Eillyre

Thanks for posting this link...I had heard a little about it through medical channels, but not yet seen it out in mainstream media. Angela

Just wanted to send a warm welcome your way, Danni, even if I am a tad late! I was diagnosed at age 20, too -- had to stop everything and move back in with my parents. I was diagnosed out at Mayo also, which really became the turning point in the illness for me. The meds Dr. Low suggested have made a huge difference. Glad you found us! Feel free to PM me if you want to talk or ask questions! Angela

Congratulations! Angela

Hmmm...that's a new one to me, Madeline. I've never heard of Pilates causing constipation before. In fact, one of the exercises on the Cadillac is supposed to help flush out your system. Is it an immediate effect of Pilates or might something else be a contibuting factor? Generally people do start slowly -- one or two classes a week is normal. Doing a mat exercise or two (e.g. the 100 and Roll-Up) at home each day in between those classes helps build strength faster, but is not absolutely necessary. At present I take 2 classes a week. They are each 1-hour long private sessions so we move at my pace. We use fewer springs, take some little rest/water breaks, do fewer repetitions, do a lot of exercises that have me lying down, etc. It's been great rehab for me. I do some mat exercises at home, though not as consistently as I ought. Hope this is helpful. Angela

Hi Madeline! My doctors never specified a particular time that I was supposed to exercise. I do follow some general guidelines, though, that have worked well in my case: 1) I space my exercise over the course of the day to avoid over-exertion -- a little here and a little there works far better for me than a lot all at once. 2) I tailor the when, what, how much, and how long of my exercise to my energy level each day. 3) I do the most demanding exercise during my peak energy time (usually between 10:00am and 3:00pm). For example, I take an 11:00am Pilates class rather than one at 5:00pm. I might take a short walk around dusk, though, because it's less physically demanding and the temperature outside is cooler than earlier in the day. 4) I don't exercise early in the morning right after I get out of bed -- I give my ANS time to adjust and my meds to kick in. 5) I avoid exercising during the hottest part of the day and soon after meals. As for the wheatgrass, I've never heard of or tried it. Cheers! Angela

Melatonin was a huge help for me. I started on 3mg, which was fine for several months until I started getting a "heavy" feeling in the morning which made getting up more difficult. At that point, I decreased to 2mg, and eventually was able to drop down to 1mg. Nowadays, I take 1mg as needed rather than every night. I didn't notice any negative side effects or worsening of my POTS symptoms related to taking it. I'm told that if one gets very vivid dreams on Melatonin, it often (but not necessarily always) helps to just decrease the dose. The only way for your son to see if it helps or hinders him is to try it -- we all react differently. Best of luck! Angela

Nice post, Sue! It's a great reminder that we still play a very special role in our families & friendships, even though we're sick and don't always feel that we're "doing something special." Providing a loving heart and a cheerful smile, even if it's from the couch, touches others more than we tend to realize. When we can keep that up in the midst of illness, instead of getting bitter, it speaks to people even more! Kudos to your husband for sharing such an encouranging thought with you! He sounds like a treasure! Happy New Year! Angela

Looking forward to it, Julie. He works at Princeton. They actually have had 2 students with POTS -- that I know of, at least. Best of luck to your son as he prepares for school! Mack, I assume? I'm still hoping (& working toward) being able to try a degree program somewhere in the future. Angela

Thanks Dionna & Jacquie! I probably should have mentioned the timeline for this -- thanks for reminding me, Dionna! I don't necessarily need information immediately, although the sooner I recieve it, the better. Dad hasn't asked for particular timeslots for the the talks yet, so they won't start for at least two months -- maybe not even until the summer or next fall, depending on the health service's schedule (which is already very full!). We want it to be good and the information presented in a very compelling & interesting manner, so Dad's not jumping into presentation mode it until we're satisfied with the quality. Thanks again in advance to you all! Angela

