Why won't people help themselves? When they are ill

[Longhairf]

I got COVID last week. I did everything I could to throw everything I had at the infection - fluids, paracetamol, Ibuprofen, paxlovid, vitamin C, zinc, more fluids. I did an one grocery shop with lucozade sport and chicken broth.

A lot of my family came down with COVID and I suggested these things. One of them was definitely a canditiate for paxlovid. Everything was protested against and shot down - 'i do t want the side effects' but they are willing to put up with the side effects of a virus. I mean like everything - they denied themselves ibuprofen, zinc, broth - things that can help them.

I can't get my head around this. Why won't they help themselves through an infection?. None of it makes sense. They don't want to be dealing with side effects of meds but they are willing to put up with the effects of a virus.

I wonder if they enjoy being ill? Are they doing it for attention?

This drives me nuts too. Take some paracetamol instead of dripping around the house whingeing about ill you feel FFS.

Yanbu if your not going to help yourself don't come whinging to me, I don't want to hear it

Some people insist that use of over the counter remedies can lengthen a cold. I don’t know about Covid though.

My DH. “No, I don’t like taking tablets”. Well I don’t like listening to your incessant whinging. Just take some tablets and shut up. It’s paracetamol, not crack.

I’ve never heard of Paxlovid. A quick google tells me I wouldn’t be eligible though 🤷‍♀️. Paracetamol IME does bugger all, vitamins and supplements won’t magically cure anything either. I had a spell a few years ago where I was getting cold after cold, nothing helped, medicines soothed it a bit, but ultimately I just had to ride it out.

But did you whinge to everyone about it all the time / demand to be looked after and coddled and felt sorry for while steadfastly refusing to do anything for yourself that could potentially have given you any relief? This is what drives me up the wall.

Maybe they didn’t like being told what to do, and prefer to get through an illness their own way.

According to a quick Google starting to take vitamin C once you already have cold symptoms won't have any effect on your cold and I don't think chicken broth has a different effect than any other hot liquid. There are lots of medicines that impact the way paxlovid works and you can't be confident in the medical history of anyone else.

Maybe they just feel you're coming across preachy? Presuming they're adults they're capable of taking ibuprofen and paracetamol if they feel ill enough.

Nowhere in your OP does it say they were complaining about being ill.

Gosh, I wouldn’t ever want to be ill around some people.

No, lived in a flat share and just got on with it. The only time it affected another person was at work (we worked in pairs) when I was dealing with a passenger (worked on railway) and phoning to check their details I began coughing so violently that I had to hang up and my partner took over. He spoke to the same person I’d been talking to and she thought I was being attacked as she could hear me struggling to breathe 🤣.

Why does it matter to you? I'm more bothered by people who don't do daily things to minimise chances of illness, like hand washing, cleaning their phone, improve their gut health, get fresh air and exercise. I honestly can't think when I was last ill, because I make the effort to prevent it.

I agree. Can't take Ibuprofen due to a previous stomach ulcer, and I'm not sure what paxlovoid is - but definitely all of the other things you mention. Lots of water for sure, but I'd also steer clear of the energy drinks - they are one of the worst things you can find on supermarket shelves. Perhaps they may have slight benefits when fighting a virus, but don't overdo them - and read up on what's in them beforehand is my advice.

They're pretty strict on criteria for paxlovid but it made a huge difference to me
The mouth taste side effect is crap though!

Oh yes I get this one. Like it somehow makes them less of a man if they take a painkiller 😂

Whilst some of those things might make you feel a bit better (paracetamol for temp) but I can’t see that they would actually help to get rid of the infection any sooner.

I don't want to burst your bubble but no otc tablet nor old fashioned remedy will change the length or trajectory of the illness, though reducing a fever can make you feel better in yourself. Paxlovid is not available otc and needs to be taken almost before you get symptoms.

I think you need to be less preachy basically. Chicken broth and lucosade will not help at all!

I don’t take any medication for coughs and colds, my body’s perfectly capable of fighting it off itself. Unless your health is compromised in some way there’s no need. But I also don’t whinge about it, it’s a basic virus. No need for any moaning.

Never even heard of paxalovoid.

I had to lead a 4 day conference with it (I don’t test but I am 98% sure I had it). Worst week of work ever, but didn’t complain. I was miserable enough without dragging everyone else down.

It's really annoying when people tell you to take stuff as if it's going to make you instantly better!

Until they caught the virus off you!

Tell him to get a bottle of Calpol - it is for babies, after all!

My wife is the same. I have a rule that she's not allowed to complain to me about any sort of pain she's experiencing if she hasn't taken paracetamol.

Reduces the risk of being hospitalised with Covid by something like 84% but you have to take it very early on

It might sound odd, but some people just don’t know how to be ill. They don’t know how to self-soothe and what to do to make themselves feel better. DH is one. When i got Covid I took paracetamol, drank plenty of fluids and slept as much as I could, which is my standard way of dealing with illness. When I was well enough to not sleep 23 hours a day I got up and spent a day or so on the sofa watching old films, which is my standard “recovery from illness” activity. I think DH had a lie in one day and then tried to soldier on as normal, obviously not well but complaining about it. He was never taught that it’s ok to be unwell and that a bit of self care is comforting.