Continuous viral illness tips welcome!

[Tagullah]

I am fit and healthy with only mild asthma as an underlying condition. I eat well and exercise frequently, in my 40’s and on HRT. My vitamin D levels and everything else are fine. I am really fed up and sick of being unwell for weeks, it is affecting my mental health as I am not enjoying my normal activities and affecting my job.

My DH barely gets colds and if he does, gets over them in a couple of days. He does not eat well or exercise!

I have been unwell since early September when I had a week of D&V. I got a sore throat and a cold after that, then a small reprieve of a week of feeling ok, then had another sore throat with laryngitis losing my voice completely, moving into a profuse cold and now a nasty cough and this never ending bloody virus. I have no energy and focusing at work is hard as I am coughing all night (dry tickly cough which is now turning productive) and it’s getting embarrassing at work in a senior role that I am a continuous snotty coughing mess. In a meeting last week my nose started running down my face.

my chest is clear when my nurse friend listened to it - I don’t think I need antibiotics it’s purely viral but I don’t know what I am doing wrong to pick everything up and take so long getting rid of it!

My DH says that I don’t rest enough. I’ve tried to carry on with exercise and going to work as much as I am able to, not pushing it to any extreme and I go to bed at 9pm and try to get as much sleep as I can until 7am. Is rest the magic cure?

The answer may lie on antibiotics and rest. I have also been sick since September with one virus after another and finally feeling a little better. In my case i am prone to sinus infections and although I regularly rinse them (neti pot /irrigator) out a virus can trigger this.

It may be that a nasal spray could help as well. I persevered and tried to get through this latest bout with washing but it took 1 week of Doxycycline and a nasal spray to get it under control this time. The nasal spray can help any inflammation which could be causing the discharge.

Coughing all night means your sleep is disrupted

I suspect your DH is right and you need a lot of rest to get over this properly - exercise should probably be limited to yoga and the like and gentle walking outside

also up your asthma meds
and try sleeping upright

Hi OP. I found I stopped catching things when my vitamin D rose above 50nmol. I take 4000iu everyday with K2 now and it seems to be making a difference. I'm normally ill by this point in the term.

Reduce HIIT exercise as it can impact your immunity. Agree with PP. lots of yoga and rest.

I also took. Symprove for a while, if that's an option.

I’ve been doing Pilates and some walking to keep my hand in. I’m not good at sitting still but today I have stayed at home to work from my laptop. I’m feeling exactly the same I am so impatient 😂

My vitamin D was above 50 last time I checked it but I might start some more

My sleep is very disrupted. My mucus has gone from clear to yellow to green now which I am hoping means I am fighting this off

Nasal spray might be a good shout as the drip is causing the cough. I have a throat spray and finally the throat pain is subsiding

I really don’t want to have to take antibiotics if I don’t need to as they trigger my IBS

50 nmol is NHS "you're fine".

Some people say that vitamin D should be in the 100s. With vitamin K so it goes to the right place.

I wrote a post like yours two years ago. And this was the advice I received!

I also did think that the probiotics made a difference for me.

I think this is your asthma. I also have 'mild' asthma. If DH and I (similar ages, similar fitness) have a cold he will be ever so slightly snuffly for one day. Meanwhile I will be full on drama laid up for a week and coughing for weeks after. Viral infections are a major asthma trigger and I usually need steroids even though the rest of the time my asthma barely bothers me.

Coughing at night also suggests your asthma isn't controlled at the moment.

Listening to your chest doesn't necessarily help - no-one has ever heard a wheeze in my chest, if I'm really ill I have a wheezy sounding cough and franly I'm not prepared to get so short of breath my chest is wheezy.

Hopefully you have an asthma plan? What does it say to do? - I'm a nightmare for not actually doing what the plan says.
You need to see your GP and asthma nurse.

I went to GP as I agree, it’s my asthma. I am meant to take my inhaler as a preventer but I never need it unless I am unwell and the first few weeks of this illness didn’t affect my lungs so I didn’t take it. I even went running 3 days ago. Today I’ve had to take it loads of times as I am wheezy which concerned me so I called the GP. Steroids and doxycycline

Should actually listen to my asthma plan shouldn’t I!

Me too!

It's much easier now with the combined reliever/preventer inhalers as you can flex up and down as you need it.