flu/cold

[Seraph]

Tablespoon of horseradish. Do it.

[Francisco]

Got a cold or flu right after Christmas this year. Had my flu shot in September, but I'm not sure how preventative that is... I am assuming what I had was a cold...

I used to get colds twice a year, and they'd last for 2-3 weeks, with lingering effects for another month or so (minor congestion, occasional cough)... Then suddenly I stopped getting them about 4 years ago... the last cold I had before this recent one was in 2007.

I seriously had thought I became immune to that shit. Going that many years without a cold is unheard of. I work in retail, handle money a lot, and take the 10 buses and 10 trains a week - more depending on if I go into the city on my days off.

How I know I'm getting a cold? Every cold I have ever had has started out the same way. I'm at work or school, and I just start feeling tired as fuck, and want to go home and sleep. The next morning, I wake up and my throat is on fucking fire, and feels full of nasty phlegm and shit. Things just go downhill fast from there, and culminates with that fucking horrid dry hack cough that gets worse at night... you know the one where you expect the next cough will splatter lung blood all over your sheets.

With this recent cold, I cut out all the shit. I stopped counting "playing FFXI wrapped in a blanket" as resting.

Did the following:

- Called out sick from work on one day, where I felt particularly horrid.
- Ate about 50 cans of Progresso Chicken Noodle and Chicken and Rice.
- Drank a shitload of water, with a shitload of Airborne packets used in the process.
- Stayed in bed.
- Doubled up on Nyquil dosages before I went to sleep for the night.
- Ate more fruit, drank juices laced with absurd amounts of vitamins.

Each day, woke up feeling "good" instead of like I was dying. The worst of the cold was over in 3 days... The lingering symptom were done for shortly after...

[Miroku_Asura]

I've always been an fan of hot toddies and sweating it out, also, more hot toddies. And ambian.

[Kerberoz]

And ambian.

If you've gotta be sick, may as well not be able to remember it.

[Cream Soda]

Hey careful. CS has a girlfriend now so he may no longer be 1 step from homeless or riding a bike with no tires

I do not lol

[Maguspk]

I have never gotten a cold/flu either, I think the whole flu shot thing is bullshit too. Virus evolves too quickly.

[Ddz]

Also never had the flu, and flu shot seems like a scam.

[hey]

I've had the flu ~5 times, always when i didn't get a flu shot.

[Cream Soda]

You need a bowl to build up your immune system

[Miroku_Asura]

If you've gotta be sick, may as well not be able to remember it.

See, its even better when you use it with a super caffeinated hot toddy- I've seen a talking Frisbee dance across my room before :3

[Melena]

I do not lol

damnit, knew it was too good to be true. What did you do, steal her bike?

Also the problem with the flu shot is it's strictly a guess as to which strain of the flu is going to be dominant that year. Last year it completely bombed since it wasn't even close to being the right strain of the flu. That said, I've never gotten it since everyone in my family who has taken the flu shot has had a nasty reaction to it and wound up sick for over a week. Fuck that shit, I'll take my supreme immune system that makes me sick for 3 days out of the year tops.

[Kerberoz]

Any nasty reaction was probably either a nocebo effect or just catching shit from being around other sick people at the doc's office. There's no reason for most people to bother with a flu shot, though.

[Melena]

Yea, I don't bother myself anyways. Last time I puked that wasn't due to alcohol at my bachelor party was probably 7 years ago.

[Cream Soda]

damnit, knew it was too good to be true. What did you do, steal her bike?

Also the problem with the flu shot is it's strictly a guess as to which strain of the flu is going to be dominant that year. Last year it completely bombed since it wasn't even close to being the right strain of the flu. That said, I've never gotten it since everyone in my family who has taken the flu shot has had a nasty reaction to it and wound up sick for over a week. Fuck that shit, I'll take my supreme immune system that makes me sick for 3 days out of the year tops.

lol you have me on facebook? I usually just accept ppl w/ a bunch of mutual BG friends and never get around to asking who they are

[hey]

Any nasty reaction was probably either a nocebo effect or just catching shit from being around other sick people at the doc's office. There's no reason for most people to bother with a flu shot, though.

