Cold after cold after cold

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AIBU to think that this winter has been the worst for having colds and respiratory viruses? My dc have had colds every 2-4 weeks since November and DH and I every 4-6 weeks.

I hear people out and about with the worst chesty coughs and every other person seems to have a nasty cold or recovering from one.

So AIBU to think this winter is worse or is it just the same as most pre-covid winter seasons?

Is it going to get better in spring and summer? My dc have missed so much school as hey have had temperatures or simply being very run down with streaming noses etc.. This despite eating a reasonably varied and healthy diet. So fed up.

You've kept them home for just a cold?

Same here OP. We have just had our third vomiting bug of the year. An ear infection last week too. I think weve rarely had a stretch of more than two weeks this winter without one or both kids having something. Adults have been ok though.

Yes, its been a particularly bad year.

When you've had several "just a colds" in a row they really run you down.

Yep. We've all been coughing like we smoke 60 a day since new year. It just goes on and on. Thrown a couple of sickness bugs too, just to keep us on our toes...

I work in school and usually get everything. I had various things going on that made me feel run down and particularly vulnerable this year, so from 1 Sep I have used Vicks First Defence everyday.

I have woken a few times with a bit of a scratchy throat but it's never developed and I haven't had a cold at all this academic year.

Staff absence has been higher than ever at school this winter, but not me this year 🤞

Same OP, 4 year old twins, 2 chest infections, tonsillitis, ear infection, 1 covered in hives and so many colds/coughs I’ve lost count

so sick of this winter

oh and I forgot 3 of us got conjunctivitis 🤦‍♀️

That's really interesting
Do you get any side effects from it, like a dry nose etc?

I’ve kept my dc off for colds recently too - they’ve had so many that be got so run down and are exhausted plus every cold we’ve had lately seems to come with a severe sore throat so they can’t go to school even with no fever !

The school are furious as attendance is now in the 70s for my dc but I will not send them in unwell

It's relentless

No I haven't noticed anything at all. It makes your nose run a bit when you first spray it (for a few second. That's it

Oh do fuck off with your stupid comment @JustAGirlInACountrySong

Yes I'm pregnant and have been ill with bad chest infections twice in a row, feel bad for how much work I've missed but at least being pregnant they can't hold it against me!

Yes DC have been sick since October. I'm exhausted from all the night coughing, high temps, sickness, deep cleaning, waiting for 111 to call back because colds have turned into tonsillitis / ear infections, driving all around to see which pharmacy have stock of calpol and anti biotics (we've had shortages!)

bla bla bla bla.

Just so TIRED. Its never been like this. Ever.

DS is worse. had Covid 3 times and he coped well. However he also had flu (swabbed and confirmed) and it has wrecked his immune system.

Currently going around our relatively small school we have chicken pox, vomiting bug, covid, Strep-A and scarlett fever, and various coughs and colds. Many of the children are sibling sets so lots of spread between classes due to spread at home.

I'm on my third cold since November and I'm usually rarely ill so three is a lot, also had covid in October and vomiting bug at Christmas. I'm so run down from more or less back to back bouts of being unwell that each one is taking me longer to shake off than the last, with this current one I have multiple cold sores and ulcers in my mouth.

I think it is a particularly bad year for bugs and nasties because we've avoided them for the last few years so are getting a bumper edition this winter plus people are more loath to take time off when sick (and employers and schools are more pushy about presentee-ism) so are spreading it all around more. I've had children in class with colds who could definitely have done with being at home but when you ring their parents to come get them a lot of them say they can't get the time off to keep them at home or, especially recently, they can't afford to take the time off.

Surely if the school assesses a child to be unwell enough that a parent needs to be contacted if the parent refuses that’s neglect?
We are getting threatened with all sorts for keeping genuinely unwell children off yet it seems some parents get away with sending sick children in !

A severe cold can be just as debilitating as flu or other respiratory illness, it's not illness Top Trumps. NHS advice is to get rest/sleep, fluids, and that if you feel unwell or have a temperature you should stay at home and avoid contact with people until you feel better.

We've had a shit winter for illness too. It's exhausting

Depends on the illness. Vomiting, anything on the exclusion list, we can and do insist they're collected. Child very unwell and can't continue in school, again we can and do insist they're collected. Child with a cold who isn't on top form but isn't very unwell? More of a grey area. We can highly recommend they're collected, we can say we really think they'd be more comfortable at home, we can ask if there is an alternative person who can collect but even if they do collect them for the remainder that day we can't stop them sending them back the next day. We do try and work with parents, for example as a compromise if we have written permission on file we will ask if we can give Calpol and then if there's no improvement after an hour or so they need to come collect their child.

As for it being neglect, it depends on an overall pattern of behaviour and actions. Child unwell with a cold and parent can't come collect because they're miles away (we're in a rural area) or they're stuck in a particular work situation but agree to give Calpol and be on standby, that wouldn't necessarily trigger a concern. Parent repeatedly refusing to collect child on more than one occasion, that would trigger a concern. If we can't get hold of a parent and need a child collected asap (e.g., been sick) we just work our way down the list of emergency contacts until we find someone to collect, we've never failed to do so on that score at least.

I've not noticed anything which is any worse than usual. For context I have a child in infant school (previously attended play school, nursery and various toddler groups). I work in a public facing role and have an active social life (pubs, cafes). We've had emails off school about Scarlett Fever, headlice and worms.

So far DS has had two average colds. Nothing out the ordinary. Kids in his class have been off with Scarlett Fever and D&V.

I am very careful with immune boosting measures (plenty of sleep, stonking dose of vit d and k, avoiding processed food as much as poss, loadsa fruit and veg etc) though. I'm a very amateur competitive endurance athlete... so training and racing smash my immune system. This is why I've had more colds than DP. When I first started racing years ago I was ill every 5-6 weeks. Hence doing lots of research on immune system and making lots of changes.

The worst time for us was when DS first started childcare age 18 months. Felt like we were constantly ill. We certainly seem to swerve a lot of the illnesses which are rife.

We've not had it as bad as last year actually, but yes it has been bad... they've both been constantly unwell, it's just that this year DCs are slightly older and haven't been ill enough to need much time off, thank god. Luckily no sick bugs (so far) this season, although I'm sure I've just jinxed it now.

Yes it's been shit! I've had some many colds - and now my fucking allergies are starting too!!! They can go do one! Lol
I used Boots cold prevention nose spray a few weeks ago and I'm sure I kept one cold from developing- I was so happy!!
Would definitely recommend. Have added a photo to help.
If you think you're starting with a cold now - do consider it can be hay fever / allergies (usually mold spores at this time of year)

Dd is 4 and has non stop colds for 2 years, vomiting bugs, urine infections, ear infection, skin infections, it goes on and on.

They keep saying it will get better but it's been 2 years and she keeps catching everything going.

Covid causes temporary immune suppression. It makes people vulnerable to other pathogens.

www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-covid-19-reinfection