Are you generally healthy? If so, how do you do it?

[ttalloo]

I'm asking because I'm stuck at home recovering from bronchitis for the next week, having also had, in the last 18 months, swine flu, a chest infection, two bouts of standard flu, three ear infections, two bouts of gastro-enteritis and umpteen colds, and I'm really tired of the reputation I now have at work for always being ill and off sick - and I'm really worried that I'll end up with some kind of post-viral exhaustion that means I can't do anything at all.

I eat well, I don't drink or smoke, I'm a normal weight for my height, but I must be doing something wrong because I seem to get every bug that's going round work or is brought home by the DSs from pre-school - and I always get it worse than anyone else. My only exercise is walking to and from the station to go to work, and I rarely have an uninterrupted night's sleep, so I am permanently exhausted.

Having bronchitis means that I spent this weekend in bed, instead of celebrating my 40th in style on Saturday, and having a lovely Mother's Day on the Sunday. I just want to know how to limit my sickness to getting the odd cold and to avoid being felled by a serious bug every couple of months.

Any tips would be much appreciated.

Oh dear poor you. I don't know if it's anything you are doing wrong or just ever such bad luck. You might be just going through a phase of picking up dc's bugs if they started nursery or school around that time.
I don't get ill but think I am just lucky, although I do have a very healthy diet, exercise quite a lot, and my children are a bit older. I did have the flu jab this year as I work for the NHS but haven't actually had flu for four years or so, and maybe ten years before that! My dc are also extremely healthy but dh gets a lot of things (but he has been a heavy drinker, although reforming now) Maybe you (and he) pick up a lot of bugs on the train!
I am unfussy about germs, eating out of date food etc, and have always had cats which I pet every day, also worked with small children for about 5 years, and in waste and recycling for about the same, so maybe all that has given me a strong immune system? I eat very little meat and was veggie for 20 years.
One person I know who is always getting ill (and her dc) does have her heating on high all the time. Don't know if that could be a factor. You could try a vitamin supplement and echinacea. I am sure you will come out the other side of this run of bad luck very soon. And I will probably be struck down with...eeeuuurrggghhhhh....

When I used to get lots of bugs I started to take a suitable vitamin tablet and it made a bid difference. The lack of sleep should be addressed if possible.

That is so rotten.

Maybe you could try a bit of immune boosting with some vitamins and minerals. Zinc and Vit C? Sounds like your immunity is slightly up the swanee. Have you got white spots on your nails?

If you take zinc, do it just before bed. It can make you feel sick (ironically) if the dose is too high.

Also I would suggest an entire week of going to bed at nine o'clock with natural sleep remedies. An entire week. If you can. If you aren't tired enough, is there any heavy lifting you can do during the day? Deep muscle work is supposed to do something which cardio doesn't. I'll never be able to find out and link it but I read about it once.

Agree with Axis and Gooseberry re sleep. DH was ill with a chesty cold (which made him feel really ill which is unlike him) late last year that lasted weeks. When I eventually got him to the doctor he was told to work less and sleep more. He was working until 10/11 most nights so knocked that on the head for a while and that helped him get over it. I was also dosing him with vits, but I can't gaurantee that he remembered to take them.

I am generally fit and healthy. I try to get lots of sleep and try to eat healthily (but not to excess).
I have worked with small children for 20 years so I guess I have built up a bit of resistence to all the nasty germs that they carry.
I think that not taking enough time to properly recover from one illnes can make you more prone to picking something else up. Not easy when you work full time and there always seems to be something to do.
i make sure that weekends are quite relaxing, sometimes I do nothing at all, apart from potter around the house. I am not a very strong person and get exhausted fairly quickly, so I am aware of my limitations.
Happy birthday, by the way. Being forty does make you take stock a bit, doesn't it?
I know I am not supermum, so i don't even try

1. Have children in the higher ages of primary school - they bring home far less bugs once they've been in the system for a while

1. Exercise - yeah, I know it's a bind, but when I started exercising regularly (half hour minimum, 6 days a week) is when I got a LOT healthier generally.

Both tips probably equally big factors in my life, I'd say. This isn't to say I don't get sick, but it's not uncommon now for everyone in the house to have a bad cold and for me to feel a bit under the weather for a couple of days as if I'm about to get one, but then nothing actually get going.

Oh the other thing I would suggest is a yoga video.

Now that is amazing for helping you get good quality sleep.

I think a fair bit of it is genetic. I do smoke and drink (although not much only when out) and am overweight but I almost never get ill and rarely have throughout my life. Most of my family is the same.

Sleep is important as is drinking lots of water. I only ever really drink water. When I am not overweight and exercise I sleep well and always wake up refreshed with tons of energy (even if my sleep is interrupted). Exercise really helps with energy.

Eat a balanced diet and try to get away from the children for a weekend to catch up on your sleep!

I agree with the very early nights. When I am run down I try and go to bed by nine at least three nights a week.

Even if I'm not ready for sleep, being in bed early with some tea and a book/mag is such a relief.