Hi all! I'm hard at work on a CFS & dysautonomia awareness project for my dad. He works at a university health service that is dedicated to providing students with high-quality healthcare; it really is a class act. There's always room for improvement, though , so he plans to host a series of talks about the afore-mentioned conditions to educate his medical staff in things like: 1) recognizing these conditions in patients earlier 2) treating them appropriately 3) trying to help them make lifestyle adjustments so they can hopefully stay in school 4) advising patients as to their options in seeking out specialists or further testing 5) and generally being supportive of the patients' physical, emotional, mental, and social needs as they deal with the illness. At the moment, the project is directed primarily toward CFS but includes info, considerations, etc. for patients (such as myself) who also have overlapping POTS, OI, etc. -- a more POTS/dysautonomia specific series may well follow later; we're trying not to bite off more than we can chew. Dad's handling the more scientific and "researchy" end of things, but really wanted an "insider's view" to take a central role, hence my involvement. This is where you all come in! One of the sections that my dad is very interested in is finding out what we are looking for in our doctors, nurses, and other assorted medical professionals. I've already written down many of my opinions, but he'd really love to have your imput as well ("check with your forum pals -- see what they think, too!" ). So, here's your chance to invest in better care for the new generation of PWCs, POTSies, and others! I welcome any PMs or posts (is that OK Nina & Michelle? ) regarding any of the following questions: 1) What are some aspects of your doctors and the care they have provided you with that you liked/appreciated? 2) What are some aspects of your doctors and the care they have provided you with that you did not like/appreciate? 3) What improvements would you suggest or value (even in the good circumstances)? 4) What are things that you look for or would like to see in a your primary medical facility? This can be things like having wheel chair service, bench to lie down on so you don't have the floor, place to sit while you wait in line, etc. 5) For those in a college/university setting, what accomodations have been/ would be helpful to you? 6) For those who had to leave a college/university setting, what were the greatest challenges to your staying in school? Was there anything the school could have done to help you be able to finish your education there? Thank you all! Back to my typing! Angela

My bp would drop with my arms over my head, too.

I'm currently taking 180mg each morning (extended release version -- I prefer taking 1 pill rather than 3 spread over the course of a day; haven't noticed any difference between it and the regular version in terms of effectiveness). Dr. Low had me start very slowly and gradually work up to 180mg over 6 weeks. I think this is how we did it: Week 1: 30mg in the morning Week 2: 30mg in the morning, 30mg at dinnertime Week 3: 30mg in the morning, 30mg at noon, 30mg at dinnertime Week 4: 60mg in the morning, 30mg at noon, 30mg at dinnertime Week 5: 60mg in the morning, 30mg at noon, 60mg at dinnertime Week 6: 60mg in the morning, 60mg at noon, 60mg at dinnertime As for Mestinon helping with energy, I don't think it really gave me extra energy but I was able to use what little energy I had more efficiently (since I wasn't spending it on constantly lying down & getting back up ). I noticed my energy increasing as I added in other treatment measures and improved my energy management (avoiding crashes). Good luck on Monday! Angela

Welcome, Zip! Have you tried looking up past Mestinon discussions using the search engine (link is located in the light blue box at the top, right-hand side of your screen between the "Help" and "Members" links)? You should be able to find some of our more recent discussions/anecdotes about Mestinon there. I'm on it myself and found it to be one of the "turning points" in my POTS saga. Outstanding results in my case with few and very insignificant side effects. Not everyone has been so blessed, however. Best of luck! Glad you found us! Angela

Thanks, Corina! You've all inspired me, too -- just trying to pass it on. Much love, Angela

ArtC, You're right -- the NeuroHelp essentials are no longer in existence. The company changed the product(as I recall, something to do with change in suppliers or something like that). I still have a little left of the old variety (I bought several months last time I ordered), but will have to look at my options for an alternative within the next month. Dr. Low did say that he thought that the alpha lipoic acid & b vitamins were probably the most effective components of the mix (if I remember correctly), so I may try finding another mix that has them. At this point in my recovery, I don't find the NeuroHelp supplements essential to my health in the sense that I don't function much worse when I've missed doses. I am still battling cognitive issues, however, and think that anything I can do to help the old brain is worth it, so I will try to find something to take the place of my present NeuroHelp mix. Dr. Fealy may have some suggestions along that line for you. If he does, I'd love to hear them. Sorry not to be of more help! Best of luck at Mayo! Angela

