We keep getting ill

[Ihatework2]

My doctor is rubbish so given up! Can someone give me some advice - my toddler and myself constantly keep getting ill. Like seriously every few weeks one of us will get a cold and infect the other. Been like this since he was born and I’ve always been same too since as far back as I can remember.

DH and DD seem to be unaffected. I’ve done so much research but nothing seems to work. We both born in winter a d DH and dd summer babies, I heard immune system is weaker for winter babies.

Has anyone else had the same? What can we do. I know I sound dramatic but I feel so down and depressed, I feel sorry for the DD as I’m either ill all the time or looking after DS who is ill. I am so behind her honework and missed so many school events. This week she’s been living with grandma as I physically could not get out of bed.

How do you manage your diet / supplements? I have a low immune system (immunosuppressed) and diet / exercise really helps me. I take vitamins and make sure I eat lots of colourful vegetables and fruit during the winter months! Unfortunately with a lower immune system it comes with winter, but I've been much better since eating better and taking multi vitamins 😊 it helps with my bodies defences!

I feel your pain OP. I take high dose vitamin D, C and zinc, plus a general multivitamin. Eat well, exercise. I catch every cold going. Currently laid low with an awful one.
One of my DD’s is the same as me. The other one is never, ever ill. Incidentally she is summer born, and I (and my constantly ill DD) are autumn/winter born.

@MrzClaus thank you for responding. To be honest I’m strict with kids vitamins but I forget to take mine. Diet is rubbish as I’m so ill all the time I just eat what’s quick n easy. Today for example I’ve managed to make egg on toast and been drinking lots of tea with honey.

@ThePoisonousMushroom it’s awful isn’t it. People don’t understand how debilitating it actually is.

[quote Ihatework2]@MrzClaus thank you for responding. To be honest I’m strict with kids vitamins but I forget to take mine. Diet is rubbish as I’m so ill all the time I just eat what’s quick n easy. Today for example I’ve managed to make egg on toast and been drinking lots of tea with honey.[/quote]
No surprise then! At least take the vitamins if you can’t eat properly!

Vitamin D has been proven to reduce the chance of infection with most respiratory viruses whereas vitamin C by itself doesn't have any effect.

Handwashing is incredibly important- especially when getting in from being outside somewhere BUT with a toddler, you don't have as much control over that if he's at nursery and once he has a virus, you don't have any real chance of avoiding it. I guess the best you could do would be to wear a mask and keep up the handwashing when he's ill and hope that you don't inhale too much of the virus but he might find the mask upsetting.

Upping your fruit and veg intake - even if it's heating up some tomato soup, drinking some smoothie or anything else that is easy when you're ill, might really help too.

I was like you describe DS1's first winter at nursery in another country. The bugs he caught I had no immunity to, so we were both constantly ill from about Sept-Mar. I remember I got a hideous sinus infection in Feb that absolutely floored me. The good news is that after that winter neither of us were ever so ill again, partly because we moved back to the UK where the bugs are more familiar!

But to echo the advice of PPs, regular, not too strenuous exercise and if you don't/can't eat a good balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, make sure you take supplements. A good multivitamin and mineral should do you, but make sure it has 100% of the RDA of key vitamins and minerals or you could still be deficient. You shouldn't exercise to the point of exhaustion, as that depresses the immune system, but regular brisk walking, jogging, cycling, rowing, Zumba, whatever you enjoy is boosts immunity.

Thank you everyone for the advice. Yes I agree I need to definitely improve my diet. Excercise is non existent but I must make time for it

I have tremendous success with echinacea capsules. If taken after a cold has shown itself, it can reduce thee symptoms so you feel more able to cope (I was a teacher and some times I'd get through a whole day without feeling that shitty feeling at all) There are 2 schools of thought about taking it when you're not actually ill - some say it builds up the immune system (esp after a cold) others say you shouldn't take continuously.

Probiotics.

Apparently a lot of our immune response, even to respiratory viruses is helped by having a good gut flora and fauna.

Check your iron levels too.

Diet is really important here, try to get your 5 a day. My toddler passes me tons of colds too, i believe its worse because of lockdown our immune systems are suddenly getting attacked by everything. Toddlers are germ factories and then cough in your face.

Me too, op. I am pregnant so I need to watch what vitamin doses I take but basically for the past year I have been ill and especially so in the last few months.
I haven't ever had a positive covid test but I really wonder if I have long covid and was maybe asymptomatic if I did get it.

You could ask your GP to do your bloods?
I had mine done recently with the midwife and it turned out I'm anaemic so now taking iron tablets, although they are making me feel ill as well so I'm not too too at taking them and instead eating more red meat.

It's been awful though and I sympathize with you. Have had endless sinus infections etc

@Ihatework2 totally understand! It's enough effort making sure everyone else is sorted, it's easy to forget about yourself! I keep all of my vitamins in a pill packet (organised by the day - about £3 from boots!) by my bed in the top drawer, then have an iPhone alarm to take them. It becomes routine taking them when in bed then and I rarely forget now! Hope you feel better soon 😊

It’s horrible getting poorly all the time and you’ve had some good advice here- zinc, vitamin c, rest, diet, exercise.
Out of interest can I ask why you think your doctor is rubbish? I assume they gave you the same advice as here, what more were you hoping for from them?

OP what is your general health like in other ways? Are you a sensible weight, exercise, and strong mental health, enough sleep? All that is important as well as vitamins/diet as outlined below. Presume it’s a cold and not tonsilitis as getting tonsils removed may be key if so.

Do you get enough sleep? That has an enormous effect.

Thank you everyone. @Hottubtimemachine the reason I said doctor is rubbish is because firstly even pre-covid could never get an appointment now It’s understandably impossible. Also when I went in for routine appointment and asked about it he said not to worry and some people get sicker than others.

I was the same when my winter baby DS started nursery, it went on for about 6 months. He was sick, I was sick, he was better, got another one from nursery, made me even sicker, we got better, got sick again. It was hell and very snotty!

In the end after my DS went to bed, I would dettol spray the sofas, handles, toys, light switches and basically anything else that he may have touched. It made a difference to how quickly we then got over colds and now we both have quite good immunity from colds after those 6 months!

Exactly the same here. Have started taking vitamin D and C and might get some zinc. Increasing fruit and veg intake.