Always ill. What am I missing? What supplements do I need? What other action can I take?

[Dogsgottabone]

I am on my fifth illness since September.

A very heavy cold which took a month to go.

A very short cold which looking back was lots of high sneezing and could have been covid (again, Third time)

Three heavy peri periods in 6 weeks in the autumn which has necessitated the iron and HRT detailed below.

A virus in December that was a bit like flu but wasn't and had me in bed for 4 days and I lost lbs.

A cough and cold that started just before Xmas, lasted for five weeks and has me wracked with coughs and which did nothing for keeping my prolapse safe. It was dry and tickly until the last few weeks where it cracked.

Now another horrendous cold, sinuses are throbbing, I haven't slept properly since Friday, my cough is raw and burning and my head is banging once the paracetemol wear off.

None of these coughs are easy to shake as I'm also asthmatic.

Its a bit woe is me really.

Things I already do:

Exercise daily, either hiit, yoga, swimming and then at least 10k steps

Eat 30 types of plant a week.

Take iron every 48 hrs for ferritin depletion, take bit v with it for absorption, take magnesium and iron on the days I'm not taking the iron.

Use HRT for peri.

Live in the countryside, no fumes or smoke.

What else can I do to stop this never ending feeling of being ill? What am I missing?

Look into black seed oil, and boost your gut health.

I wouldn't take anti-histamines as I'm not keen on taking pills and supplements which can mask what my body is trying to tell me. I've caught myself taking a dozen different supplements in the past and having no idea which if any of them are doing me any good.

You sound more and more like me. I really struggle to relax and "do nothing" and feel guilty doing so. This is something I - and you - need to work on. I spend too much time multi-tasking as otherwise I feel I'm wasting time and instead what I am doing is wasting my life because I'm rushing through life without really noticing it. Well done for doing the walking though. I try to do 8,000 steps a day, but as I'm full time working, I tend not to manage as its dark by the time I'm finished work.

My Achilles tore at the end of a 1,000 mile run I was doing in memory of a friend. I finished the run, but I haven't really run since. Ah well, hopefully it will heal eventually.

@FenghuangHoyan ouch!!! I presume the 1000 miles was in increments and not an ultra marathon!

Yes to multi tasking. But things are so boring if you just stop. I really struggle on holidays.

I get my steps in at 5am, walk for just under and hour. I have a super bright head torch and walk in the countryside. It's lovely, I chat to the animals I see, there are usually a few curious foxes and deer.

I honestly feel better for that walk every day. Fresher and ready to get going. I'd be so sluggish going to sit down at my desk if I hadn't exercised first.

I then get the rest of my steps in my lunch time.

I do think that it's about making the lost efficient use of time.

I suppose if you aren't sneezing and allergic to stuff then it might not be a useful thing to take an anti histamine so see your point.

I have definitely benefitted from the iron though.

That said I listened to my body today and I haven't done any outdoor walking and only a 1000 steps around the house 😊

Similar here. Also work in school, long hours, same age, very stressed and sleep so badly. I just assume it’s that bad combination to be honest. It’s hard to ventilate classroom enough. It’s tough though!

@Wotcha23 i imagine the teaching staff are in germ soup at this time of year.

Either with the constitution of an ox, or always ill.

I don't have a huge amount to do with the kids except passing them in the corridors.

I do think I am sleeping a bit better on the HRT as its reduced my need to wee three times a night, I'm generally down to just the once.

Is it work worries that keep you awake?

Just everything I think! Age probably. I agree with others that you should probably ease up a bit and listen to your body.

I think they are 2 seperate issues related to Covid. Afaik any virus has the poteintial to cause a long term issue with mast cells, it just seems to be very common with covid but obviously its an area that will need research over the long term.
I think the boosters affecting cycles is something to do with immune response cells around the ovaries( but i could be talking completely out of my hat!) so covid itself could be the same?

I get my steps in at 5am, walk for just under and hour. I have a super bright head torch and walk in the countryside. It's lovely, I chat to the animals I see, there are usually a few curious foxes and deer.

That sounds like the ultimate destressor and probably something you should keep doing unless its physically harming you, ie the alarm clock making you stressed.

Get a good multivitamin/minerals, vit d with added vit k for better absorption, iron.

Personally I find a messy house extremely stressful so either get your DH to cook all the meals hike you do a quick tidy, or DH does the tidying every single night. It doesn't matter if its not dusted/hoovered...its the tidiness that's important imo.