You've already got some good advice from the others, so I won't reiterate. Some other thoughts, though.... 1) Sounds like you don't do much together with your friends. Taking your son for the weekend is nice, but doesn't keep you and your friend connected emotionally. Maybe you can invite your friend over to read to you and your son -- your son can sit with you (special time with mom) while your friend does the reading. Afterwards your son can play quietly while the two of you talk. Maybe you and your friend could chat while you fold laundry (you take the socks and underwear if you can handle it). Maybe your friend could cook dinner for you and your family & then stay to eat it with you so you all enjoy good conversation together. 2) You said that your friend gets frustrated because you "never had anything positive to say." Well, that's certainly something that needs to change for all your sakes. Chronic illness can be very discouraging (I've been discouraged many times myself; it's a natural reaction), but if you can't find anything positive about life to share with others, you're missing a lot of beauty. It's something that you'll have to work out for yourself, but in the meantime, you might try finding ways to encourage more "positives" into your life. For example, ask your friends more questions about what's happening in their lives. You will probably need to have heart-to-hearts about the struggles you face from time-to-time, but work on taking an interest in what your friends are doing or feeling. If there's something that one of them is excited about, share some of that enthusiasm to brighten your own life; ask detailed questions so that you get a very clear picture in your own mind of what the event or moment was like -- it's not quite as good as living the moment yourself, but it might give you a "mental voyage" away from your normal routine at home and your friend will probably appreciate the inteest that you express in something that she considers important. Avoid monopolizing your conversations with explanations of how bad you feel; your friend may want to be in "listening mode" sometimes, but not everytime you talk. One of my friends is very interested in music of all kinds, so I've asked her to bring some of her newest CDs over so we can both listen. She's gone to some of the Broadway shows that she has soundtracks for, so listening to the music sometimes reminds her of something special at the show she forgot to tell me about. 3) Try to find new interests. If you can't leave home or read, maybe you can have your friend get a book from the library on a subject you're interested in learning about. She could read to you while you rest, or you could just look at the pictures and next time she comes, tell her about what you learned. Maybe you could find a subject that you're both interested in learning more about and learn about it together. When I was bedbound and couldn't read, I started looking at pictures of flowers in gardening catalogs that appeared in our mailbox. It was relaxing to see pretty things, so I asked my mom to get gardening books with lots of pictures from the library. You'd be amazed at how much you can learn from looking at pictures! By the time I was feeling well enough to sit outside to plant a pansy or two before resting, I knew over 100 names of the common (and not so common) flowers, their sun preferences, approximate sizes, etc. While I was not actively reading that information, my brain picked it up along the way from the captions below the pictures. Friends and family members who were interested in planting annuals or laying out a perennial bed would come and ask me for advice, which parked some great conversations and fun times. Try having your son look at pictures in the books, too -- you could have him make up stories about the pictures (depending on his age, of course), while you add suggestions or questions here and there (names, events, plot twists, etc.). My 2-year old niece enjoyed playing that game with me when I was lying on the couch. Does your husband have any interests or hobbies that you can learn more about? He'd probably appreciate your showing interest in them, too. Learning doesn't have to be a major production; my goal was to learn at least one new thing each day. One of my friends was an avid tennis enthusiast and spent time working with college tennis players; I had no interest in tennis for myself , but thought it important to attempt to learn more about this love in her life, so I began watching little snippets of matches on the TV. Sometimes I got tired of watching very quickly, but over a relatively short time my brain began accumulating information I heard or saw in those little 5-10 minute segments. Now I can ask more intelligent questions about the game and understand more of what my friend is talking about so excitedly. I even enjoy the matches, too. Hope this helps! Angela

