How do you cope when you are ill?

[acnebride]

I'm in such a gloomy mood and could do with a bracing dose of advice. I'm just pulling out of a horrible cold with sore throat. Being ill just takes every tiny scrap of pleasure out of parenthood. Now, I don't have a disability or a long-term condition like dh does. But hell's bells, the thought of another autumn like last year with us all staggering from vile gastric upset to head cold after head cold makes me feel like flying a kite near the electricity pylon would be the best thing to do with ds this pm.

How do you cope when you're ill? And what health precautions do you take to stay healthy?

LOTS of caffeine, unfortunately.

Every morning, I open the windows in the bedrooms, no matter how cold it is - just for a few minutes even. And spritz all the linens w/vodka w/a few drops of essential oil added (I buy a mixture from a seller which has a blend of tea tree, eucaplyptus, etc.) in it.

WASH HANDS LOTS!

I use public transport now, but normally I walk about 4 miles a day, in all weathers. The fresh air helps immensely.

DD goes outside as much as possible.

I also burn the essential oil mixture in an oil burner nearly every night.

And I buy a flu vaccine from a private health clinic.

Hiya I feel like c**p too at the mo having just had a cold followed by a sickness bug. I can't be bothered to move from the sofa and just want to be left alone to curl up!! I'm not very at good at being ill and 'getting on with it'.
I never take any health precautions and I'm always getting a cold or something - dp takes multi vitamins daily and sometimes a berocca in the morning and he is never ever ill (which is good because on the rare occassion he is it's like the end of the world!)

Hope you start to feel better soon x

Fresh air. Lots of fresh air makes a big difference as well. As a family, we like to do outdoor activities - even going to the park and kicking a ball around for a few hours.

DH and I used to be avid hillwalkers and hope to get back to it once the kids get a little older.

Agree with EPIS re fresh air, I have the bedroom window open all year round, not the little one ,the big one much to my DH's shivering disgust.

I find it really does air the room out and in essence stops yourself and partner cross infecting each other.

It is also good if you have a tad too much imbibed, as again you are not breathing in second hand air.

Gawd, it's awful isn't it?

Dose entire family with echinacea at first sign of any ailment.

Eat lots of garlic and chillies.

Burn/inhale/ingest-by-any-method-possible lavender and tea tree oils.

Yes - am also a big believer in fresh air - the windows are open even if it's freezing!! Nothing worse for making you (feel) ill than stuffy air!

Also if you have a cold, as soon as you use a piece of tissue get rid of it straight away - really helps stop germs and passing them on to everyone else

I cope by developing Manflu and making dp wait on me hand and foot.

I'm not joking!

Lots of drugs! and fresh air if I'm not aching too much to move.

Had the worst sore throat last night, and a mug of honey with warm water and a spot of lemon juice was yummy! Still feeling a bit sore now, in case anyone is concerned.........

Oh and gallons of thisIt kills all known germs. DEAD

Excellent - cheersh!

Lucycat, I stumbled onto something for a bad sore throat the other night, only because I'm rotten at swallowing pills and there was a REALLY good thing on telly. I normally gargle with aspirin but that wasn't achieving much this time. Anyway, put two normal paracetamol and a gulp of water in your mouth, and then just leave them there, for an hour if you can, maybe chewing once to break them up. Replenish water occasionally. Means that you are basically bathing your throat in a light solution of paracetamol. It made a huge difference and helped me get to sleep.

So, open windows, fresh air and exercise, echinacea and vitamins. Feeling better already. Sort of.

hang on expat, vodka and essential oils? you're kidding me?

With the weather getting colder(esp up here in the north), people starting their winter ailments and the nights getting darker I guess winter in upon us

oooh like the idea of the paracetamol thingy - don't they taste a bit weird? perhaps I'll have to wait for my cold to develop to the point where you lose your sense of taste!!

I was ill ove rthe weekend and still feel depressed about it. I think it is a natural result of being ill - not with everyone of course - when I am physically low, I become mentally low too.

That said, I don't do much to prevent illness beyond basic measures: eating well, keeping warm, getting lots of sleep. From the experience of my family, I believe that some people get everything going and some are rarely ill and there isn't too much you can fo to change that. Also, as the children get older, they get ill less.

Lonelymum, do you know what, that's incredibly comforting.

I think I'm partly affected by a feeling of moral turpidity when I get ill. I SHOULDN'T be ill. That sort of thing. Bless me Father, for I have sinned, I have a headache.

Thanks all.

Nope, no kidding. It's a Kim & Aggie remedy, acnebride. They even featured it in last week's episode and I read about it in their book. They use it as a room deodoriser and mentioned that it keeps the germs down when mixed with an antiseptic oil like tea tree. Cheap as chips, too.

Knocking on fake wood, but so far, so good.

They also recommended airing the room out even in the coldest of weathers.

Coping: I cope magnificently with being ill. I moan groan sulk yell (except usually lose voice so no one hears) make dh do more than usual if he is daft enough to come in the house, and hide in bed or if I must, lie on sofa vaporously while kids watch telly non-stop. I try out every really strong over-the-counter remedy I can find, and always bring extra back from the USA (some of theirs are different, and cheaper too)(sorry I just don't believe in homeopathy). Sometimes they even make me feel a bit better.
We eat microwaved freezer meals or beans which everyone likes more than my cooking anyway. Sometime I have just piled it all on a plate in the middle of the table, assigned eldest (she was 4) to dish out grub to self and sister, and went back to sofa. THe kids love it-I let them do whatever they want as long as they don't bug me.

Prevention: Have older kids. Keep warm and don't do anything non-essential when ill-YOU ARE ILL, GO TO BED! We have increased the amount of fresh fruit and veg in diet and have had fewer colds in the household this year. I used to be organised enough to take a multivitamin and that seemed to help. I just bought some little packets of vitamin teddy bears for kids, they will think they are a treat. I always get the flu vaccine at work (NHS staff).

Expect to get at least 2 bad 10-day colds a year, and "the flu" every year or so, and that will be about right on average.

Just keep telling yourself it will pass, it really will!

i dont cope - but i do take vitamin c in winter. as well as multivitamins and i try to keep away from people with colds.