Deja Vu All Over Again. Also, Yuck.

[revena]

Man, I still haven't really recovered from the last time I was sick, and all of a sudden tonight I can't stop sneezing and my throat is all hurty again and waaaaahhh.

One of my students at ChaYon Ryu was giving me a hard time about being ill, two weeks ago (I was out of breath and coughing after about fifteen minutes of hard exercise, and said that I needed to take it easy because I was still recovering from my latest cold). He observed that I am quite often sick, in that doubting "I think it is actually that you are a wuss" tone of voice (trust me on this one... This dude and I have something of a history), and I said that it's because I work with children so much. They are disease factories, I swear it. Anyway, he then went on to tell me that that's totally nonsensical, because the illnesses children get are the same illnesses we all had as children and developed immunity to, and can only get once, and that logically I can only really be sick two or maybe three times a year, as new strains of influenza develop.

*cough cough sneeze*

Bullshit, says I.

I mean, come on! I am demonstrably ill with some sort of low-level cold thingy for a day or two out of every month-to-two-months. Usually about three days to a week after being sneezed on by some filthy child (usually Esme. I love Esme, but she does have hygeine issues. It cannot be denied. She'll grow out of it! I hope!). Therefore, I get sick several times per year, probably as the direct result of my constant contact with small children.

I mean, is there another explanation? Allergies (to what)? Hypochondria (hah)? I had bloodwork done not long ago, and I'm not anemic or hypothyroid...ic or anything.

I just get colds a lot.

Damnit.

Comments

[cabell.livejournal.com]

Dude, children get the same various colds and flus that adults get. It's not like you're catching fucking CHICKEN POX once a month. And kids are filthy little germ factories, as you note, more so than adults because of hygiene and increased exposure to large groups. You get sick from the kids.

[revena.livejournal.com]

You and Wikipedia are both on my side.

Clearly, this student of mine is an ignorant doodoohead.

And disgruntled ill health and cold medicines don't affect my mood, making me petty and irritable, at all...

[aaybara.livejournal.com]

I'm with you there.

I totally have had three colds this past couple of months, coincidentaly when I started working in the schools...hmmm

[revena.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, indeed!

[mugglegirl0908.livejournal.com]

Is this that one jerk? The Russian dude or something? Don't listen to him. Wanker. ;)

Have you tried Zicam or ColdEez? It's not a total cure, but I've used them and they at least make the cold go away in a day or so instead of several days or a week. I wish I could think of something more helpful, but alas, there's not yet a cure for the cold... or contact with disease-carrying children. ;)

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Zicam rocks! Also, Airborne is supposed to be a really good preventative - it's basically a lot of vitamins, minerals and herbs to boost your immune system so you won't contract viruses, or will kill them more quickly. I've just recently tried it, but I have friends who swear by it. Oh, and it was developed by a schoolteacher to protect her from the kids in her class.

The CDC says you're contagious for 5 days after the first symptoms of a cold or flu appear, but very few people stay home from work (or keep the kids home) for that long. So you're entirely right about where you're getting it.

Now tell me where I got mine. :) I've been down for the count for three days.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough most viruses, flus and colds included, are most infectious just before symptoms start to appear. So perhaps that's when you get infected. Do people in your office get sick? Air conditioning has a lovely way of sucking up and redistributing viruses around in a democratic fashion.

At least you're not one of those people who thinks you catch a cold from going outside in cold/wet weather.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Well, that's the thing. My symptoms first appeared Monday. I'd stayed in all day Sunday, except for a quick lunch out. The lunch companion didn't get sick, but I did. Saturday I went out to dinner with someone else, who also didn't get sick. Before that, I was on vacation from work for a week, and no one I saw that week has been sick.

I guess I got it from a food server or something.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I tried out AIrborne this time. Dunno that it did anything.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Well, NOTHING is slowing this cold I have down at all. Or shortening it. Or making it any easier to live with. I guess some cold viruses are just really mean, nasty bastards.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I've tried pretty much everything. Either it hasn't worked for me, or my colds would've been twice as long and miserable without, which doesn't really bear thinking about...

[moonglows.livejournal.com]

THe fact that children are walking germs is yet another reason why I don't like most of them very much. But you know, that is just my opinion.

[revena.livejournal.com]

Perfectly reasonable. I just try to badger the ones I spend time with into washing their hands more often...