Cardiatec, Cardiologist #1: diagnosed OI, began extensive testing to rule out various conditions Cardiologist #2: re-checked extensive testing to rule out various conditions Electrophysiologist#1: diagnosed POTS despite an ?inconclusive? TTT, suggested going to research center Dr.Low: confirmed POTS diagnosis, as well as CFS, & suggested a treatment regimen I received a preliminary diagnosis of POTS 6 months after my symptoms began, which was confirmed out at Mayo 6 months later. We still have no idea why I began having the symptoms in the first place ? I don?t know if we ever will. When the treatment the first cardio suggested didn?t work, she recommended that I see one of her associates. He was just as stumped and sent me to UPenn. The electrophysiologist there diagnosed POTS, but didn?t know enough about it to treat me himself, so he suggested going to a research center. One of my dad?s colleagues (a neurology professor) researched the hospitals we were considering and told us to get Dr. Low if at all possible. Dr. Low started me on Mestinon and it has worked like a charm for my POTS symptoms. He said he would be happy to communicate with other researchers if I wanted another opinion regarding POTS or CFS, but didn?t think it really worthwhile (so little is known about either condition) ? my parents and I agreed with him. As we had no ?root cause? to why the POTS & CFS symptoms began in the first place, we aimed at eliminating particular symptoms that were most disabling for me (trouble sleeping, brain fog, etc.) rather than looking for one treatment that solved them all. Mestinon eventually concluded the orthostatic & tachycardia troubles; Melatonin significantly reduced the sleep issue (which subsequently solved some of my lesser symptoms). We?re still working on addressing the brain fog. As to whether or not you should seek additional opinions from medical professionals? I really think that?s a decision you have to make. If you?re not satisfied with the amount of information you have about your condition at present, then maybe it would be good for you to go to Dr. Grubb or someone else; sounds like you have a theory as to the cause of your POTS symptoms. If you don?t think they?ll shed any more light on the situation (which is certainly possible), maybe it would be better for you to save the money and put your energy into coming up with your own treatment plan. Only you can make that decision. In my case, it was extremely doubtful that anyone would find the cause of my symptoms, so I decided to save the money and energy that trotting ?round to further researchers would cost. I?ve found targeting and solving specific pieces of the puzzle (with the help of my dad, PCP, and occasionally Dr. Low) a much more profitable route. Best of luck! Angela

You're not alone, Rose! Between the heat/stuffiness, hearing all the various conversations going on, being up & charming for so long, and the emotional excitement/stimulation, being in large groups has really exacerbated my symptoms for the last few years. I've gradually gotten much better at handling large gatherings, partly due to a general improvement of my condition and partly due to a few tips I've picked up. Some of my coping mechanisms: 1) Plan my days so that I can rest as much as I can in the days & hours before the gathering. 2) Choose my ensemble carefully. If you're prone to overheating in groups, try wearing breathable fabrics and layering a pretty cardigan or other wrap over a short sleeve or sleeveless top/dress. I tend to feel cold most of the time, so I've started collecting a few versatile cashmere sweaters (you can get some very nice deals from Chadwicks.com; I bought one there for $27!) -- they're light, breathable, very soft and attractive, and keep me nice and warm. 3)Make sure family members/friends (or at least some key people, such as the host/hostess) understand that I will need a break from all the activity at various points. Like KeXia, I find a quiet place to lie down for about 10 minutes every once in a while. I always time this before I feel like I'm at my end -- if I "stay ahead" of the symptoms, I avoid any embarrassing scenes of fainting, etc. I come in and out quietly, never making a big deal about my rest break, and everyone is very understanding. If guests ever ask about me while I'm gone, one of the friends/family members explains that I just need a little break and will be back eventually. Even my little nieces know not to come looking for me when I "need a little rest." 4) I usually place myself strategically near a door in case the room becomes too hot or stuffy; that way I can whisk off inconspicuously for a breath of fresh air outside or at a window in a different room. Sometimes a "healthy" family member feels the need for some fresh air and quiet, too & winds up joining me! 5) I stay well hydrated during the event and keep some salt in a tiny ziplock bag in my purse just in case I need a sodium boost. 6) I enjoy as much of the party/gathering as I can and then gracefully leave before I'm too worn out or symptomatic to say good-byes & thank yous pleasantly. I usually warn the host/hostess beforehand (when I RSVP) that I may likely need to leave sooner than the others due to my health issues, but that I will stay as long as I can. I've never had any negative responses to that warning and when I do wind up leaving early, they know that it wasn't because I didn't enjoy myself. Hope this helps! Angela

This is great! If you don't come into dysautonomia with a sense of humour, you certainly gain one along the way! I haven't a specific word or sentence jumble to enter at the moment (although I do it all the time!), but I did have a number of friends over the other day and ran into brain-foggy issues. I was trying to tell them an amusing story about somthing that had happened to me the day before, which as it happens involved a car. Unfortunately, I was blanking on the word "car". So, as I always do with my family when this sort of situation arises, I started acting out the word; my sister is always really quick to guess the word and provide me with help. So there I was in the middle of my story, missing a key word, and without thinking, started into my charades routine. I was making "vroom vroom" noises, pantomimed using the steering wheel & gas pedal, etc. They just looked at me for a second, probably wondering if I'd finally gone 'round the bend , then started in guessing. They got "car" right off (who says a dance education isn't worthwhile!) and I was able to continue my story. However, it was a true Brain Fog Day and I blanked on more words and started in on the charades again. We sounded like we were on a game show: noises and gestures and guesses and cries of "I got it!" By the time we finished the story, we'd all forgotten what the story was about in the first place. The way we got there was just so much more entertaining! Angela

