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?

I don't take medication when ill because it does nothing for me for some reason. I feel just as dreadful having taken something than if I hadn't at all. I do sleep as much as I can though.

Do we need a particular type of broth? And is broth better than soup for covid?

I always think it can't be that bad if they don't do basic things even when they're suggested.

Some Lucozades now carry a warning saying that they are not suitable for using for rehydration.

They are not.

If you have diarrhoea etc you want electrolytes so get diaoralyte sachets.

It's because everyone's different. I prefer to fast and drink hot tea/water, snd use my salt inhaler when I'm ill. My dad likes to eat junk food and soup when he's ill. My sister takes as many meds as she can, every 3/4 hours with copious amounts of coffee. My brother eats as normal and sleeps alot. We are all completely different.

Mr Monkey is like this. He has had horribly dry and sore skin on his arm where his running watch has rubbed badly in the very warm recent weather.

He has just accepted it whilst simultaneously whining about it. I lost it the other day and made him use some cocoa butter cream on it. Three days in and he's genuinely astonished that it made a difference- you'd think he had made a Noble prize winning discovery.

Yep as an icu Dr it drove me mad the amount of patients I had in icu that were nearly requiring intubation but refused to sleep on the fronts, when there's strong evidence it massively improves your oxygenation (my aunt was the same when admitted, thankfully not icu, whinging that it's not comfortable to lay on her front). Like would you like to do that or potentially die?

So bizarre, had consultants want to show said patients a ventilated patient and ask if they want to end up like it as an alternative.

I don't really understand people at times to be honest.

Oh God this is my DH too. He will lie on the sofa complaining about his headache but he won't take 2 bloody Ibruprofen and get on with his life because they "aren't a cure they just mask the symptoms"

Ibuprofen or paracetamol only bring the fever down, which might not be a good thing (one of the body defence mechanism IS fever).

I agree with zinc and vit C but we’ve been told again and again that it doesn’t work (remember the one about vit C makes no difference for colds?) so people won’t do it.
Same with bone broth.

Not asking for paxlovid when you could get it is strange. But in the other side, it’s nearly impossible to get, even when you should, so they might well have been put off by it all (even more so if you are actually properly ill iyswim)

Whilst it's unlikely anything will shorten the illness, taking paracetamol for the temp, gargling aspirin for a sore throat, and using decongestant can make it a whole lot easier to bear.

Some people though like my husband prefer to not take anything, and shuffle around in their dressing gown of doom groaning about how deathly they feel.

Where these people actually complaining OP or just getting on with it in their own way same as you were? People have assumed they where whinging bit you've not indicated that. If they weren't then what's it to you how people deal with being ill?

Tbh it doesn't make a difference her.
I do painkillers, Netflix, sleep and wait. Drink and eat what I fancy. Survived this far.

Sorry I probably should have said it. Yes, people were complaining while not taking many steps to help themselves. They argued and complained against even paracetamol. I also suggested to my mother to phone her GP for the COVID anti viral but she complained about that and went on a rant saying that she will take her own health into her own hands. I mean the anti viral would reduce the infection for her.

I know she has COVID and she's poorly and she likely has a right to mope about but still. There's measures she can take to help herself. Her window of anti viral is now closed (has to be within 5 days of symptoms). I just hope it doesn't drag on for her.

My dad hates medicine and when she has a bad cold or prior pains will never take anything. She doesn't complain, but I know she's in pain and I just don't get it either!

Broth is not going to cure covid. Why not soup? Or toast?