To be worried about how many bugs I’m getting lately

[Mellymoon]

I seem to have had non stop sore throats, coughs and colds since October and seems to be getting them one after another.. is it just me? I used to barely get sick at all..

Exactly the same here. Since mid November I've had a cold, chest infection, flu (confirmed by pcr), ear infection and then another cold (which I still have now). I also have ETD so my hearing has been terrible since the start. I wish I could say I was exaggerating, and like you I didn't used to get that ill before either! 🤦🏻‍♀️☹️

Oh, and D&V bug too(!)

I'm the same could it be the vaccine seriously?

Same here never known anything like it. I had a Dr appointment for a regular check and she said it’s because we were all so isolated and our immune systems now are all a bit shot to bits. So now we are mixing more we aren’t coping so well.

No absolotely not, if you are genuinely worried about that it is worth reading about how the vaccine works and what it does - it is not causing people to get more colds, which is almost certainly just the bugs catching up after a couple of years of reduced mixing across the population, and some confirmation bias on top

I had this before Christmas. I was sick 3 times in the space of a term. My personal view is that now everyone's back at work and determined to push on through no matter what, everyone's getting sick. The best thing to do is to rest until you're fully better otherwise you're just permanently run down and putting yourself at more risk.

This was me last year but I could pin it on my child starting school. At one point he had chicken pox and I had covid. This year has been a bit better.

I think if you are run down you're more susceptible to illness and it's like a snowball effect.

Children were however back in school without mitigations, and that is a major driver for circulation of diseases.

Yet it's this winter (not last) that disease in children has sky-rocketed

Well there lies the contradiction in your argument. Perhaps it isn't solely down to children mixing - maybe adults also can transfer illnesses to children?

Children tend to be limited to a bubble of their school or class, whereas commuting parents will have a wider radius of mixing. Not hard to stretch to imagining the two combined have hit some sort of critical mass

Or perhaps last winter simply wasn't enough time for bugs to travel around the country? Lots of statistical factors really - not sure why you seem so intent on trying to minimise the differences from last winter to this one - that's the third post now

Are you a conspiracy theorist

Well, I don't think I'm a conspiracy theorist!

I said about DC mixing in schools in a response to a point that many adults were still being cautious last winter (despite absence of restrictions requiring them to be so). The level of mixing was such that the first post-restriction winter season was the last one, not this one.

And seasonal moves between the hemispheres had already begun in time for 21/22

There is a growing body of evidence that covid itself dampens the immune system to a significant extent in many (commoner following moderate/severe disease, but also present in mild and asymptomatic) and it can last for a substantial period. Is that what you think is a "conspiracy"? If so, which part of the evidence do you think is faulty?

I've been ill repeatedly since I had covid in October. Two chest infections, strep, myriad random other "bugs. Sadly the avoidance strategy is unlikely to work as pretty much all the bugs are likely coming via my nursery age child! I'm trying with the food and vitamins though so fingers crossed between that and the weather improving my immune system will have time to catch up.

Increasingly studies are pointing to the immune response starting in the gut, and there is increasing data showing people with the most varied micro biome being better placed to fight off infection. So start eating a broad variety of fruit, veg and nuts, (30 a week) and increase intake of probiotic/fermented foods. Eg, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, Greek yogurt, sourdough etc.

Eating a broad variety of foods introduces new good bacteria into your gut, you need to keep feeding them to make sure you keep them there.

I’ve had a sniffle this week(probably caught something on a flight last week) but I upped my fermented foods and apple cider vinegar and it was nothing more than being a bit snotty. That’s the only illness I’ve had this winter. I used to swear by vitamins but I’ve ditched the vitamins and focused on more veg and fermented foods and have felt much better for it.

Im on my third infection since last July and before that not so much as a sniffle for nine and a half years. Hope the lockdown lovers are happy

I have this, went to doctors low vitamin D

Im wondering if it’s worth going to the doctors and asking for general bloods? But then I hear if so many people saying similar about constantly catching things at the moment so I don’t know if it’s necessary or if I just have to ride it out? I’ve just in the last couple of weeks increased my vit d tablet so wondering if that will help in time

And garlic.
Fights off bugs like vampires

Repeated infections that are hard can be a symptom of blood cancers, so if you become concerned you should see GP to talk about the possibility and ask for a Full Blood Count (cheap, very standard test that should rule it out)

Especially important if accompanied by symptoms such as extreme fatigue, bone/joint pain, night sweats, unusual bleeding (heavier periods, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, easy bruising) or wheezing/breathlessness

I agree with @byvirtue and @Cheesuswithallama . Focus on your gut health.

I would add get plenty of sleep, at least 8 hours. Perhaps wear a mask in crowded places for a while.

Same and all my family too. A few of us have been ill for a solid 6 weeks or so with a mixture of bad colds, very sore throats, coughs, fever etc. You recover and then a couple of days later you’re hit down again.

I think having Covid must really lower your immune system. Very scary.

So I'll bite... I think I'd come under your category of "lockdown lover" in that I supported them. I'm also one of the people now constantly ill with one thing or another. Although this cycle of illness feels miserable at times, I still support the lockdowns, which were imposed at a time when covid was killing people in large numbers (and most of us had loved ones who were clinically-vulnerable. Perhaps unsurprisingly we weren't that keen on the idea of our loved ones dying, so wanted to do what we could to prevent them from doing so). As shit as all the bugs are now, I think having three infections in the space of seven months is surely preferable and not really comparable to either dying or causing someone else's death earlier on in the pandemic!?

My teenage dd is the same and I took her to the GP as I've been getting worried about her. GP said exactly that, but has also referred dd for blood tests just to check things out.

@mummabubs I had Covid last July and this is worse.

I’ve been the same. Since leaving school 35 years ago I’ve very rarely had so much as a cold, yet since October I’ve been poorly with flu type viruses practically non stop. I just hope things improve in the warmer weather because it’s really starting to get me down.

Same, had nothing but issues since November. Am incorporating lots of vegetables, kwis & kimchi etc into my daily diet & cutting down my alcohol to see if it helps my immune system

It's been relentless since the kids went back after Xmas, I'm dreading them going back to school tomorrow and wondering what will be next.

They've brought something back weekly. Cold, strep a, d&v, now it's some horrendous flu like virus that wiped me and my son out. I haven't got out of bed all weekend with raging fever, coughing, headache, joint pain and exhaustion. He was in a&e last week twice with 40.5 fever and he couldn't stay awake.

The kids never get ill and neither do I, I usually dodge any sniffle but I've caught everything. I can't remember what it feels like to be well 😴