‘I’m thinking about public restrooms’: Cancer patient reveals the real reason you should not use the same bathroom as someone undergoing chemo

Battling cancer can be one of life's most difficult experiences. The last thing you might be thinking about, if undergoing treatment via chemotherapy, is whether or not you are employing best practices for bathroom safety.

TikToker Misty (@lifewithmisty8) wants to educate those who might not be totally aware of the best hygiene practices while receiving cancer treatment. Misty is a mother undergoing cancer treatment herself for stage 3 breast cancer.

"Why you shouldn't use the same toilet as a person going through chemotherapy," Misty starts in her video.

Her video, so far, has 6.8 million views.

"So if you have someone in your family that has cancer, and they're going through chemotherapy, it is recommended that that person that is receiving use a separate toilet than everyone in the house," Misty continues.

Cancer.org does specifically recommend having children use a different toilet.

However, Misty acknowledges that many don't have the luxury to have their own, individual bathrooms. And that's totally OK. But, Misty says, in that case, there are additional steps one should take.

"If you're unable to use a separate toilet, it is recommended that the receiving treatments, when we go to the bathroom, that we not only flush the toilet three times with the lid down, but we clean that toilet immediately after using," she says.

Cancer.org notes you only should flush twice with the lid down.

Side effects

Not taking these steps, Misty says, can expose family members and friends who use the same bathroom to the chemotherapy drugs through human waste. That can cause side effects for people not directly receiving the treatment.

According to OncoLink, here are those short-term side effects: "rash, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, headache, nasal sores and allergic reactions."

"Exposure over a longer period of time (such as is seen with nurses and pharmacists) is thought to be associated with birth defects, miscarriage and cancer later in life," per the cancer information website.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Misty via TikTok comment regarding the video.

Safe practices

Misty advises using Clorox and Clorox cleaning wipe products to effectively clean and prevent the exposure of people who also live in the home to chemotherapy drugs.

"You're just being safe for everybody around you," Misty says.

According to Oncolink, here are some other measures one can take to limit exposure to chemotherapy as a caregiver:

• In addition to the toilet hygiene Misty described, caretakers should wear gloves if handling a bedpan or basins used for vomiting, and they should be washed with soap and water daily.
• Wash clothing soiled with chemotherapy or other cancer medications and bodily fluids separately from other laundry.
• Using gloves when handling cancer medications.

Viewers weigh in

Some viewers shared examples of other precautions they were aware of when a loved one or co-worker was undergoing treatment.

"When I was a hostess, I worked with a waitress going through chemo," one commenter wrote. "I was pregnant at the time. I was not allowed to be scheduled with her, until 3 days after her treatment days."

"Yes girl speak on it!" another said. "My aunt was taking chemo pills and she said she shouldn’t hold the baby because of radiation! I’m glad she knew because I didn’t know."

"The doctors told us this when my grandmother was going through chemo," a third shared. "They even suggested younger kids and babies to not even touch her."

@lifewithmisty8 If the person is receiving chemotherapy treatments, they should be very cautious for the friends and family that are around them by making sure you are following proper protocol. When using the bathroom are urine and feces still have a trace of chemotherapy so it is highly recommended that we flush the toilet multiple times with the lid down and clean the toilet to attempt to prevent exposure to the medication. People who are exposed to chemotherapy and up having tons of side effects ##creatorsearchinsights #chemotok #chemo #breastcancer #mycancerjourney #chemodiaries #chemotherapysideeffectssuck #symptomsofcancer #exposedtochemicals ♬ original sound - lifewithmisty8

Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.

The post ‘I’m thinking about public restrooms’: Cancer patient reveals the real reason you should not use the same bathroom as someone undergoing chemo appeared first on The Daily Dot.