When you had COVID what did you find most useful or wish you had in?

[AtLeastPretendToCare]

My household has had multiple exposures to cases recently so I’m planning that it is when not if it breaks out within the family. So I want to prepare. Adults are jabbed and had/getting boosters. Primary school aged children attending school.

If you’ve had COVID, whether mild or more serious, particularly more recently please tell me what you really found helpful to have at home or what did you not have and you wishes you had that would have made thing easier for you?

Any input whether big or small appreciated.

4head for the Covid headache when you can't take more painkillers.

Easy light food, DH lost his appetite and barely ate anything but tinned soup for days.

Hot non dairy drinks, like hot ribena, herbal tea, honey and lemon etc. Helps the cough and mucous.

Cold and flu tablets, cough medicine with guaifensian, broncostop cough sweets.

Don't assume that it will rip through the household. I didn't catch it from DH despite sharing a bed.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon

4head for the Covid headache when you can't take more painkillers.

Easy light food, DH lost his appetite and barely ate anything but tinned soup for days.

Hot non dairy drinks, like hot ribena, herbal tea, honey and lemon etc. Helps the cough and mucous.

Cold and flu tablets, cough medicine with guaifensian, broncostop cough sweets.

Don't assume that it will rip through the household. I didn't catch it from DH despite sharing a bed.

Does 4head work? Haven’t tried it in years but can’t remember it being impactful.

Have remembered that one of the children would rather spontaneously combust than take calpol or a tablet so have ordered some paracetamol suppositories which the DC has considered less objectionable. Not less objectionable for me chummy!

Lemsips - I had a banging headache and congestion so these worked well. Plain food - no sense of smell or taste so just lived on croissants with ham and cheese. Tissues, antibacterial wipes, disposable face masks, hand sanitiser. A supermarket delivery slot. Thermometer, my temperature fluctuates wildly so it was good to keep an eye on it.

For loss of taste gherkins and Bendicks bittermints - but not together

More paracetamol than you think you can possibly get through - especially if more than one of you have it at the same time. A particular problem when Tesco will only let you order 2 boxes at once. Shed loads of tissues. Oximeter useful too. I actually found ibuprofen was one of the few things that made me feel better - but I was ill for several weeks.

Also my steroid inhaler...

Gross, but diarrhoea relief capsules & incontinence pants. Not pads. Pants. I'm really wishing I had either of them right now, got some arriving tomorrow. And, dettol & biological washing powder. I'm literally afraid to go to sleep tonight even though I've not eaten in 2 days.

Night nurse, without question. Amazing.
Haribo tangfastics because they were the only thing I could still taste when my taste vanished.

4head is moderately helpful, I find it useful if I apply it liberally not only on my forehead but my temples, behind my ears, & on the back of my neck. It does sting though, if you get it too near the eyes. You can also get cool forehead patches, they're single use though, & don't stay put very well on a wiggly child, if they're sweating a lot with a fever, or if they're a side sleeper. If you don't fancy either of those, a damp cotton flannel, placed on the forehead, is better than nothing. (My mother always used this for me when I was little & had a fever or itchy hayfever eyes, before child antihistamines were a thing.)

We do tend to get through a lot of blackcurrant, honey & lemon when we're ill. Don't worry about low sugar options, you'll need the calories TBH especially if you lose your appetite like we have.

LOTS of paracetomol for daytime
Night Nurse
Antibac wipes