Recurring 'almost colds'?

[Wonderbug81]

Every 3-6 months or so I get what feels like the start of a cold, mild sore/dry throat, a bit of a runny nose. Sometimes it becomes a 24 mild cold, sometimes it just threatens to turn into a cold but never does (especially now I'm looking after my immune system better with exercise and supplements).

Could I have some kind of viral thing going on? I can't say for sure but I feel like I've had them since I first had Covid. So could it be an ultra mild version of long Covid?

I'm guessing there's not much I can do?

This is just normal life isn’t it? You get exposed to a cold / respiratory virus, have a few early symptoms, your body either fights it off or doesn’t and you get an actual cold. Every 3-6 months sounds about normal.

I feel like this is how life has been since I had kids at least. And probably during the university germ pit years too. Maybe there was a brief window in my 20s when this didn’t happen.

I get this every few weeks in winter and just assume I have a good immune system as it doesn’t take me down.

Interesting. I'm in my mid forties and I've neve really experienced this until the pandemic (which happened to coincide with perimenopause).

I was rarely year more than once a year throughout my life. But also the people I know who are a similar age don't get ill every 3-6 months either? So it does seem unusual to me?

But what you’re describing is not “getting ill” every 3-6 months. It’s a day or two of mild symptoms of fighting something off. Which occasionally turns into getting ill but not that often. TBH I suspect many people probably wouldn’t even notice if it doesn’t develop into anything?

Yes it never happened to me pre Covid either, and it or some other bug has finally got me after trying all winter and I have been ill since Easter

I’ve had it a couple of weeks ago, followed by a viral eye infection. I was only mildly unwell with a half of a sore throat for a day or two. .

I saw a doctor describe this as a symptom of perimenopause, explained by hormonal fluctuations. I'll see if I can find it.

You are not alone, DH and I get this, whilst never getting ill. Ever. Very odd!

Ooo I want to read this if you can find it. What you describe, OP, is exactly what I experience, I not much more frequent. I feel like I’m getting a cold every 2 weeks or so. But it rarely develops into a full cold. I don’t think it’s normal.

Hormones, I always get mild cold like symptoms around my period

I'd count a sore throat and runny nose as starting to get ill. I suppose I'm comparing my pre-pandemic experience where I got ill - full cold once or twice a year max, flu only twice in life, similar to other people I'm close to - with these on and off symptoms that aren't normal for me.

But maybe I've been lucky to have a good immune system so far.

This is interesting about the pre pandemic vs current experience. Hope you feel better soon.

You can feel like this if you are vitamin D deficient too.

This happens to DH so I’m not convinced perimenopause or hormonal fluctuations are the culprit.

Oh that is very interesting. I tied all the symptoms to the pandemic but hormones would make sense given that my peri started in 2021!

Thank you. I'm dosed to the hilt on vit D and various other supplements (within reason) so don't think it's that.

I relate to this. I have been very lucky in my adult life with immunity- I didn’t have any colds at all for years, if not decades. No flu or stomach bugs either. Since Covid (which also coincided with perimenopause for me), I get as you describe every few months. Mild symptoms- maybe a runny nose, blocked ears or a bit of a cough but it never seems to develop into what I would call a proper illness. So I assume my immune system is still very efficient- just a little less so than it used to be. Funnily enough, I started taking Vit D last winter for the first time ever- and I got a proper cold in the middle of winter for the first time since I was a child. It only lasted a couple of days but it put me off taking Vit D which I’m sure is irrational 😂

I have this but more or less every week! At least every couple of weeks. I'm actually grateful I'm not getting so many proper colds because I used to have them constantly. I think you're lucky

Snap! Except for the vitamin D which has definitely helped me. 😁Keep at it.

Judging by the other replies we are lucky/unusual to have had it so easy early on!

Take half a vitamin c effervescent tablet in water daily. Wards things off a treat.

500 mg seems to be sufficient. 1gram makes me tired.

@Wonderbug81Yes, very lucky! I have been a lot less lucky with my teeth and to some extent with my mental health, but at least I haven’t had to contend with colds and viruses too I guess! 😆

Thank you. I already take a multi vit with C in it so no joy there.