Mom4cem, Just wondered how much walking you did (all 2 miles, only part of it, etc.)? Have you been walking that same distance regularly or was this sort of a "start up again" attempt? My first guess is that the amount of exercise was simply too much for you. You're right to want to do some exercise and it's good that you tried, but if you tried an amount that you can't handle on a regular basis, your body may be communicating to you that it's just too much at this particular point in time. What if you walk for a shorter amount of time? You may have read about the start of my exercise/walking regime -- one lap around the living room each for my daily exercise before working up. At this point I've very gradually worked up to 2 miles each day without a problem, but there's no way that I could have done it at the beginning. Having been a ballet dancer at the start of her professional career in NYC, I had trouble early on in my illness readjusting my personal expectations when it came to the amount of exercise I did, but by starting very small and working up very slowly, I was able to avoid the "crash and burn" cycle & that awful feeling after I had exercised too much. Another thing you might try is skipping all/most of the arm movement in your walking tape and see if that helps as well. I find that arm or more demanding cardiovascular work tires me out faster than anything else. On days that I do arm weights, I usually reduce the total amount of exercise I do that day to compensate. Angela

I'm so sorry about your news, Sara. It can be SO frustrating finding treatment at times. Don't give up, though. Keep looking for answers -- if not at Mayo with Dr. Low, than perhaps somewhere else. Keep your chin up! Angela