I'd also do immune boosting things like increase exercise, reduce sugar/refined foods, take echinacea and vit c etc.

not caffeine tea, that probably won't help!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, purepurple - turning 40 really has made me take stock of the fact that I need to do something about my health. It was horrible spending this weekend in bed, when I had such happy plans, and I hated not being able to enjoy my boys because I just didn't have the energy. It's happened far too often over the last year and a half since I went back to work after a year on maternity leave with DS2. I just don't remember getting ill during that year off, but I've really made up for it since.

Commuting on tube trains full of bugs doesn't help (DH drives to work and is almost never ill), but I think the lack of sleep is the main problem. DS1 seems to wake up at least once every night to use the loo (he's just turned 4, and doesn't like going to the bathroom alone), and always wants me, not DH, and if he wakes up after 3am I can never get back to sleep. And there are times when I go to bed when the boys do at 7.30 because I'm so tired, but then the mornings are hideous because nothing is ready (DH having fallen asleep on the sofa), and then I'm late for work and stressed and still tired.

But I will try taking a multivitamin again - I stopped taking one after I stopped bfing DS2 - although I don't have any white spots on my fingernails, gooseberry. And having the flu jab doesn't seem to help me - I got flu twice in the winter of 2009/10 despite having it.

I don't know where I'll find the time or energy for exercise, though. I hardly have enough of either to get me through the day as it is.

I just want to get out of this cycle of general poorliness. Nothing seems to work at home when I'm ill - the children and DH are cranky and miserable, and I end up feeling so guilty.

Give your DS1 a potty in his room for night wees for a start. You must get more sleep you poor thing

Have you had your iron levels tested recently? I was anaemic and had absolutely no energy, everything was an effort. It affected evrey bit of my life. Have you thought about a trip to the docs to see what they can suggest?

You poor thing - that sounds miserable. I find that certainly a multivitamin helps hugely. I am lucky in having a reasonably good immune system, but I definitely start getting colds if I go off the multivit. I wonder, too, if some acupuncture might help if you can possibly spare the time/money for it. I find it helps hugely in lowering stress, helping sleep and boosting immunity - it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I do swear by it.

Also try no caffeine and no alcohol for a month, if you can bear it!

I did have a full blood test done about a month ago, purepurple, because I was convinced there was something medically wrong with me - and I was praying my iron or vitamin B12 levels were dangerously low so that I could be fixed by a miracle injection, but I was sent away with a clean bill of health. And was irrationally annoyed.

I feel quite stupid, lubeybooby, for not having thought to put a potty in DS1's room for night-time wees - thank you for that rather obvious and brilliant idea! I'm doing it tonight!

Oh, and I've been having acupuncture regularly for the last five years (originally to help with fertility problems), and last had a session a couple of weeks ago, speculationisrife, just before this wretched cough started. But I think I will drag myself back to see my acupuncturist once I'm mobile again, and see if some weekly sessions might help.

Unfortunately, I don't drink so I can't give up alcohol. I could give up my daily chocolate/cake/biscuit habit but that's about all that gets me through the day at the moment!

Get 8-10 hrs sleep a night

Drink lots of water

Have lots of sex

Get fresh air

Exercise

Laugh

Do something for yourself

It sounds like you didn't recover properly after each illness, therefore more susceptible to getting ill again?

I had swine flu 2 yrs ago and was constantly ill for the year following.

Fit as a fiddle now

I started running last year and since then I've only caught one cold, and recovered fairly quickly from it.

I'm a teacher so usually pick up all the bugs plus my 2 DS still wake in the night for wees etc. although they sleep better than they used to.

I also aim for a 10 o'clock bed time.

KnitterNotTwitter:

Get 8-10 hrs sleep a night - I'm lucky if I get six hours' sleep a night. But maybe looby's potty trick might help to improve things

Drink lots of water - I probably don't, so I'll have to up my intake

Have lots of sex - does once a week count?!

Get fresh air - not sure that walking through dirty London streets counts!

Exercise - definitely not enough, but for some reason I like the idea of running - jamaisjedors, had you run before? how did you start yourself off?

Laugh - I do laugh a fair amount - the children are hilarious

Do something for yourself - I wish I had the time, but I think I'm going to have to make some for myself. Is it awful of me to want to go away by myself to a spa hotel for a weekend and just sleep in between massages?

you need sleep and then when you are sleeping properly regular exercise.

I am always struggling to catch up with myself, jajas. There are never enough hours in the day for me to do everything that I need to do, and it's harder now that I work full-time because if I do take time off for myself (such as a weekend away) I feel that I am robbing the children of time that they would love to spend with me.

But I don't suppose that one weekend away will do the trick. I had a (rather guilt-ridden) week in New York in January without DH and the boys, visiting my sister and new niece, had a brilliant time, despite the guilt, ate well, walked a lot, slept a lot, even on the plane on the way home, arrived back feeling brilliant (and even thinking that I was revitalised enough to get through the rest of the winter without mishap) and two days later had come down with flu along with DH and the DSs.

Running: wear comfy shoes & run around the block. My neighbour wears jeans. Local running clubs are a great way to get into it, many have very basic routes for beginners.

Regular exercise would end up giving you more energy for dealing with everything else.

I am a big believer in eating lots of fruit and vegetables.

More diligent handwashing might help, too.

But genetics is the biggest factor, I'm sure.