@Pixiedust1234 I've always been a morning person and usually wake up before the alarm goes off.

I suppose the downside is that I'm on my knees with exhaustion by 5pm..

I agree it's hard to relax when things are a mess.

The thing is there is always a mess somewhere.

Todays little stress was washing fox poo off one of the dogs when he came home from the dog walkers.. 😖

Well, the traditional medical advice during and for some time after an illness, to aid recuperation, is for plenty of rest and plenty of fluids. You seem constitutionally incapable of rest! Attempting to “get back to normal” the minute your body shows signs of getting better is not the best of ideas. I do agree with those suggesting upping your vitamin D and washing your hands more carefully, though - pay more attention to how often you touch your face with your hands and that should encourage you to do so (and if you share a phone, maybe give that a quick wipe over!).

@Walkaround yes I think I am incapable!

I have been thinking about this thread a lot today and I'm considering temporarily doing online grocery shopping too, I always do it on the way home from work and it's time I could spend at home instead.

I've got my new vitamin D today and taken some.

And I didn't go for a walk outside the house, restricted myself to stuff that actually needed doing in the house plus driving DC around, plus I went to bed for an hour in the afternoon.

But yes, my problem is as soon as I feel better I crack on and try to get back to normal so I need to give more thought to that.

Oh and I'm going to take some anti bac wipes in to clean the office phone!

It's all very well eating 30 plants each week but if your gut isn't functioning properly, you won't get the benefit. I'd suggest taking a good probiotic such as Symprove for 3 months and see if you notice the difference. I certainly did when it seemed like my immune system had taken a battering. Symprove is one of only 2 probiotics that GPs recommend as it actually does work. If you want to try it, PM me and I can share a 50% off link with you. Or have a look at VSL#3 which is the other one recommended by GPs. Symprove is a liquid, VSL#3 is a powder.

Also, take vit K with your vit D as it improves absorption. Lots of supplements have them combined in one for this reason. A good brand for supplements is Life Extension. They're very good quality (nutritionists agree) rather than the cheaper brands you tend to get in supermarkets, Boots, etc which are usually full of anti-caking agent and fillers. For magnesium make sure you're taking at least 400mg of elemental magnesium daily. The super-cheap brands won't tell you now much is elemental. Buy a good brand like Barefoot which does tell you!

It's good you seem to have understood that you're over-exercising. I understand where you're coming from as a (trying to be former) exercise addict myself. As peri started (and I didn't realise), the ridiculous injuries started especially anything tendon related (yes, I'm also a card carrying member of the Achilles problem club). It's taken several years - and a lot of expensive physio, steroid injections and a DEXA scan - for me to finally acknowledge that at 52, I need to start exercising differently. And resting more. I can still get the same results with more rest and lower intensity (I didn't believe it for a long time but it is true). I hate it but peri is a sign that our bodies are ageing and we need to tweak how we do things. Don't worry, I'm not saying give up! I can still lift bigger weights than some men and most women half my age in the gym (and occasionally my ego gets the better of me and I have to show off / put someone in their place) but I've finally learnt that less really is more. It irks me but I've accepted it. Reluctantly.

(I'm in peri, asthmatic, have had confirmed long Covid for 18 months - used to exercise 10 times a week plus 20k+ steps daily).

@HundredMilesAnHour what an apt username by the sounds of your post!

Thank you ever so much for such a long reply.

I am actually feeling so rotten this morning I've done an eConsult so hopefully will get to see a GP later today. At which point I will also try to remember to add vitamin deficiency to my next blood test and discuss my general poor immune system.

Isn't it interesting that we get to a certain age and we start pulling tendons? I also developed tennis elbow during lockdown which I thought was all the gardening I was doing, but probably was weights as well.

And I had tendon issues in my hand last year too.

Between the physio for my achilles, the physio on my pelvic floor, the HRT and all the various illnesses I think I am actually falling apart 😫

I am going to have a look at all those links you have given me to supplements when I have some time later when I hopefully will be breathing a bit easier!