Eh, some people just react badly to them. Most people shouldn't have a problem with a flu shot, but it's not unheard of.

Definitely no real need to get a flu shot for healthy adults though.

[Melena]

lol you have me on facebook? I usually just accept ppl w/ a bunch of mutual BG friends and never get around to asking who they are

Yup I think you added me around the time you were trolling that picture contest and did the whole i'm more gentle than I look pic.

[nerdfromthehood]

Thank to the people who gave real advice and not tried to troll. Tried a few of the things people said like Wasabi and meds and even though it doesn't feel like I'm 100%, the symptoms aren't dragging me down like usual. I'm more than aware that viruses have to run their course but I was just trying to find ways not to be dragged down by my congestion.

[Talus]

Those neti pots scare me. I heard someone died from a bacteria that was in the water and it got in their nose and ate their face. I'm drinking alka-setzer and snorting Nose spray.

It wasn't bacteria. It happened in Louisiana, I believe. And I think it was a protozoan.

Antibiotics only work on bacteria. Most common colds are not caused by bacteria. Time/rest and fluids will help. Ride it out. Or you can go to an Urgent Care, they'll give you a Z-pack after an abbreviated H&P.

[Chun Liroy]

Or you can stop being a pussy and man up. Its a fucking cold.

[Haruhi]

a)How can you tell if you're cold or flu before it fully takes over? My nose has recently become congested and I'm not sure which one I'm catching. Either way, I would like to get rid of it ASAP.

b)How do you get rid of head congestion?
c)How do you get rid of a cold or flu?

a)If you develop a fever, aches, & experience congestion, treat it like the flu. You will probably be able to tell, the flu is significantly worse than a common cold in terms of symptoms.
b)Head congestion requires a nasal decongestant (ie: pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine, called sudafed in most places around here). For chest congestion use Mucinex & drink a decent amount of water!
c)You can't really get rid of the flu, you simply treat the symptoms. Sometimes Azithromycin (commonly referred to as a Z-pack) or another antibiotic is prescribed if the cause is thought to be an infection, not applicable in probably 75% of cases, don't even get me started on the over-prescribing of antibiotics...

Source: I work at a pharmacy.

damnit, knew it was too good to be true. What did you do, steal her bike?

Also the problem with the flu shot is it's strictly a guess as to which strain of the flu is going to be dominant that year. Last year it completely bombed since it wasn't even close to being the right strain of the flu. That said, I've never gotten it since everyone in my family who has taken the flu shot has had a nasty reaction to it and wound up sick for over a week. Fuck that shit, I'll take my supreme immune system that makes me sick for 3 days out of the year tops.

On flu shots: he's correct about them trying to guess the strain, though they usually are pretty dang good at it last years did suck. Of course its personal preference on your choice of receiving one (usually anyway, we're required to get them at work, and the hospitals around here require it as well). But they are definitely a good thing. Vaccinations reduce the overall incidence by a significantly large margin, since once you get vaccinated (unless you're part of the unlucky x%) you aren't going around spreading the flu, because by you not getting sick, other people won't catch it from you, and thus other people wont catch it from them! It works out pretty well. As he said, the issue with flu shots and the reason why we had such a bad year last year was the vaccine administered didn't match up very well with the mutation, but when they do match well, its a very effective system. Adverse reactions to flu shots are honestly extremely rare, we see very few, and we give LOTS (and I mean lotssss!) of them each year. Chances are the poster's family was overly susceptible to the medium used in those specific cases, genetically disposed to be hypersensitive, or, the shots were given badly if the negative effects were purely localized. I'd encourage everyone to get one the next time around if possible! Just don't get one if you already feel sick of course.