The Top 5 Ways I Stay Healthy When Someone in My House Is Sick

My multiple sclerosis medication lowers my immunity, so I have to be extra cautious when viral illnesses are going around.

I live with multiple sclerosis (MS), so I take a disease-modifying treatment (DMT) to slow the progression of my disease — but it also weakens my immune system.

I also live with my husband and two kids, who are very busy with social activities, so I always risk being exposed to the occasional bug.

I have anxiety about getting sick because being immunocompromised means it can take longer for my body to fight off an infection.

Being sick may also cause my MS symptoms to flare and that can mean time away from professional and personal endeavors.

These are the top five precautions I take to protect myself when someone in my house is sick:

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1. Wearing a mask

When someone in my household is sick, I do my best to keep my distance, but as a mother, that’s not always possible.

I first discovered the benefits of masking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, wearing a mask has enabled me to stay healthy numerous times while someone in my house has been sick.

A tight-fitting mask can act as a filter to reduce the number of germs you breathe in and out; this can protect others when you’re sick as well as yourself if someone around you is sick. So I wear a KN95 mask around sick family members — and I ask them to do the same around me.

I’ve found masking to be effective in preventing me from breathing in airborne viruses; it also keeps me from touching my face and introducing any germs that may be on my hands.

2. Hand washing

Washing your hands is another proven way to help prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections and keep you healthy.

When someone in my house is sick, we wash our hands frequently with antibacterial soap.

After cleaning dishes or other surfaces used by a sick family member, I make sure to wash my hands thoroughly to prevent transferring any possible infection.

I remind my children to scrub for at least 20 seconds in warm water and to remember to wash their wrists and under their fingernails.

3. Using disinfectant wipes

I keep Lysol or Clorox wipes upstairs and downstairs to quickly clean high traffic surfaces such as tables, countertops, doorknobs, and light switches.

Wiping these surfaces down regularly means I’m hopefully killing the germs before they can infect me.

4. Opening windows

Increasing ventilation indoors has been shown to help protect against transmission of COVID. This method of prevention can be used against the spread of other viruses, as well.

In nice weather, I leave the windows open to let fresh air circulate when someone in my house is sick. Even when it’s cold or rainy, I often open them a crack.

This reduces virus particles from building up inside, thereby lessening my chance of becoming sick.

5. Using hand sanitizer

I find that my children are more likely to use hand sanitizer throughout the day than they are to wash their hands repeatedly, because it’s quicker and easier.

When someone is sick, I leave hand sanitizer in multiple locations around the house as a reminder to clean our hands between washes.

The takeaway

Because my MS medication renders me immunosuppressed, being proactive when someone in my home is sick helps ease my anxiety about being exposed to a virus — and reduces my likelihood of actually becoming infected.

While I do what I can to protect myself, I also remember that sometimes getting sick is unavoidable and my body will bounce back in its own time.