@Dogsgottabone Oh yes the damn tendon injuries! From what seems like doing nothing. And certainly not doing anything excessive. It's infuriating. I'm a qualified fitness instructor so I know what I'm doing. Yet my tendons react like I've done something completely stupid.😡

In the last 5 years, I've had tennis elbow 3 times, golfers elbow once, rotator cuff injuries for 4 years, Achilles issues for 4.5 years (there was a brief period when my Achilles was 'fixed' so I went back to 'normal' activities and it started playing up within 2 weeks), deQuervains on my right hand (it started just by me holding a barbell when I was squatting) and it goes on and on and on. Of course all the people I know in fitness are 10-20 years younger than me (or male!) so were equally baffled by the sheer volume of my injuries. It was only 'solved' when a physio referred me to a musco-skeletal specialist at the Institute of Sport Exercise & Health in London. She listened to me and said "you sound exactly like me before I found out I was in early menopause".

I started taking HRT last Nov (not an easy decision as I'm high risk for breast cancer due to family history and my breast cancer specialist hit the roof when I first suggested it).

When you get your blood tests done, make sure you check the results yourself as many NHS GPs tend to look at what's acceptable (which seems to mean not life threatening!) rather than optimal. Ferritin is an easy example of this (as it sounds like you're already well aware if you're supplementing).

I had a HUGE amount of tests done privately last year (ended up getting a bank loan to pay for them) when my long Covid wasn't improving. The results were very revealing. One of the (many!) things wrong with me turned out to be a tumour in my neck. Non-benign thank goodness. It was actually primary hyperparathyroidism so a diseased parathyroid gland that was picked up because I had high levels of calcium in my urine and higher levels than usual of calcium and PTH from my blood tests. My NHS GP wouldn't have even tested this. And even if they had, my results wouldn't have been high enough for me to be referred for surgery and I would have been told just to watch and wait. Within 24 hours of surgery, both my chronic fatigue and brain fog improved significantly. My heart palpitations stopped completely. I saw my NHS GP earlier this week and she was asking me how on earth this was even picked up (because it wouldn't have tested for on the NHS). I don't want to sound like I'm criticising the NHS as they do a wonderful job on a shoestring but sadly there is just no funding or capacity for anything other than the barest of minimums. Which is understandable but it means people are left being unwell and really struggling just because they're not at risk of actually dying.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound so negative and downbeat!!!

Good luck with your GP today. Get some blood tests done. Keep pushing for answers. Thinking of you.

Hey all, update...I have a proper chest infection, not just the standard viral upper respiratory tract infection and I'm just waiting for antibiotics and steroids.

And the lovely GP I saw has added vitamin B12 and D screen to my blood test I'm due to have before my HRT 3 month review.

I will wait to have that once I'm into my 3rd month of oestrogen at the start of March, but I'm pleased I will be able to see what's going on.

My heart is absolutely thumping along this morning, even despite doing absolutely nothing.

Now back to the sofa for a bit and research probiotics.

When you get your blood tests done, make sure you check the results yourself as many NHS GPs tend to look at what's acceptable (which seems to mean not life threatening!) rather than optimal. Ferritin is an easy example of this (as it sounds like you're already well aware if you're supplementing

@HundredMilesAnHour this is so right.

It turns out that when my ferritin was 16 in November which was just over the bottom threshold of 12, the GP looked at all my previous ferritin results and nothing had been over 30 since I have birth 12years ago! And no one had ever told me. I never thought to question any of it.

The reason it was flagged this time is that there was an automated note on my results saying that my ferritin stores were low and needed further investigation.

One thing that had come out of the last year of being ill/investigating all the peri meno stuff etc is that I ask for copies of everything, results, letters to consultants. Imagine how much healthier I could have been for the last 10 years if I'd known all of this.

I'm going to make absolutely sure that my daughter doesn't face this sort of thing.

And your point about the additional tests, I have had my achilles MRI scanned privately which I expect I would have to wait ages for, the physio is being funded privately as the consultant I saw privately referred me. Imagine how much healthier we would be as a population if people could have things investigated easily. I do consider myself to be incredibly fortunate in that sense.

On the supplements side of things, I had a look at the pro biotics and they are the same price as a pair of new trainers.. So I will have to think a bit about that but I will pm you if I decide I'd like the code. I know it isn't in the same ball park but I did pick up some actimel to help with the antibiotics this week and some kombucha.

I noticed there was another thread about always being ill this morning, it's obviously happening to a lot of people at the moment.

Have you tried avoiding added sugars? Lots of people swear that it makes a difference for them...

@AnotherDayOfSun i don't eat a huge amount of added sugar, though I am addicted to 90% chocolate. So I suppose that has some in.

I could switch up to 100% for a while and see what happens.

I hadn't thought of that.