Wash your hands!!!

[John Anthony]

I don't know how many of you out there have been hit with the crud yet (not the flu, just a butt ugly cold), but I've had one for 3 days down and according to my HMO, this year's strain(s) seems nastier than usual.

Despite a variety of OTC cold meds, I've got a shnoz that won't stop running and body aches that won't quit. I've been so miserable at bed time that for the last couple of nights I'm getting no more than 4-5 hours of sleep.

Just a friendly reminder that an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Best prevention for colds and flu is regular hand washing.

John

PS - if you have any great home remedies (chicken soup from a Jewish deli), pls pass them on!

[redst05]

I only get 5-6 hours sleep on a good night.
Hope you get well soon

[ChipSTer]

There's this thai place in Montgomery that has AWESOME chicken soup (and guaranteed to clear up your sinuses)... Too bad you're not close enough!!! Get well soon... (and make sure you don't have the flu!)...
:cool:

[Dketchum]

Wife and I just went through it..was pretty miserable...mine hung on hard for about 7 days, then lingered for another week.

[STBNE]

Sorry to hear of this..Around these parts the resident cold has been known to stay for 3 weeks to a month.I personally had it for 3 weeks.It started as a cold and then turned to a flu and then back to acold again..and then back to a flu and one more time as a cold and finally it has subsided after 3weeks...even the best of precautions isnt always enough....but it can cut down the odds of getting sick.FWIW I hadn't had a cold for 3 yrs prior to this one...:rolleyes:

[TxStPilot]

luckily, i rarely get colds / flu ...etc..


i do my best to take a good multivitamin and drink plenty of water...which may help in warding off these colds...i dunno for sure though..

i'd try plenty of liquids and try to get as much rest as possible...
...and the good ol chicken broth/soup to sip on..

i hear a shot of good whiskey helps too....;)

tsp

hope ya get to feelin better real soon..!

[electrajoe]

I got the flu shot in January, maybe it will help. Thanks for reminder to wash hands more often.

[STBNE]

John, unfortunately I live so far from you.Around here(actually abt 20 miles away)there is a Jewish Deli that has the best Matzo Ball Soup.I may even go there tomrw...its called Lox,Stock and Barrel...and everything from deli cookies to chopped chicken liver ...is 100% Kosher...afer all we have to answer to a higher authority...LOL....I actually avoid OTC cold remedies..I drink plenty of OJ and I take Advil for pain and discomfort....I avoid milk and eggs and cheese while sick as this cuts my crap down alot...YMMV..pls. take care.:) I used to chew Vitamin C tablets in 500mg doses...however when I learned that the Chinese gov't owns the market for Vitamin C ...I decided to buy American Orange Juice instead.I dont think I care to trust my life to inferior Chinese products that may or may not be all that good for you.Given their track record in just the past year...if thats any indication then I dont think I will consume their "vitamin c".:p:

[wjbertrand]

I rarely get colds. It's been probably 5 years since I last had one. This year I've already had two.

[TearlessTom]

I work in the E.R. at a speciality hospital dedicated to Childrens & Womens (OB). The past two weeks we have seen more serious flu type A than we have the entire season. Been working 14-16 hour days trying to keep up. We have been averaging seeing 150 plus patients a day.

[ST/SV]

Our family has been sick on and off for almost a month, finally getting over it. Of course I have been the sickest one. About eight years ago while giving platelets for a person at work the blood center told me my white cell count was on the low side. Said something of the effect that those or the ones that fight sicknesses. Kinda explains why I usually get the crud longer than anyone in my household.

About a year after that I caught some kind of cold so bad it lasted over a month and ended up loosing my sense of smell. Been to specialist and had a MRI and Cat Scan but they really couldn't explain it. Haven't been able to smell since then.

[John Anthony]

Wife and I just went through it..was pretty miserable...mine hung on hard for about 7 days, then lingered for another week.

Sorry to hear of this..Around these parts the resident cold has been known to stay for 3 weeks to a month.I personally had it for 3 weeks.It started as a cold and then turned to a flu and then back to acold again..and then back to a flu and one more time as a cold and finally it has subsided after 3weeks...even the best of precautions isnt always enough....but it can cut down the odds of getting sick.FWIW I hadn't had a cold for 3 yrs prior to this one...:rolleyes:

This is pretty much what the nurse at the HMO told me as well. Nasty stuff that just doesn't want to get out of your system. In another week from now, Maggie and I are taking the cager down to the Palm Springs area for a couple of weeks of R&R. Damn! I'd hate to be sick the whole time we're there. Better plot the Jewish deli's on I-5 so I'll have plenty of chicken soup! Perhaps a couple of 5 star hot and sour soups for chasers!

Thanks for the moral support.

John

[slo~ride]

I hope you feel better soon John. 4-5 hours of sleep is all I get anyway and as for the body.......It always aches, creeks, pops and groans.

[BILLP117]

Get well soon...I got nailed with the flu and pneumonia last week. They tested me for flu...rushed me in for x-rays and I had full pneumonia. I was on two meds for five days and feel much better. I have to go back for more x-rays to make sure the lungs are clear.

When in doubt...see a doctor and get the tests. It may be more than just a cold. Remember that this stuff can kill you.

[alphafang]

Get well soon John
Remember been misarable at bed time is better than been misarable all ruddy day like my boss
All the best matey
paul

[Lou65]

Massive doses of Vitamin C really does work for some...

....3,000 to 6,000 miligrams per day is not too much....

it is called the bowel tolerance test take the high doses til you have BM then back off til you don't

[Don B]

Drink lots of orange juice and chicken soup - a hot toddy now and then might help in the sleeping dept. ;)

I hope everyone out there washes their hands before making posts on this site - the last thing we need is to spread another PC virus:D

Take care, John - I know how mizerable that can be, though I've been pretty lucky myself for the past few years, or else all those multi-vitamins really have helped my immune system.

Don B.

[John Anthony]

Get well soon...I got nailed with the flu and pneumonia last week. They tested me for flu...rushed me in for x-rays and I had full pneumonia. I was on two meds for five days and feel much better. I have to go back for more x-rays to make sure the lungs are clear.

When in doubt...see a doctor and get the tests. It may be more than just a cold. Remember that this stuff can kill you.

Bill, that's really good advice. I'm pretty aggressive in managing health issues (OK, except for my weight, but no one is perfect) and if I'm not feeling better by Monday (actually I'm feeling somewhat better today), I'll cruise into their walk in clinic and get checked out.

Thanks again for all of the good wishes.

John

[Mark]

The other half of washing your hands often is don't touch your nose, mouth and face.

Mark

[MGDaversa]

For what it's worth, I used to catch stuff several times a year. Then I started supplementing Omega-3 to my diet, in both vegetable (flax) and animal (fish oil) forms (the two types are different). Since doing this, I don't catch colds nearly as often.

I take Omega-3 fish oil capsules daily, at least 400 mg EPA and 200 mg DHA, and always followed immediately with food (to suppress fish burps). I also keep some ground flax seed meal (whole seeds just pass through your system as-is) in my freezer (the stuff simply does not keep otherwise) and sprinkle some on my cereal or else stir some into my yogurt. A warning though, flax meal is very high in fiber -- you have to build up the amount slowly.

Get well soon!

[Eric]

This one is taking its toll up here this year. It is everywhere. I work in an airport and have the pleasure of being in contact with hundreds of people daily......