P. S.

[moonglows.livejournal.com]

Get some garlic. And a VERY high dose of Vitamin C. I swear. As soon as yu feel a hint of anything cming on, take those vitamins. Even if you are already sick, it usually works. Really, I do know what I am talking about--I can't take regular cold medcine because I have glaucoma. Vitamins are my God-send.

Also, I have tried thet Air-Bourne (sp?) stuff too, and that woeked pretty well at keeping the germs away.

Love,
Lisa

Re: P. S.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I am trying out airborne this time around... We'll see if it does anything for me.

[vanityfair00.livejournal.com]

Sneezing and a sore throat could be allergies. I end up with anything from a bad headache to dry eyes to a sore throat with mine. You could be allergic to almost anything...don't you have cats? Or dust mites, which are everywhere. I would guess something inside since there are supposedly fewer outdoor allergens in Arizona. Maybe try taking a claritin the next time you feel bad and see if it helps.

[revena.livejournal.com]

The main reason why I don't think it could be allergies is that all of teh allergens I spend time with (like my cats), I'm around constantly.

But I should probably try harder to treat the allergies I do have. Jimmy says that I blow my nose more often than any other person he's ever met...

[vanityfair00.livejournal.com]

Well they can develop out of nowhere or worsen. I noticed mine getting worse when I moved out into the apartment. Maybe all the work you've had done in your house has stirred up enough dust to irritate a dust allergy you didn't realize you had.

Or the kid thing too. My mom works at a pediatrician's office and she gets sick often. It was even worse when she worked at the hospital. Going back to the work on your place, stress (like being evicted temporarily) can make you more susceptible to illness so it's probably only exacerbated things.

[betacandy.livejournal.com]

Here's a somewhat helpful quiz for telling cold, flu and allergies apart:

http://www.lhj.com/lhj/quiz.jhtml?quizId=/templatedata/lhj/quiz/data/ColdFluQuiz_10182002.xml

Doctors thought I had allergies as a kid. I did have a few, but mostly I had chronic sinusitis, which is yet another animal (involves a lot of headaches, head pain, no raised body temp).

The CDC and other authoritative agencies both say that using superantibiotics for colds and flu (totally ineffective, but doctors used to give 'em out anyway) has created stronger strains of the viruses. That may be what we're seeing here. I know in my case I have done everything anyone has suggested in this thread, and I still wish I'd never been born right now. This thing is a monster.

[sevanetta.livejournal.com]

Tell Jimmy he has not met *me*. I have had to move 1000k's to try to get to an environment that doesn't have me sneezing (blowing my nose, coughing, eyes watering) for two hours in the morning, every single fucking day. Now I only sneeze/blow my nose a few times on an average day. That's good.

(Sorry, I just spent a week and a half at my parents' place, and it happened every day I was up there, just like it used to. Argh.)

By the way, get thyself to a naturopath. I second Lisa above who recommended garlic tablets, but you're best off finding a decent naturopath who can help you build up your immune system, and that might require one or two other vitamins. Vitamin C isn't always recommended (I don't take it because it doesn't mix well with my contraceptive pill).

[kazulanth.livejournal.com]

Colds are actually viruses, and there are over 200 known and documented varieties. Also please inform your student, who evidently thinks he is a doctor, that biological immunity does not make you IMMUNE - it means your immune system responds more quickly. Usually that means you don't have clinical disease, and the infection stays subclinical and you don't notice, but you don't have enough space for all the T cells in your body to have enough to completely wipe out all these niggling little strains of rhinovirus every time you get one. So you are going to get sick if you get exposed again - you just might not get as sick as you would the first time. And immunity doesn't last forever.

[revena.livejournal.com]

Hehe. I think he does have a doctorate, actually, but he's not a medical doctor. I'm definitely gonna have a few responses saved up if he tries to convince me that I can't possibly be sick again next time it comes up, though, thanks!

[pats-quinade.livejournal.com]

My understanding was that it was, you know, the common cold -- which is actually about a jillion constantly mutating viruses that changed too often for your immune system to throw off easily.

And yes, kids are a great way to transmit diseases. Even if you don't deal with Day Care, they can find ways to get sick, and if they get sick, and you deal with them, you get sick. You just do. All the time.

[revena.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has observed this.