How on earth do people get through the work day with a cold?

That's the problem with retail having to work when you're dying on your feet and if it's a physical job it takes longer to get better and passing it on to colleagues and customers.management don't care as long as job gets done.

This is so true and for anyone immunosuppressed they make life both miserable AND potentially more dangerous.

This thread makes me want to jack in teaching and get a WFH job! WFH with a cold sounds positively delightful.

As a teacher, I'm always scared of picking something up because a) you're expected to come to work anyway and it's really hard to brave calling in sick, and b) teaching with a cold or similar illness is so utterly grim. I've had to leave the classroom to spit blood into the sink, trashing my throat while on antibiotics for tonsillitis, taught with a spiking fever, and while wearing plugs of rolled up loorool in my nose, all because parents feel pressure to send really quite poorly children to school. Luckily, we've had a change of leadership and out new HT is more sympathetic. But the fear remains.

I had a cold around a fortnight ago. As always, straight into my sinuses (head throbbing, cheek bones, jaw and teeeth aching). I also had the pleasure of a sore throat, my glands hurting all down my neck and the pressure behind my ear drums building up so much I was convinced that they would burst. Plus the usual sneezing, dripping nose etc.
I drank plenty of fluids, had plenty of hot baths, got lots of sleep and took lots of supplements to give me a boost. Most importantly though, I took Sinutab regularly. It made the difference between me being able to function and not. I’ve tried just about every decongestant going including Sudafed, but Sinutab is the only thing that works for me (consistently). I try not to use it too often though and never for more than 48 hours. Can’t recommend it enough.

In my 20s colds were brutal things that could put me in bed for a week. As I've got older they've become much less severe and less frequent although the latter is probably because I WFH so have far less exposure to other people's germs. I absolutely could not have just pushed on through the bad ones but nowadays I'm more "it's only a cold" because they're much milder! Don't beat yourself up. Stay home and rest.

Yep teachers are hard as nails when it comes to working with an illness! Also we tend to develop excellent immune systems.

DH mopes around "working from home" when he has a cold and I have very limited sympathy.

I always get very ill as I'm asthmatic.
I can't take cold and flu meds either. A lot of people can't 'dose up'.

It depends on how often you are ill- you can call in sick, but if you get the flu or another worse cold you will start to look like someone who takes too much time off sick- so it's a judgement call. I used to get my OH to do the chores at the weekend if I had powered through sickness at work in the week, and go to bed and sleep through most of the weekend-otherwise you feel awful the next week as well.

ADHD 5 year old and ADHD husband who are both chaotic and a needy baby means there is no such thing as a sick day. I just have to suck it up and get on with it. Having said that, colds are definitely worse lying down and being too warm and stuffy, getting fresh air helps a lot

It's very difficult to WFH if you are in retail, and SSP won't pay the bills.

I've always had really bad colds, my sinuses are badly affected. Sometimes I would have a day, or at most two, off work then just suck it up and go in. I take cold medication. Coughing doesn't keep me home - I can cough for weeks!

Lemsip, coffee and lots of complaining.

It could be flu. Flu can be everything from asymptomatic to death. Unless you test, you won't know if it's flu, covid, another corona virus or rhinovirus. Most colds are rhinoviruses or corona viruses of some sort.

I always go off work if I have a cold as I get usually them really bad on my chest where I’m struggling to breathe properly. I hate when people come into work with a cold and spread their germs everywhere

Dose up on cold remedies. I use Olbas oil for congestion too.

Then plenty of fluids - warm or cold depending on how I feel.

Then just hope the kids are sympathetic (they usually are to be fair) 😂

It's easier battling through than it is to set cover.

You sound like you really struggle. I'm fortunate, my colds are manageable with paracetamol, plenty of fluids and an anti histimine to dry up my nose. I just work from home in the warm and reschedule meetings, and do my solo and more routine tasks. If I had what you describe though I doubt I'd manage. I take vit D all year round and have a really good diet and I think it helps me fight things off.

OP I'm the same as you. I have a history of autoimmunity and asthma and my immune system massively overreacts to viruses. Colds leave me bedridden. Covid wipes me out for months each time. I have not noticed any difference in the various strains, it's never mild for me (save strangely the very first strain, make it make sense) and end up in A&E or at the doctors with steroids and antibiotics for secondary chest infections each time. Lemsip does nothing for me with a cold until like days 4-6. Then I can need extended recovery period after. For added context I also suffer chronic fatigue and the wipe out is no joke. So I get you and commiserate 100%.

I'm super ugly with it too, not pretty and clean and contained. Ugly, messy, coughing and spitting out phlegm, ruddy peeling skin round the nose and cheeks from wiping constantly and covered in soggy tissues.

Ask Queen Camilla.

Sudafed, hot squash and my heated blanket. I do WFH though so not inflicting my snottiness on anyone else and I can wear my PJs and Oodie all day and feel mardy without anyone seeing me.

You need to take OTC medication? 2 paracetamol, 4x a day, or something like lemsip max strength.
And yes you'll still feel a bit lousy but well thats life isnt it?

It depends on the level of cold for me. The snivelly ones with the occasional sneeze or cough is manageable.
Anything involving a sinus or chest infection I stay home. I have asthma so I have to be careful anyway.
Incidentally OP, the cold you have may well be sinusitis.

Some people suffer more than others. I used to get dreadful colds that were almost like flu, with aches and pains, fever and tiredness. I don't know what changed, but now I get more 'normal' colds and they are more manageable.

I am a teacher and being off is such a ball ache that it's not worth it. I dose up on cold meds and go for it. I had laryngitis recently and my voice disappeared during the work day. I still stayed and taught the afternoon through miming😂 had the weekend to get a bit better and went back to it on Monday. If you stayed off with every cold your absence rate would be ridiculous.

Absolutely this. My classroom sounds like a dr’s waiting room at the moment. I have given up getting them to wash their hands every time they sneeze and cough or the whole class would be at the sink all day.
The best thing is when a small child sneezes directly int my face🤢🤧

It sounds like the OP has something going on with their sinuses that means colds hit them harder than most. There will be a drug for that. Things like saline nasal sprays might help too.