I honestly carried hand sanitizer around EVERYWHERE I went to help fight off pesky germs. I never realized how rude people can be with spreading their germs in public: not covering their coughs, sneezes, or hacks, or my least favorite, the walk-by-and-cough-all-over-your-face cough. I avoided using any public doorknobs or rails, and if I contaminated one finger, I whipped out my hand sanitizer faster than you can say gesundheit!
I wasn't always a germ-o-phobe before cancer; however, the doctors were quick to tell me that I absolutely needed to stay sickness free while on chemo. As I briefly explained before, chemo would cause my blood counts to diminish close to zero, leaving me with no immune system. Obviously it was much easier for me to catch just about anything from hugging a sick person. What I needed to avoid most was getting a fever. A fever meant infection, and infection meant I would have to go straight to the emergency room. I loved the doctors and nurses and all, but I didn't want to be spending anymore time in the hospital than I needed to. There's no knowing how long I would have to be in the hospital to shake the fever with antibiotics through an IV and close supervision, so you can only imagine how much one of these hospital stays would mess up my whole road map and schedule for my treatments toward remission.
Luckily, I never had to be admitted into the hospital for a fever(thank the LORD!), but we did have a few close calls. So this is where my gratitude stems from for hand sanitizer ;). I can't stress enough how important it is for a cancer patient. Another route would be washing your hands a bajillion times a day, but that wasn't for me. Instead, I much would rather use the fruity and fun Bath and Body Works sanitizer.
They come in all different colors and scents, and are super compact and travel friendly! I had one of these suckers in every bag I owned and everywhere throughout the house and car. These are a great alternative to the sterile and hospital scent of Purell.
As much as it is important to stay sanitary for everyone, it is even more important for cancer patients. I know there are some instances that are completely out of our hands(no pun intended), but just try your best to do as much as you can when it comes to your health. That includes having your close ones sanitize as much as you do! When I was at home recovering from treatment, my boyfriend came over everyday after baseball practice and couldn't come anywhere near me until he was completely showered and squeaky clean. My family even knew to be as cautious as they could if they even showed one hint of the sniffles.
So now I am sharing my best friend with you. May s/he bring you as much support and well-being as my hand sanitizer brought me.
###Alexis
Ps. Here's some of my hand sanitizer collection I've garnered throughout my cancer days:)
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