Are YOU always sick?

[Poorlymumneedssleep]

I’m at a complete loss tbh. My Lg started nursery in February and since then she’s had some stomach bugs and a cold. But I’ve had a whopping ride of infections and I’m on my fourth round of AB’s. I’ve had bacterial tonsillitis, ear infections, chest infections.. I’m just absolutely done in. Each of them knock me for six and I struggle
to function and sleep. I get sick, then I’m ok for a few days and then boom another infection or ailment.

Has this happened to anyone else? Does it get better ? It’s really impacting my Mh and I feel like my return to work has been so shit.
tia x

Sending 💐, there seems to be lots of viruses around at the moment for both little ones and adults .

I have had masses but I do put it down to immune system not being at its best. I don't know if that's something to consider? I know quite a few mums who get unwell a lot - as in child gets a cold, mum ends up with full blown chest infection. But we don't get much rest to fight it etc if you're juggling work/child/home etc.

Prioritising self rest and care, and vitamins for immune system boosting may help? It may not!! But sometimes these things are worth a try :)

Sorry though it's blooming hard!

The first year was HORRENDOUS. It does get easier and it gets a lot out the way in time for school. My LO has had chicken pox so that's got that one out the way. I do find when the term time only kids come back from their breaks there's a little mini spike in bugs again. But it definitely gets less impactful. I suggest a decent vitamin regime. Vitamin C and D for a start.

Yes, and mine goes to a childminder with only 4 other children. He's only been going since February and we've maybe had 1 week of no illnesses since. It's like a revolving door of colds, conjunctivitis, and sick bugs. I've heard around 2 their immune system starts to kick in a bit more but not sure how true that is.

Yes and it floored me. The first year of nursery we were both ill from Sept to May, with the exception of Christmas and Easter break. Second year was marginally better as it was “only” Jan until April.

It’s a horrendous time that nobody talks about and simply gloss over. I’m self employed and it had a huge impact on my earnings. On a local FB mum group, several people lost or gave up their jobs as a result of being ill so often or realising they cannot send their children in sick just so they can work.

It had a huge impact on my MH as well. I was someone who was always proud of my work and career but it knocks you down on many levels. I’ve managed to reach a balance of accepting and feeling proud of whatever I can achieve in my own time instead of always shooting for higher targets or competing with other businesses.

There is light at the end of the tunnel! I found preschool to be the cut off for the worst of the germs. The first year at nursery is horrendous. If it helps, now mine are at school their attendance is good as they have had most of it 😅

I did when DC1 started nursery in another country. The bugs he brought home just weren't ones that I had encountered before, so I had no immunity and came down with absolutely everything. His first winter he got ill every two weeks, on average, and I caught 90% of them. It was horrendous. I remember ending up with a sinus infection that absolutely floored me - I've rarely felt so ill! So you you have my sympathy

My LB started in April so not been as long and nothing bad yet but we have constant coughs and blocked or runny noses. We manage to get rid of one and another one comes straight away.

Yes this happens with us. Dd is 3 now and is always picking things up but thankfully however it rarely effects her bar a terribly runny nose.

Us on the other hand are contantly ill. She seems to pick it up and pass it on to me and dh and over the winter it seems like it’s always one of us thats ill.
It was never like this before kids, i have wondered if some kind of covid hangover is to blame too. I dont know.

I think we are tired/ run down too which doesnt help.

Yea this is common..not for me though. My DH catches everything from my DD.

I don't tend to, but then I get occasional nasty stuff like sinus infections and tonsillitis which my DD has never had.

Yeah I had an awful time during DD's first winter in nursery when I was pregnant with number two. Awful.

This winter I've hardly been sick at all - we found each year they each get a little less sick and so bring a little less home.

Hopefully it'll ease now for you as we come into summer.

Oh OP, there was about a 5 year period with my 3 where I had the bathrooms on constant red alert because we seemed to spend so much time throwing up in them. I was always prepared for battle! Of all the bugs, we were plagued with stomach ones. But just like head lice battles, one day it all stops! From about the age of 7, I’ve found the flus, bugs, colds, begin to really drop off. I mean, they linger, but you get breathing space in a way that those very relentless early years don’t offer! It’s been about 9 years since our last battle and I still walk by the enormous oak on the high road and die a little at the memory of my poor mum (who lived with us) racing out of Waterstones to puke ALL over the tree trunk. Its roots were well fed. 😳
But yeah, the early years are like a drawn out buggy illness whac-a-mole tournament.

The first year of nursery with my eldest was horrendous. I’ve never been so ill in my life. And a lot of vomiting bugs (which thankfully I’ve almost never experienced since). It really was a tough time, but everyone’s immune system must have settled down because it was ok after a while, and I don’t remember it being anywhere near as bad with my second child.

Every now and then I catch one of the many bugs my toddler catches and it absolutely floors me. I suspect it happens when my body is absolutely exhausted so it can’t fight the virus easily.

Exactly the same here. Tonsillitis, chest infection, covid, two stomach bugs. My return to work has been shit because every time I just about catch up with everything I'm off for a week again.

Yep, first year is so bad!
Once he hit 3 I found he was hardly ill and he's started school last Sep and hasn't been ill once.

It's hard at the time but it does stop or a massive break inbetween.

U r sending yr child into a new germ pool, kids put everything in their mouths, pick their noses etc
u will get the same each September at school too.

That sounds truly awful. I’ve had 3 kids in nursery and never had the constantly ill thing. That does sound a particularly bad run of it too. I don’t know what the answer is but don’t think that level is normal!

Thanks! Yeah completely agree my immune system has been shot. Before I started getting sick we were going through a terrible sleep regression and I was up 4/5 times a night sometimes for hours! So that wasn’t a good start. I’m deffo prioritising rest now. I think I’ve been on autopilot for ages due to returning to work!

It’s soooo hard isn’t it. I’m at a really important point in my career and am back at uni so I can qualify to a higher banding. It’s a lot of work and I’ve thought about jacking it in so much. I’m so glad you’ve found that balance now. Returning to work is mind boggling enough let alone with feeling unwell all the time!

100% same here. I’ve never been one to get that sick and if I was it lasted 4-5 days, not months! Lol. Thank you x

Same here! My LG has constantly been sick since starting. Feel so bad for her!

I was the same, I got hand, foot and mouth, norovirus and every cold/cough going. My first few months of return to work were super tough, this will pass but in the meantime try to share the load with your other half, sleep as well as you can, loads up on vitamins and good nutrition, batch cooking saved me at times.

Yeah I know that, I just didn’t expect myself to get so poorly with it. I was expecting cold and coughs, not being absolutely floored with infections lol. I’ve heard it gets better so I’m staying positive!

Thank you. Batch cooking is a fab idea. I deffo need to try and share the load more. I’m a bit of a martyr and that doesn’t help haha