I have not been sick since diagnosis seven years ago.

[Boognish]

I have not had one cold flu or anything since my diagnosis. Is this normal?

[Cat Mom]

Normal or just lucky! Same here but since dx in 2005 I've become somewhat of a germiphobe. Count your blessings... I hate colds or anything that interferes with tasting my food!
Jen

[Razgo]

its not unusual. my wife was almost 10 years before needing a walking stick aid.

[JerryD]

I am 53 years old. I think the last time I had a cold or flu, I was in my 20's. That's around 30 years. I attribute that to an overactive immune system. MS has something to do with the auto-immune system. If there is a connection, I have no idea. But nowadays I always try to monitor my health and act accordingly.

[Nebbykoo]

I've only had a small number of colds since 2000. they have all been very mild.
I got flu from a friend a few months ago. He said he had never been sicker, had severe aches and pains, etc; I had a little of that, but I wan't nearly as bad as he was, and it went away in a few days.
I think MS causes one's immune system to be hypervigilant, so it destroys any invaders pretty fast.

[Kippy]

I also think that our overly-active immune systems have a lot to do with our being able to fight off germs. I haven't had a cold or anything since 2007.

[pmst1]

I worked at a school for many year and worked with students individually so I touched their desks, pencils, books, etc. I never got a flu shot nor did I catch a cold with all those germs all around me.
I told this to a Doctor at Baylor in Houston many years ago and he said he's heard this from MANY MS patients.
So this must not be SO unusual. I wonder too if it's because we have an auto-immune disease that our immune system is over-active and it attacks our mylen, yet we rarely get colds.
The thing I don't understand though is why is it they say
stay away from this or that if you have a compromised immune system. I don't fully understand that if some of
us seldom get colds/flu, etc.

[wally8]

I was also wandering about this. I read that you should watch out for germs if you are on one of the interferons because they interupt your immune system and make you more suseptical to catching germs.

It would be interesting to have a pole on those who are and who are not on an interferon and see who is catching colds and who isnt.

cheers
Kathy

[MrsBones]

I have caught the same amount of colds and viruses (pretty much every one in the tri-county area) since dx (PRMS) as before, whether I was taking Copaxone, Rebif or Tysabri, unmedicated or during a round of steroids. Meds that suppress the immune system would obviously increase the chances of illness, but even while taking Tysabri and steroids, both known to increase the chance of illness, I had pretty much the same amount of colds and flu.

I've always had more than the average number of colds and flu. The NIAID says the average adult gets 1-3 colds a year, while I have definitely had more than that.

I imagine that the differences in folks who have more or less illness is individual, related to their overall health, age, etc. and not directly related to MS. There are folks who fall at both extremes of the cold/flu/virus catching spectrum , with or without MS.

My mom for, example. I can count on one hand the number of colds she's had in my lifetime and I'm 41. She doesn't have MS or any other health issues outside of slightly high cholesterol.