How to stop getting ill?

[BigPawsBrown]

Posting here for traffic.

I was quite unwell in summer 2013, off work for months.

I've been back since November 2013. I would say I got back to 100% in about july 2014 and since then I have been getting more and more colds. I didn't get anything while I was ill so maybe I have a lot of immunity catching up to do.

I started getting a cold every few weeks even in the summer. It would, to be honest, (and to my dismay) take those few weeks to get over them. Then I'd get another.

Now it's taking me only two or so days of feeling grotty and exhausted but since the start of the year I have had three! I'm at my wit's end. I haven't had any time off yet but am feeling like a zombie most of the time and I literally have one day of feeling no longer knackered and ill and sweaty etc before I get another.

I am really worried if it carries on like this I will have massive amounts of time off, either for the colds or what they cause and I am in a new job (as of 5th Jan). Was ill on sofa all weekend, felt ok by yesterday and today me (and my DP) have woken up with telltale sore throats and (just me) exhaustion again.

Did you ever find anything that really worked to prevent colds?

My SIL swears by Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water, two or three times a day. She's a great believer in more homeopathic/organic things and it seems to work well for her.

Go to the doctors and ask for some blood tests. You shouldn't be getting that ill that frequently.
Also, make sure you're getting enough good sleep, eating a very healthy balanced diet and making sure you're drinking enough water.
Opinion is divided on the benefits of taking vitamins and supplements. Personally, at the start of a telltale itch at the back of my throat or feeling a bit off colour I start having soluble Vit c and zinc twice a day, take echinacea and use Vicks First defence.

Hope you feel better soon.

Watching with interest! Had similarly rubbish immune system since a bad bout of depression, seem to have caught everything that's going over the last year, had pneumonia at christmas and norovirus just after NY...
I'm going to Holland & Barrett to get some iron supplements, tonic and strong Vitamin C today.

There's a tonic called Bio Strath that helps the immune system. It might be worth a try - health food shops will be able to recommend you something decent.

I know a few people going through chemo take it. One of them had a husband totally knocked out by flu over Christmas and she didn't get it... whereas before she'd be floored out with a sniffle.

I have a diagnosis which is auto inflammatory and affects my immune system. So, when I say I am ill a lot I get lots of shoulder shrugging.

I gargle with 3% hydrogen peroxide and also add a few drops to my ears every few weeks. I was the only one in my household not to get a cough/cold over Christmas. I heard about it on Mumsnet a few years ago. You can buy hydrogen peroxide from the pharmacy counter in Boots and Superdrug. There's quite allot if information online about the benefits. I've spoken to our dentist and he said as the hydrogen peroxide was only 3%!it wouldn't harm my teeth.

So what I mean by that is, I see the doctor and they say, "not sure - it's viral. Wash your hands more." But there was definitely an anticipation this might happen (I was diagnosed with PFAPA? A strand of familial Mediterranean fever).

Wrong time of year but in the longer term I would say sun exposure - when the weather picks up! I have had periods of low resistance and higher and sun exposure has been one thing that I could see that had been a big variable. I now take vitamin d in winter.

One of my friends is always ill due to having low immunity caused by having lots of chemo as a teenager. She has tried everything to boost her immunity but nothing has worked.

Personally I've just been ill & off work for 2 shifts I couldn't really afford to miss with a fluey virus that's going round. I have epilepsy so I feel really unwell when I have a temperature.

What works for me is working with lots of ill people (hospital patients) - they have pneumonia, chest infections, d&v etc. I find that helps me build up immunity - but I do still get ill, just not as often as I used to when I first started working at the hospital.

If you google zinc and colds you'll find an article from 2011 I think on the BBC health news which suggests that if you take zinc at the start of cold symptoms, it fends it off or at least makes the symptoms less severe.

We've been using it for a few years now. I used to get terrible streaming colds and tonsilitis which would leave me feeling ill for weeks. I've had nothing major for a few years now.

I would also say think about what you're eating. I find if I eat a healthy diet it makes a difference to my energy levels and I'm less likely to catch them.

Another thing I do is always wash my hands when I get in with antibacterial soap when I've been out anywhere - to the shops, on a train, on a bus - whatever. And don't eat without washing your hands first.

Having said all that if you have a dc under 5 attending nursery or school, they do just bring home a lot of infections.

Good luck! It's miserable when you keep getting them back to back.

A doctor once advised that a friend who was going through a rough patch took a high dose of vitamin c each day. 1000 or 2000 mg I believe.

Other things to try - take zinc and vitamin c at the very onset of a cold; eat lots of garlic at onset of cold: echinacea at onset of a cold. Not sure if any of those work but worth a try maybe.

It might be good for you to take a break from work if possible. Give your body a good time to recover.

What auto immune disease to you have?

Ahh I see. Any auto immune disease plays havoc with your immune system. You need to have a full blood count. I had this and found I was very low on vitamin D. Is there any chance of a holiday?

In the sun?

This was me after coming home with tonsillitis after a huge wedding then going into a factory job with 400 other people very soon after. Constant coughs and colds. I've found having a fruit smoothie every day helps immensely. I buy frozen fruit from sainsbury as they seem to gave have the largest selection of it there. I add unrefined coconut oil cheapest I've found is in asda atm whizz with orange apple or pineapple juice. Tastes great and now if I get sniffles they last a day at most.

Take some probiotics, any yogurt that says 'live' will do. Try a multivitamin and mineral supplement.
What's your diet like? If poor swap some junk for fresh and natural.

Interesting to see hydrogen peroxide mentioned Durham it's very popular in the US, I understand they put it in their ears at the first sign of a cold. My first defence at the very start of a prickly throat is Vogels echinacea tincture for 3 days.