I agree, I think you're going a bit OTT ethel!

When I was having chemo I was told that although it does weaken your immune system generally, there are certain days during the cycle that you're most at risk. During those periods I was especially careful to avoid any obvious source of infection but I never caught so much as a cold.

It does seem as though you're over-thinking the germ thing! Regular hand-washing, especially after handling supermarket trolleys, toilet door handles and using public transport should be enough. Your own home is probably the least likely place you'll pick up any infection.

Would you consider having a word with your GP about this? He would be able to help you. It does sound as though you have a bit of the dreaded OCD, and you are bound to feel this more at the moment, whilst you are far from being on top form. I really think your doctor would be synpathetic.

And of course you can't help it.