How often do you get ill? What is normal?

[Lilyonmars]

I have a nasty cough/cold at the moment, I seem to be getting one every month or 2 at the moment, it's relentless. How often is normal? surely this often isn't! I don't have any underlying health problems or anything.

I was thinking of this last night as I felt unwell for what it possibly the fourth time in the space of a month. I think it’s stress induced for me.

Do you have young children at school or nursery? If so you will be ill a lot. I don’t seem to get ill now other then getting Covid or something really grim like that once or twice a year.

I seem to get a bad cough and cold every 18 months to two years stomach bug maybe once every 3 years or so.

my immune system is pretty robust, however I’ve currently got Covid, picked up god knows where, my dc haven’t caught it and I’ve suffered for over a week.

im far more likely to need the doctor regarding the joys of getting old, I suffer from utis, arthritis, heart problems and kidney disease.

Very rarely now (64) but I got a lot of colds in my 20s before my thyroid issues were diagnosed.

I had an URTI last December and a gastro bug February 2023. Before that I had a nasty viral thing December 2015.

After DS was born, I constantly had something: chest infection, tonsillitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, gastro, etc, probably every 4 to 6 weeks. When pg with DD, at about 19 weeks, I had pleurisy and had a few days in hospital on IV broad spectrum AB's I am convinced there was a bit of underlying infection from ds's birth, I had infective mastitis and a breast abscess in the early days, and that the super strong AB's finally knocked it out. After that I've been ill once a flood.

I get a cold a couple of times a year, D&V maybe once a year.

I'm a headache and migraine sufferer and usually have a bad one that will stop me in my tracks once a month.

I've been sick with various illnesses for the last 3 weeks now.

I've started a multi vitamin that I hope will help.

Actually quite rarely. I have cancer at the moment, so am immunocompromised, but I actually can’t think of the last time I had a cold. Last winter maybe?

Dd has COVID at the moment (confirmed because she gets a really unusual symptom when she gets it and I was like, hmm, and dug a test out of the back of the cupboard to test my theory about whether this symptom always indicates COVID or not). Dh about to go down with COVID any second and is flapping around about it. I have maybe just a slightly more runny nose, but feel absolutely fine.

But apart from the whole being immunocompromised from treatment thing, I take very good care of myself. I eat well, I take huge doses of vitamin C and zinc as soon as anyone around me gets a little sniffle, I don’t drink, don’t smoke, I go to bed early and get a good 8-9 hours of sleep a night, I’ve eliminated a lot of chronic stress (which I used to have a lot of!), minus the unavoidable cancer bit.

Dh, on the other hand, is constantly ill. He eats okay, but he drinks, even when he’s ill 🙄, doesn’t take any vitamins, is constantly stressing and up at 10pm returning emails that could wait til the morning, or wakes up and literally first thing when he opens his eyes, bam, on email stressing about some work thing, stressing about how to phrase some sentence in an email, stressing about how BIL is upset with his ex 🤷🏻‍♀️ Also never, ever, ever takes a sick day. No matter how sick. So it just steam rolls. He thinks only weaklings take a day off. Needless to say, he feels like shit most of the winter and is stressed about productivity.

Look after yourself, eat well, no alcohol or smoking, sleep. Vitamin C and zinc as soon as you think you might get ill. Rest if you do.

I am prone to stomach bugs, I currently have noro and it was horrendous in all honesty. I get stomach bugs at least 3-4 times a year. Colds I might get 1 but often it’s a bad one

I eat well, get outdoors a lot, fit etc I just don’t have a strong stomach constitution 😂

I'm 64. Never (knowingly) had covid or flu. Very rarely get stomach bugs. My last cold was 2 years ago. I am coeliac and have arthritis. I don't do anything special - I don't drink or smoke and do take multivitamins.

Pre-kids rarely. I’ve got the combination of a covid infection which ruined my immune system (one trend I could have happily skipped) and kids at school with a wonderful array of viruses and virus-combos brought home so ill all the time now.

At a population level (education and work), illness is increasing, inability to work/study due to illness is increasing, sick days are increasing and working whilst ill (so far less productive) is increasing.

Seems almost constant in the last few years apart from during lockdown.I do work closely with over one hundred people a week however and have to get buses. Currently on leave and feel quite covidy again.