Who else is sick?

[Ginevive]

Wow! They IDed me to buy NyQuil!

[frankykeno]

I'm right there with you. I've had all the same symptoms off and on since the last week of November. Over Christmas it progressed to a sinus infection, double ear infection and went into my chest too. I was damn sexy in the Christmas pics, let me tell you. I get better but not all the way and then end up on my ass again. Plus, my kids keep getting sick and passing new germies on to me, the little darlings.

I find that if I put Vicks liquid in my humifier at night it helps open me up enough to sleep. I take Nyquil too or Neo Citrin to knock me out. I can totally sympathize on the work thing too. I stayed home Monday and Tuesday and worked the rest of the week looking and feeling like I was hit by a large bag of rocks. Feel better!

You're just basically describing my life lately, Allie. I've been sick on and off since Thanksgiving. We had to actually cancel Thanksgiving dinner as I was too sick to cook it. Ever since then it's just come and gone. I have a day or two of reasonable health and then it hits me again like a Mack truck. When I miss my volunteer work or my house is a mess, you know I'm hit hard, let me tell you. It's the worst virus I've ever had!

I have started on Mucinex for the chest congestion (it loosens/thins the junk in your lungs and helps you cough it out) and Zicam Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu for the other aches and pains. NyQuil couldn't even touch this. I know as I've likely guzzled gallons of NyQuil over the past couple of months without it helping much. It's been absolutely exhausting but I think *knock wood* I'm getting over the worst of it.

[Louie1]

I beat mine before it got bad. I don't know how!

[Allie]

You're just basically describing my life lately, Allie. I've been sick on and off since Thanksgiving. We had to actually cancel Thanksgiving dinner as I was too sick to cook it. Ever since then it's just come and gone. I have a day or two of reasonable health and then it hits me again like a Mack truck. When I miss my volunteer work or my house is a mess, you know I'm hit hard, let me tell you. It's the worst virus I've ever had!

I have started on Mucinex for the chest congestion (it loosens/thins the junk in your lungs and helps you cough it out) and Zicam Multi-Symptom Cold & Flu for the other aches and pains. NyQuil couldn't even touch this. I know as I've likely guzzled gallons of NyQuil over the past couple of months without it helping much. It's been absolutely exhausting but I think *knock wood* I'm getting over the worst of it.

It's brutal isn't it? Mentally and physically...it's just draining. I'm so ready to be well again. I've had three rounds of antibiotics and although they help everytime it doesn't seem to get rid of all of the sinus infection. Luckily, my girls seems to be just getting colds and not this nightmare. I've had gallons of Nyquil too. I like it because it knocks me unconcious and keeps me asleep for at least a couple of hours. It doesn't help the symptoms that much at all.

[kc261]

What I do:

Humidifier, Advil, Meds with guaifenesin(sp?), pseudoephedrine and dextromethorphan(if coughing), chlorpheniramine if not coughing, and go to bed

Works great!

I have started on Mucinex for the chest congestion (it loosens/thins the junk in your lungs and helps you cough it out)

Becky knows her stuff! Guaifenesin is THE thing for getting rid of congestion, whether it is in your head or your chest. It is the active ingredient in Mucinex, as well as many cough syrups. Joanna's description of how it works is pretty good. It also helps with head congestion because thinner mucus will drip out, either out your nose or down your throat, which is no fun, but at least it isn't just sitting in there which can cause sinus headaches and/or sinusitis. It has been on the market for years but is only recently becoming popular as an OTC drug because too many people want a drug that makes them feel better now, rather than one that will actually help get rid of the problem, but possibly makes you feel worse in the short run (drippy sinuses, lots of coughing).

I used to get sinusitis almost every time I got sick. Finally a doctor told me to start taking the maximum dose of guaifenesin as soon as I started noticing any congestion. That combined with a pharmacist who told me it is important to drink LOTS of water when taking the guaifenesin has meant I haven't had sinusitis once in about 10 years!

Lately, maybe the past 3 years, I get laryngitis nearly every time I get sick. I haven't figured out how to prevent or cure that one, other than just not talking and waiting it out.

[Ginevive]

The worst is this weird vertigo! I think that it has to do with either the fever, or the earaches. It is nothing dramatic; just my body telling me that it is sick I guess. but blah...

[Kristy]

Sorry everyone is sick. We (me, hubby and kids) have all been sick. I have been sick since Thanksgiving. I had a nasty cold, got better for a week and then came down with the flu, was sick for 3 weeks, and I am still having lingering effects, hubby caught it, the kids had a cold, then the flu. Its been miserable. We very rarely get sick, my kids have been sick 3 or 4 times in their lives. So this one kind of knocked us all off our feet.

[frankykeno]

I'll tell you this is when I miss being back home and being able to buy good old Buckley's Mixture. That stuff may have the consistency of snot and taste like you just swallowed a liquid Christmas tree but boy does it knock the bugs out of you (or your body just heals itself so you won't drink anymore of the gawd awful stuff!)

[Ginevive]

I could go chew on some pine needles..

[Bruce Whitehead]

My partner and I have been sick for about 6 weeks now. Ended with him getting hospitalized with a less than 50% lung capacity.

Apparently there is a viral respitory infection going around. But I am in a different country... but that doesn't seem to contain germs in our globe trotting society.

I coughed so hard last nite i fractured a rib and have pains in my strernum. Not to mention the bloody throat. *ugh*.

Everyone lately seems to get sick and stay there for 2 months.

But it is exhausting. Last night I felt so much FRUSTRATION it was about to drive me other the edge.

Bruce