For those of us being hammered by bugs

[stripetop]

Hello

I wondered if we could have a general chat, handhold, tips thread for those of us being hammered by bugs just now.

I have two children, I also have fairly severe health anxiety focused on them.

We have had colds, chest infections, tonscilitis. Conjunctivitis, norovirus, poisoning, and that's just October.

They have a good diet. Im trying to continue groups etc. I've ordered sambucol on a friend recommended basis.

Any other tips.

I'd say it would depend on weight... I mean 11 month is not far from 12 months. Ibuprofen and paracetamol go on weight but I think they put an age at which you'd usually hit the weight.

I think I might just keep to the multivits that I give both of mine. Sambucol seems expensive

Can you mix liquid sambucol in with anything? Not sure I could convince my 2yo to take it on a spoon or a cup!

Loving the sambucol idea, I'm going to get some. We had fever last night so off for a PCR again. We should book a regular spot now 😭

Wonder how long work is going to be sympathetic for...DH and I take it in turns to stay at home with DS when needed but it's rather regular and he's running out of holidays now :(

@Abitlost2 ours is a forest school and they are outside the majority of times and doesn't seem to make any difference. Literally half of the nursery is off at the moment.

@Chocolatetrifle - I was in tears yesterday so you have my sympathies. I seem to be really really struggling when I'm unwell myself 😭

@Motherland101, sorry you were struggling. It has been relentless with one thing after another and another and then we get run down too. Hope you feel better soon.

Any doctor I see just advises that the bugs are stronger at the moment due to people mixing less earlier in the year due to lockdowns. Then of course the bugs are getting passed back and forth. I had tonsillitis caught from both my son's and my husband caught hand foot and mouth from them too.

Also but being breastfed or not has nothing to do with the bugs being caught at the moment.
Whoever is suggesting my sons are catching more bugs now because they were FF really makes me cross.

@Chocolatetrifle

Also but being breastfed or not has nothing to do with the bugs being caught at the moment. Whoever is suggesting my sons are catching more bugs now because they were FF really makes me cross.

Don't even get me started. It washes off me now, my friend BF her DD till nearly 1.5y and she's just as sickly as the rest of them.

I have been reading a lot about it and it does partly come down to genetics too (apparently). I myself was always poorly as a child and as an adult, I also seem to pick everything up and generally take longer than others to get better. DH is the opposite though as in he'd get about half the bugs that I do and is generally over a cold in about 2-3 days. We eat the same and he exercises less than me! So as much as we try and look after the babies and strengthen their immune system, it's largely out of our control (or so it seems!). Just hope DS will eventually turn into a mini DH rather than a mini me and will shake things off much quicker and easier!!

Hope everyone is having a better day today :) x

B fed both of mine, one til 8 months and second 14 months. Still don't believe that it leads to better immune systems. In the early days when they are b fed they get antibodies from your milk so helps them to deal with whatever illness you pass to them. That's it though, I'm afraid.

@Chocolatetrifle yes I ignored it because I'm the same. I fact in my personal case child one was BF and nearly broke me, child two was combination fed the formula from two months. Child two is more robust. And indeed my sister formula fed both and they are never sick, I see no link.

I just wanted a place where we could try and support each other and moan together, not blame or judge. Although I do blame one mum for norovirus, because she brought two to playgroup after them being up all night sick...then posted on Facebook after playgroup saying so. Nice morning snooze whilst kids at playgroup after terrible night for mummy. GAH

@stripetop

Just reading the sambucol, winter dose 10ml. That's fine. Baby is 11 months. Says one and over. Anyone given younger? Wondered about a half dose.

That's shit @needtogetfit21 it's the same here. I'm scared to arrange or book anything because we won't make it

Yeah I started my eldest at 11 months as he was going to start nursery just over 1 and I wanted him to get a head start. He's now 4.5 and has always been in a better place immune wise compared to my youngest, he didn't start nursery until 17 months due to the pandemic and I got lazy

@babysnowman

Can you mix liquid sambucol in with anything? Not sure I could convince my 2yo to take it on a spoon or a cup!

Not tried this and was one of the reasons we switched to gummy but they nearly aren't as effective IMO. Took me a while to cotton on so I have resorted to bribing and he takes the liquid happily again now

I'm immunocompromisred and my dc have a minor immunodeficiency, I thought that's why we couldn't shake things off but reading here it sounds like everyone is the same.

