to think I've contracted bubonic plague?

[Ohsolomio]

I haven't left the house in the past two weeks apart from to pop across to the little shop opposite.
I could hear my downstairs neighbours sneezing for the past few days and now I've just had a bout of sneezing. I'm suddenly all bunged up!
I've an interview on Monday and I really could do without sneezing all over them.
Please tell me that I couldn't have contracted a flu or something from downstairs neighbours?
Please tell me I won't look like Rudolph at the damned interview?

Alternatively, and I know it is cold, but could you open a couple of windows and get some fresh air flowing through your flat for a little while? Stick a big cardi on if you need to. Because even if you are Mrs Hinch, dust still collects and it doesn't do your airways any favours.

OK, so you're catastrophising a bit and have plenty of background history to do that.

How bad has your asthma been in the last 12 months? Have you ever discussed a plan for preventing exacerbations / getting on top of them before they really start? Would it be reasonable to activate such a plan at this point?

Does symptomatic stuff for colds (eg antihistamines for the sneezing) seem to make any difference in how badly your asthma is affected?

If you ARE coming down with a cold, the best thing is to look after yourself over the weekend, plenty to drink, plenty of rest.

Hope things ease off (or even better, that it is all a false alarm), and best wishes for the interview on Monday.

Well, it's done now if you have picked something up.

You'll do best to just rest and keep your fluids up etc, maybe stock up on some easy to prep food in case you do develop anything and let someone know who can check on you.

You would have got a lot more sympathetic responses if you'd put all the extra info in your OP.

You sound really mentally unwell. It’s quite sad to read how desperately anxious you are.
Are you getting help with that OP?
I hope your cold doesn’t develop

Worrying about it won't make it not happen or happen.

Sounds like OP is full of anxiety & this is just a different new thing to obsess over. Could be spots on her knee or the weird bug she saw in the bathroom yesterday. The focus of the obsession is actually irrelevant.

I suspect your solution has to do with not talking about illness but instead focusing on what you can get done that will make you feel like a competent person.

Cleaning is a good displacement activity. I BET there must be some very good podcasts from people who have overcome anxiety or depression. I wonder if listening to those while you get some chores done could be good.

It's a bit odd that your concern in your OP was the interview and 'looking like Rudolph', plus your title was 'bubonic plague'. Then, when challenged, you said that you will end up in ICU from a common cold (but had been too busy to get the flu jab, yet hadn't left your house for 2 weeks). I mean, if I had ended up in intensive care in the past, I doubt I would be so flippant about it and complain about how I looked for an interview. I would be more like 'oh fuck, I am going to end up in hospital'. But maybe that's just me.

I have asthma, and am careful when I think I may be going down with a cold.

To keep it at bay I:

Go for a 20-minute run
Take Echinacea & Sambucol
Ramp up my brown inhaler

This is often enough to prevent things getting worse & often the symptoms clear within 3 days.

Funky, maybe you've never met a thing called Depression.
And yes, in October, when I should have had it, I was too busy, because I was working.

You’ve been too busy to get the flu jab yet haven’t left your house for two weeks?

In your initial post you were worried about sneezing in an interview yet later you were worried about complications?

You’re catastrophising. You’re not even ill yet, you’ve just sneezed a few times. Even if you have a cold it’s not guaranteed to go to your chest and certainly not guaranteed to put you in ICU.

There's that stuff you squirt up your nose? And Echinacea. Don't suppose either of them do anything but worth a try.

Plenty of people get the flu jab while working. Like at Boots which is open 7-9pm here, and on the weekends, I gather a lot of pharmacies operate outside Mon-Fri 9-5pm.

What do you do when your anxiety really ramps up? Do you have a distraction technique?

god leave the Op alone, it was fairly lighthearted in tone until the vipers piled in to look for a fight. Op is worried about being ill, knows she should have had her flu jab by now, is worried whatever she has will escalate to a nasty illness so wheres the sympathy eh? op, keep your fluids up, take vitamin C and echinachea and any other soothing things you prefer like cold and flu capsules, lemsip, sniff olbas oil and rub vicks in do whatever it takes to chill out and rest and hopefully it will keep at bay or a least not get any worse. Good luck with the interview, at the worst you can always contact them if you are too unwell to attend and see if they will reschedule.

Sorry, OP, I didn't realise you had depression. I hope you feel better soon. Sorry again.

Are you sure that you nose isn’t just cold?

This is a ridiculous thread. You could have contracted the flu or a cold from downstairs or the shop.

Your description of 'bunged up with a few sneezes' could be the start of either. How on earth would randoms on the internet know?

Melodramatic much?

Also the jab doesn't protect against all strains of flu. You can have the jab and still get the fu.

On the plus side, I can personally vouch that calling in sick from resus really makes work believe that you're ill...

OP, sorry you’re not feeling well. Do you have any self help ideas in place that will help you? As others have said - a walk might be good. If you’ve spent a lot of time inside, I know light levels are low this time of year, but it’s been pretty sunny recently and it’s a shame not to take advantage of that as it can help lift the spirits. How about a SAD lamp?

Re flu jab, how about getting it booked soon as...(it takes up to 3 weeks to develop antibodies). Also perhaps think about requesting the pneumonia jab too?

It's a cold. Flu hits like a train, all at once. If symptoms are coming on suddenly, it's a cold. This may not affect the likelihood of you being hospitalised but hopefully makes you feel better about not getting the flu jab yet - the jab wouldn't prevent a cold, so no need to beat yourself up about it. Feel better soon. x

Bloody phone! I meant if symptoms are coming on gradually, it's a cold.