Is anyone else catching bug after bug?

[C1239]

Since having covid twice I seem to be catching something every few weeks, it’s driving me mad! I feel like I’m coming down with something then I seem to fight it off but a few weeks later I feel off colour again. Is it just me or does anyone else feel their immune system is weaker this winter?

Our household seems to lurch from one virus to the next. Ds currently has something flu-like after having two bugs already this half term that went round all of us, and we're just waiting to see who gets this one.

It's really depressing, feels like we've barely had any visitors since 2019, everything we plan seems to get cancelled or ruined by one of us being unwell. There's always someone run down and then someone else knackered from picking up the slack. I feel bad for the kids as the lack of energy in the house is so shit to live with.

Do you keep fit and active in general? That helps with immunity

No because drs are slammed just keeping people alive right now. Loads of threads on here and bits in the news - I can't remember how many thousands of people are assigned to each GP on average but its a terribly high number. Ours would laugh down the phone if asked for such a thing, and they're generally very helpful and compassionate. I managed to get an appointment for my baby who had croup and needed steroids, but that was only acceptable because she's a baby. I spent 6 hours in urgent care with older daughter with strep a to get antibiotics because there was no one else who could see her and that was 111 advice. They literally don't have time to see someone to chat about why everyone's ill, and blood tests to measure immune response.
We've had 3 weeks since early September when no one in the house has been ill. Currently 2 of us on antibiotics, churning through the adult and childrens paracetamol/ibuprofen. It's brutal.

Yes definitely. Particularly my middle and youngest, although theirs aren’t connected to covid and my middle son is on the brink of being referred to hospital as he averages being ill 4-6 times a month and this has been a regular fixture for almost 2 years (we caught covid August this year). My youngest isn’t much better though. I’ve had some horrible virus and tonsilitis in the last month, my partner has had a sick bug and this virus, the only one who seems to avoid everything is my 7yo. It’s draining as anything, I’m sick of someone always being ill.

I am super fit for my age, I've never been as fit as the last 8 years.
Yet since I had suspected covid in September I've had virus after virus. I dont think I've spent even a week clear of virus.
I am utterly fucked off with it, I'm still working through them. I'm tired, I'm spent, I'm washed out.
My neighbour saw me last week and rudely told me I looked like shit. And I do look like shit, I work outdoors, have a permanent tan from that, I was grey.
I'm just fed up of being permanently ill with things.

Yes and it’s driving me berserk. Since probably the end of October there’s been around 2 weeks where I haven’t been sick with something or another. Had a cough with each virus which almost never happens to me so that’s totally exhausted me. Only just about got rid of the cough and snotty nose from the last virus which started at the end of November.

Don’t get me started on the DC. For some reason they never get sick at the same time so it comes in stages over the course of a fortnight and it feels like it never ends.

Oh and should say I’m young and very fit so I should be able to fight things off better than this but I just haven’t this year, I’m totally battered.

I am not, thankfully, in that boat, but all kinds of other people seem to be, for sure.

But I think that it's pretty much to be expected when you purposefully reduce people's exposure to normal pathogens for two years.

Yep, since beginning of November it has been non stop.

Spent all day in in A and E yesterday with my oldest who spiked a temp of 40.5 that didn't respond to calpol or ibuprofen and had a heart rate of 160. Kept in for the day for observations, told it was a virus. Throwing up all night.

Youngest has started throwing up this morning. I have such a sore throat i can barely swallow. It is indeed very depressing and without being dramatic, i have spent the morning crying in a sleep deprived mess. It's all very joyless.

Restrictions were largely over by spring 2021.

If it was an expected consequence, why only after nearly 2 years does this happen? Why did it not start creeping up in the first 6 months of normality and peak the first winter after?

A lot of disease circulation happens at a global level, and it has a strong seasonality component.

Last winter, if you remember, even in the UK, many people were still being very careful. And in other places there still were restrictions and strong recommendations for masking, etc. There are still plenty of universities in North America that are requiring masking. Travel was still low for some time and that drives the movement of viruses too.

Spring is typically the normal downturn of viruses and the like, which was the reason many areas decided to begin removing restrictions at that point.

We are now moving into a more normal flu season. The last few years flu was down significantly, partly because of restrictions, but also pushed out to some extent by covid.

And then we are seeing a lot more things like RSV in children, and that is because there is a large group that has never been exposed normally, so they are all getting sick at once. Now the normal seasonal cycles are starting to reassert themselves too.

It would be interesting to know what is going on in places like China where they are still having significant restrictions.

I've have 3 colds with coughs and a tummy bug in the last 3 months. No Covid.

Until this I'd not had a cold in 3 years.
In bed now feeling crap.

I think your right. We are all mixing more and going to cafes, eating out. I did have lunch in Ikea and thought about just touching the bannister and then eating, could pass on viruses.

I had 3 days in November where i was at 100% and treasured them, pointed them out and expressed gratitude that I had energy and could breath. Since then I've felt awful. I have no immune system.

IMO it can be helpful being v particular sticking to a low sugar , whole food diet with good probiotics ; bugs sweep through our house and I usually escape them and definitely eat differently to the others who I can’t persuade to eat the way I was brought up ! Eg whole fruit not juices .
last week everyone in our house was ill for several days and I was lucky not to get anything

(it’s worth researching as there is a strong link with immunity and a healthy gut )

Same here, but only me - 3DDs have been fine (although DD6 is now off school with me). I caught Covid in Jan 2021 but they didn’t. I was very unwell with it - I’m a fit, healthy, not overweight 30 something and usually have a ridiculously good immune system. To the point my mother used to talk about selling me to medical science as a child

Since October it’s been constant. I’ve had only a few days of feeling okay! I’m a lone parent. My house is upside down. It’s not long till Christmas. I can barely sit up this morning.

Same here. Off with DC7 who has a stomach bug, bad cold and eczema flare up. Not feeling great myself. We've had 5 stomach upsets between four of us since half term.

No thankfully.
But I sure dont fancy my chances when around various children, which I will be in a couple of days onwards, for a couple of weeks.

I’ve just had covid and recovered a week ago.

What is really irritating for me is eg in Westfield toilets there was hardly any hand wash and it does seem like people aren’t bothering about masks or anything especially in long queues.

Yes it’s so rubbish and it’s the same last year. Missed so much Christmas stuff. Really hoping to be on for actual Christmas this year.

Yup, DH and I had Covid just before October half term. We tested negative just in time to go one holiday and then the first week back we all got a bad cold which lasted about 4 weeks. DS now has a cough and sore throat and I’m still coughing but don’t even know if it’s a new virus or I’m still ill from the last one 🙈.

Maybe a bit basic but are you taking a Vitamin D supplement?

I have done OK so far this winter, touch wood. I've had the flu jab, getting a 4th covid one soon and also had covid before. I'm wearing masking in shops and on transport to try not to get either covid or the other nasty bugs going around.

I also take feroglobin (Iron + minerals) and a black elderberry supplement as when I do this I get fewer bugs or if I do, they're not as bad. I originally used sambucol liquid which I really like, but it's expensive so found cheaper black elderberry capsules.

I've had a cold for ages. It starts to go away and then comes back all of a sudden. Luckily, it hasn't got bad enough yet where I'm feeling properly sick and taking to my bed or anything, but it's just there all the time. Had an awful headache a few days last week and sore throat here and there plus coughing and snuffling. I do think my immune system may not be what it once was!