Why am I always ill?

[BonnieBlueButler]

So this year so far I've had tonsillitis and three stinking, awful colds. I've had this current cold three weeks and counting! I've got a horrible dry cough and my voice is still hoarse. I think I'm getting better and then next day I feel ill again. I seem to get everything going at the moment.

Is my immune system shot. I eat well (vegan) and exercise. I don't smoke or drink. What's going on????

You may need vit supplement. Or could be stress. See gp.

I am always ill too.

I take multi vitamins, eat well and would say pretty fit.

However I do have a toddler who brings home lots of bugs. DH is never ill though

Went to my GP and have just had bloods which have come back normal.

If you know the answer then do let me know!

Get checked for anaemia. I used to get sick far more often before I was diagnosed and treated.

Bonnie love your name
If you have kids it appears to be par for the course. My husband pre - children was never ever sick but now that my son is in school (and since nursery tbh) we are all constantly down with something!!! Sickness doesn't seem to care if you're healthy and sensible.

Definitely have your iron levels checked. Mine were so low at one point that I kept getting tonsillitis and laryngitis every couple of months or so....I had about 5 cases one year.....it took me 3 years to figure out that wasn't normal!!

So ask them to check haemoglobin and also ferritin levels (your iron stores). Mine were both rock bottom. I've since taken iron tablets and had the mirena coil fitted to stop my periods and I am so much better!

Good luck x

Might be a vit b12 deficiency if you are vegan. B12 comes mostly from animal products and is tough to get from elsewhere. Ask your GP for a full blood panel. Not to be as harsh as this sounds, if its not much worse than some nasty colds then remember it could be much worse. Sometimes a little perspective helps (in my unfortunate case it was walking passed the paeds ICU whilst receiving treatment for pneumonia - it can always be worse). Hope you feel better soon

Hygeine. Wash your hands all the time and every time you come home. Air your house (heard a doctor/researcher talking about the importance of old fashioned airing). Don't touch your face or eyes unless you have just washed your hands.

I agree with others on vitamin b12, and vitamin d if your gp will order it.

I would take vitamins just in case, and add a probiotic into the mix.

Getting enough sleep? X

Stress lowers the immune system.

Illness can weaken the immune system and opportunistic infections set in.

Exposure - are you around people that are ill and who will pass on their bugs.

Are you rundown, eating badly and losing sleep?

Stress, inability to recover from illness, poor nutrition and exposure are the big causes.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. I'm a secondary school teacher with 2 kids so am probably a prime candidate for everything going.

I had a full blood count done 2 weeks ago and all was normal but I don't think that would have checked for specific vitimins? So will definitely look into that.

I have been really stressed this year and never get enough sleep! Maybe this is my answer!

Ask for a print of your blood results. There's normal range and then there's optimal! You could be borderline on some some important things, which generally gets marked up as normal but you could improve it for better health.

Protein? Are you getting enough?

I thought I might have started a thread in my sleep so clicked to check!
It's awful, I work with small children and dread them turning up with a sniffle .
What is a mild cold in them turns into a horrendous cold in me.
I eat well, take supplements, walk and garden but still I get everything going.
I have had many tests but nothing ever emerges.
I think personally I have thyroid and B12 issues that must be borderline.
I have chronic sinusitis, constantly swollen tonsils and oesteoarthritis so I think that leads to low resistance
I have been using a VitD spray which seems to have helped.
If you find an answer please let your fellow MNers know!

Since I started running three times a week, I haven't been sick. It's been a few months.

Also, no chance of mild at work or home?

It sounds as if you will be exposed to a lot of infectiously agents through your job, and that you are stressed and not getting enough sleep which will have a knock-on effect on your immune system.

My diagnosis-by-internet is that if you are not having problems at a low blood count/aneamia level then the next thing is to tackle your sleep pattern and stress levels, which may be easier said than done. Not that many weeks until the summer holidays, not sure if that makes a difference for you? Sometimes I find I get more j when I stop than when I am running on empty but it might not work that way for you.

I think you should have your vitamin D levels checked immediately. The test for them is often not done in a normal blood panel. Vegan diets are often deficient, so while I appreciate that you want to eat a healthy diet, you may in fact be doing the opposite. There are several deficiencies that can cause chronic illness.

I'm so glad I posted. Loads of useful advice. Thank you. I'm definitely going to look into vitimins B12 and D. I take a vegan supplement but having read up on it, a tablet doesn't seem to be the best of getting these vitamins. How do I go about getting tested for vitimins deficiencies? Just ask for the blood test?

Does anyone know if IBS can be linked to any of this? I'm currently being investigated for colitis as my mom has it, but I think it's more likely to be IBS.

Roll on the summer holidays. I've been ill at the beginning of every holiday so far this year but 6 weeks should give me enough time to recover and hopefully sort out my health!

I believe that IBS and stress are linked.

I have no idea how one gets tested for vitamin deficiencies. Is this something you could discuss with your GP?

You need to ask your gp to run a specific blood panel to check for all of the vitamin deficiencies.