Dear friends, For starters, this post is not aimed at anyone in particular or intended to "shut down" conversations -- those of you who previously posted in Sara's topic about Mayo/Dr. Low, please do not feel "targeted", because I'm not doing that. Sara, dear, this one's especially not aimed at you; I'm so sorry that you've had this disappointment concerning Mayo. Neither is this designed to extol the virtues of Dr. Low and protect his reputation at all cost ; I did find him an excellent and very thorough physician when I saw him (I'm to no end grateful for his help in finding an effective medication for me!) and would confidently recommend him to others, but as I only have an accurate understanding of my own experience with him, in fairness I can't comment on or judge anyone else's. My purpose for sharing this post is that I've noticed something over the last 2 years on the forum that I wanted to mention many times, but never did due to brain fog or lack of energy. This seemed a reasonable moment to rectify that situation. I certainly sympathize with all of you who have had bad/disappointing experiences at Mayo, Vandy, or any other medical center/office; I have had some of those moments myself (tears have been shed on occasion! ). When we are hurting so much and losing all semblance of "normal" life, coupled with the fact that we have to deal with many people who don't know about our conditions or who have prejudices against them, we have a tendency to become frustrated with the individuals we expect to help us who either do not or cannot (usually doctors/nurses). Not all of my doctors have been as supportive as I needed, and there are most definitely some real whackjobs out there who ought not have a medical license at all. That said, I have on several occasions during my years on this forum perceived a definite lack of understanding as to the dilemmas/limitations that doctors face as they attempt to treat us; maybe I've seen/heard more of those dilemmas than others because my dad and mom are a doctor and a nurse, respectively. I do not for a moment question that a number of us have experienced some real horrors in medical treatment, nor am I trying to downplay the physical and emotional toll they took or simply be a "little Susie Sunshine". I do, however, wish to encourage fairness in our attitudes/remarks about physicians as a general group and especially regarding those individuals that really deserve more credit that they receive. I encourage you to consider this not only as patients reflecting on our medical care-takers, but also as people thinking about fellow people who are trying to aid us in our plight. For that reason, I'd like to share a couple points that I try to keep in mind when dealing with medical workers. Point #1: We cannot expect them to have every answer. Doctors are not all-knowing, despite the plethora of scientific advances we've witnessed in the last century. They are human first and medical professionals after. We go to them because they have studied medicine, have built up considerable experience in treating many of our ailments, and over time have discovered some magnificent cures to both serious and trivial problems -- we go to them because they probably will have a better chance of solving our medical problems than we would on our own. Science and medicine are still building their stores of knowledge, however; there is no great vault containing all medical answers that doctors can open whenever they have reached their limits as practitioners (although they would certainly love it if there was! ). When they are stumped (as all people become at some points in life), please don't get angry at them personally. If they tell you honestly that they don't know what more to do for you, move on to someone else by all means, but please don't disparage them for truthfully acknowledging their limitations. Would you truly want them to experiment on you without clear rationale? Please don't misunderstand me; I'm not advocating the sit-at-home-feeling-miserable route. Each of us needs to be proactive and adventurous in our medical care, especially because dysautonomia is, in many ways, still very "uncharted" and misunderstood. If you hit a dead end with one doctor, I encourage you to find another and work on coming up with more ideas for solutions to your symptoms. If you see an incompetent physician, certainly warn others so we don't meet them either, but please just be careful not to unduly discredit good doctors along with the bad ones in your disappointment or frustration. Point #2: Doctor's are not superhuman; they only have as much time in each day as the rest of us. Invariably, every good doctor will have to turn some patients away or refer them elsewhere because there simply is not enough time to give everyone quality care who needs it. When I saw Dr. Low the April before last and asked about how many patients he was able to see, he answered that he could unfortunately only see 20% of the patients referred to him -- there simply wasn't enough time to see more. It was not a matter of wanting or not wanting certain individuals; he did his best to help as many patients that he felt he could in the amount of time available. It is the same for many doctors all around the world. When my dad was working in a little hospital in West Africa, people would walk for days to come see the physicians there, waiting in line all day (sometimes for several days). My dad saw more than 100 patients each long, grueling day, but there were always so many more that needed help than there were doctors to provide that aid. If a doctor cannot fit you in because of time constraints, it is rarely due to laziness. He/she is probably trying to care for many other people who are also in pain, also hoping for a ticket to improvement. If that's the case, go ahead and move on to another physician, but again, try not to take it personally or think of it as a mark of surliness on the doctor's part. Some of you may be thinking, "Well, this kid hasn't been sick for nearly as long as I have" or "That's fine for you to say now that you've found an effective medication and you're feeling better." True, many of you have more years logged on the POTS timeslip than myself (a little over 2 and 1/2 years) , and yes, I now have little trouble with POTS on medication (though I still am battling --and slowly winning!-- with CFS)... but I don't think that really makes much of a difference in terms of the principles that we're discussing. The issue of fairness to other people would be the same whether I was 10 or 100, male or female, in perfect health or on death's door. Again this is not all about Dr. Low, nor is it aimed at any particular individual on the forum or meant to protect inept medical professionals from honest, well-intended reports of their misconduct. It's just something I've noticed in the past, so I just thought it would prove a beneficial topic to mention and for each of us to consider carefully. Best of luck to each of you in this long, hard struggle of ours! With much love, Angela

I know what you mean, Lucky. I often didn't bother reading posts typed in all caps or those with no punctuation when I had major brain fog -- just too hard to follow!

KeXia, We definitely understand the brain fog issue! Mestinon has been a life-saver for me! At this point (more than 1 year on Mestinon), POTS has almost no apparent impact on my life as long as I take my meds each morning (180 mg XR version once daily); if I miss a dose (as I have done only once -- the outcome was enough to serve as a permanent reminder!), I'm back falling on the floor, completely lightheaded and tachy. I have experienced almost no side effects (rarely had minor cramps in the early days of trying it out). It really helps to work up the dose very, very slowly (I worked up to 180mg over 6 weeks) and to never take the pill(s) on an empty stomach. I did start with the regular tablets (as opposed to the XR tablets) while working the dose up, but have found the XR just as effective in controlling my symptoms (and I find 1 pill easier to remember than 3!). As you can see from the earlier posts, this is not the experience that everyone has. However, I do know other POTSies that have found Mestinon very helpful (even if they aren't on the forum to anser your post). I would certainly check with you MD to find out it if it might be an option to try. I had a lot of trouble with some of the other standard POTS/OI meds, so this has been a great choice for me! You'll never know how you'll react until you try. If you have any other questions about my experience with Mestinon, please feel free to PM me! Best of luck, Angela

I agree with Lulu about disinfecting the house to help cut down on germ transmission. Washing hands, phones, computer mice, doorknobs, lightswitches, etc. is a good preventative method whether you get the flu shot or not. We keep hand sanitizer stashed around the house and in the cars as well to help minimize the risk of getting a virus of any kind. Angela