immune compromised but want to become a nurse

leslie :-D · May 12, 2006

hmmmm.

i would discuss this with your doctor; but i'm thinking you need to stay away from hospitals and snfs, at the very least.

you also wouldn't want to be around anyone who is infectious or contagious.

best of luck to you.

leslie

Hoozdo, ADN · May 12, 2006

i am on an immunosuppressant...but i don't have anything communicable...
is there any type of nursing that would be good for someone that is immune compromised?
or are there types of nursing or specialties i should definitely stay away from?

So am I and I just became an RN in January. I work in ICU - I don't let immunosuppression stop me. Obviously you have to be VERY CAREFUL using standard precautions and I have made it a habit to NEVER touch my face while at work. I regularly am around MRSA and VREs......just use very basic common sense.

The only type of nursing I would not dare do is ER nursing. That is because patients use it as a primary care physician and they could have God knows what. At least I mostly know what the problem is by the time they were in ICU. I think I would try to refuse a patient with active TB though. My transplant team and employee health have warned me strongly about staying away from patients with active TB.

Best of luck to you......the sky is the limit in nursing.

44365 · May 12, 2006

i'm not sure how long this thing is going to last...i have panniculitis...which at first they thought was lupus profundus...but after a second biopsy, they determined it was panniculitis of an unknown origin...

so, my body's immune system is in over drive with the inflammation in this particular area of my abdomen...they are treating me with the same meds i would be on if it was lupus...

anyway, like i said, i'm not sure if this is a life long thing...or if it will eventually go away and never come back...

my sister, who is a nurse, already warned me about the ER...and i had thought about wound care, but she said i might want to re-think that as well...

she seemed to think i should check out surgical nursing...she also feels i have the personality for it...

but, i at least wanted to see what some other people said...

thanks for the input...

Hoozdo, ADN · May 12, 2006

i'm not sure how long this thing is going to last...i have panniculitis...which at first they thought was lupus profundus...but after a second biopsy, they determined it was panniculitis of an unknown origin...
so, my body's immune system is in over drive with the inflammation in this particular area of my abdomen...they are treating me with the same meds i would be on if it was lupus...
anyway, like i said, i'm not sure if this is a life long thing...or if it will eventually go away and never come back...
my sister, who is a nurse, already warned me about the ER...and i had thought about wound care, but she said i might want to re-think that as well...
she seemed to think i should check out surgical nursing...she also feels i have the personality for it...
but, i at least wanted to see what some other people said...
thanks for the input...

Sorry to hear this news. If you want to be in nursing it is doable. My prognosis was unsure when I started nursing school. I wasn't even sure I would live through nursing school :roll

WHy don't you start taking classes for your prereqs for nursing career in the meantime. That is what I would do and what I did.

Can you tell me what drugs you take for immune suppression? I had a liver transplant 6 1/2 years ago secondary to Hepatitis C I acquired as a child. I was on high doses of corticosteroids (of the Prednisone variety), Cellcept, and Prograf. All I take now is Prograf.

How immune suppressed are you? What is your WBC count and absolute neutrophil count? Sorry to be so nosy :clown: I am just trying to give you better advice. PM me if you want.:1luvu: