to ask you for tips to ward off a bad cold/ flu?

[switcharoonie]

I've felt progressively more poorly since Saturday. I'm all bunged up, I feel sick, so weak and achey, exhausted, hot and cold at the same time etc etc.

I'm working at home today and my boss said to take it easy and just do anything essential that comes in. DDs at school so I'm in my PJs on the sofa with blankets and tea and my laptop.

But I'm in London this weekend (Friday - Sunday) for my first weekend at uni. It's compulsory to attend. I guess I probably wouldn't be penalised with a doctors note but I'll definitely be on the backfoot if I can't attend the first set of lectures (only 5 weekends a year).

I could attend with how I feel now, though I'd feel sorry for myself. But I just have a feeling that I'm going to feel worse and worse

Does anyone have any tips or old wives tales to clear a cold/ flu before it gets worse? I'm not saying I have flu - I know MN consensus is if you can still breathe, it ain't flu! But could it develop into flu, or does flu knock you for 6 straight away? Never had it before.

Thanks all!

First defence, 3 grams (3000mg) vitamin C each day, loads of water, paracetamol, food with lots of garlic

The food news is that it doesn't sound like the flu, because that does knock you right out for about a week. You should be feeling much better by Friday. But yes, Vit C, Zinc etc are a good idea

Echinacea

Home made chicken soup with lots of ginger or garlic. Or a curry with that stuff.
Veg soups.
Paracetamol.

I'm just getting over this type of bug. Dp said he thought it was more fluey than just a cold, aches, pains, fever etc. I felt really bad Thursday/Friday last week. Friday I came home from work, made some quick dinner ate and climbed on the sofa under a blanket. Didn't do a lot all weekend. Combination of rest, paracetamol, ibuprofen, and loads of water. I feel OK now.

3g of paracetamol is utterly bonkers! Unless your are really vit c deficient then it will just give you the raging shits. Just rest and eat well op. It doesn't sound like flu, flu hits you out of the blue and has you floored very fast.

A cold is a virus as is flu but a cold virus cannot mutate into the flu virus.

If you had the flu, you would really know about it. Most people have never experienced it yet say they have the flu when they have a particularly bad cold. If you have the flu you ache so much all over that you really couldn't lift yourself off a bed. It also is much shorter lived than a cold....but colds last longer and can sometimes be quite severe.

Plenty of warm drinks, paracetamol to lower your temperature, vitamin C, Zinc, garlic, ginger, soup and rest as much as possible.

Good luck for the weekend.

Eat well and rest.

There's no magic cure.

Echinacea but ime you still.get the symptoms just a few days later.

Drink lots of clear fluids, eat nutritious foods, sleep, sleep, sleep!

My old wives tale cure is based in science.. sort of! Two garlic cloves chopped finely - somehow eat them, either mashed in butter on a cracker, whatever, just eat them. They're full of anti virals.

Then, a hot bath - stimulates immense system by simulating a fever.

Then to help you sleep - antihistamine called Actifed, dries up a runny nose do you can breathe properly to get a good enough sleep, as that's always what makes me feel worse.

Hot ribena three times a day but not that rubbishy sugar free stuff. My DM used to give it to me when I was ill as a child so to me it's a comfort drink. I can't drink it cold for some reason .

Its its a cold then a netti pot will help, it washes out the virus which lives in your nose and sinuses. It wont do anything for flu.

I've had this same thing for a week and a bit now. I've been taking meds, garlic, vitamin C, lemsip... they take the edge off but the bug seems to last a while!

I think you'd probably make lectures but I'd take antibacterial gel and try and stay as far away from other people as possible, it seems really contagious.

I'm the same, OP. One minute im shivering, the next I'm burning up. I've got long, thick hair so the back of my neck is gross. Banging headache and sore throat. I sent DH to the chemist to get some "First Defense" and Beechams All in One. I think it's too late for the first defense but I've been glugging the All in One but still feel like crap.

The positive thing is its definitely not flu as I'm up and dressed but I don't feel like doing anything or going anywhere so it's definately a Netflix day today.

A curry as hot as you can stand with loads of garlic and onion.

A bath as hot as you can stand then bed.

Homemade chicken soup.

Take a lemsip. Put extra blankets on the bed and sleep.

Take lemsip and niteall and sleep as much as you can.

Thanks everyone! I'm going to try everything you've suggested. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and hope everybody feeling similar gets better soon.

Useful thread, good luck OP

" My old wives tale cure is based in science.. sort of! Two garlic cloves chopped finely - somehow eat them, either mashed in butter on a cracker, whatever, just eat them. They're full of anti virals."

Agree garlic & onion seem to work to ward off bugs but as you say you feel nauseous too - IME that much garlic in one go , or if youhave an upset stomach even more than just 1/ 4 of a teaspoon of diced raw , causes the most intense nausea on earth , so I find it better in cooked sauces eg curry as someone suggested , & always with some slightly fatty food to " line the stomach" , & eaten spread over the day if you want to have as much garlic as possible

( also a zinc tablet can sit like lead & be nauseating , & more than about 1g of Vit C in a day can loosen your bowels but that might not be awkward at home anyway )