I do think the continued use of sambucol helps though. Vitamin c comes out in wee so it's really a case of giving it continually and upping to winter dose when struggling (even when it's not winter)

I also take time release vitamin C for myself and I do notice an improvement when I take it regularly

Sorry to spam but these are excellent for adults. Im sure they've told me in the past that I can open the capsule and sprinkle over something to get it into dc but I've never tried this

www.dulwichhealth.co.uk/product/allitech-capsules-60-x-450-mg/

Download the PDF to read up on it. They have a stronger liquid version but it's quite difficult to take

@stripetop hopefully fingers crossed as we've all had such a terrible time with the bugs recently that things will start to improve. Both mine have been sick at the same time since the start of September and it truly got to me the week before last. The amount of capol and ibuprofen I was buying was ridiculous. My husband said I was obsessed with the forehead thermometer checking temperatures. It was one fever after another it felt like. Both my sons have had 3 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of stubborn tonsillitis since September and my oldest has been referred to an ENT specialist because of it. My oldest had tonsillitis and norovirus the same time I caught norovirus and both of us being sick at the same time in the bathroom was horrendous! Let's hope we don't catch anything for a while now.

I use Boots multivitamin liquid for both mine and try to get lots of veg inside them food to increase iron levels but it's not always easy!

@needtogetfit21 great will get both on it and have a read of link this afternoon thanks, sambucol a new one for me but I've heard great things.

@Chocolatetrifle I completely sympathise. I had to see doctor two weeks ago as I couldn't stop crying. He gave me a beta blocker and an anti anxiety med but I honestly think we just need a break. And yes to the temperature, it's like part of the daily routine here.

[quote stripetop]@needtogetfit21 great will get both on it and have a read of link this afternoon thanks, sambucol a new one for me but I've heard great things.

@Chocolatetrifle I completely sympathise. I had to see doctor two weeks ago as I couldn't stop crying. He gave me a beta blocker and an anti anxiety med but I honestly think we just need a break. And yes to the temperature, it's like part of the daily routine here. [/quote]
Sorry just remembered something else a nutrionist told me

It might help someone
She said we can take vitamin C until bowel tolerance when coming down with something. So basically take 1 every couple/ few hours until you get diarrhoea. She said for some people that means 3 a day, for others it means 6. It just gives your immune a good chance of fighting it off quickly. It was the 1000mg tablets we spoke about.

Another thing I heard was that antibacterial hand gel can prevent some viruses spreading but norovirus is only killed by good old fashioned soap and water so perhaps get back to washing with soap rather than hand gel.

I think we all expect our kids to get bugs at some time but the amount of illness recently does seem off the scale.

@stripetop I hope you all get a break from the illnesses soon. It's the even more broken sleep I find that comes with the illnesses and then being stuck indoors at home the hardest. Glad the doctor was able to help you. I had to speak to mine recently about something similar, it got me down so much that it was one thing after another.

I do try to count blessings in that being on farm we can at least get out but it's bloody hard.

Other things I've done, an activia live type yogurt every day for good bacteria.

A sickness pile. So old towels, bowl, dettol, wipes, all in back porch cupboard easy reach. When both were being sick I was trying to pull stuff out linen cupboard and it was just a riot. And something else to sort out.

I think it’s nursery
They pick up everything like little magnets and it just goes round and round in circles

I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding but my almost four year old is still breastfed but has suffered terribly in the past form repeat coughs and colds, umpteen ear infections and has been hospitalised due to flu in the past.
My daughter was breastfed until 4 and she has had cough and cold after cough and cold plus two hellish bouts of HFM since she started nursery.
My eldest son didn’t catch a thing until he started nursery aged 3 then it was projectile vomit, norovirus, and colds for what seemed like an eternity

Whatever this thing that isn’t COVID ( several negative PCR tests across the whole household) has wiped me and them out for over a month now. All still off our food, upset tummies, exhausted.

It really can be miserable and incredibly worrying for parents with young children as well as exhausting.

How's everyone tonight. Toddler is my biggest worry, choked again, seriously not had one day completely clear this month.

@stripetop, how is your toddler now? Hope all is ok?

Hi I hope I'm OK to join? Ds is 2 in Dec, ftm and he gets everything going since starting nursery! We were in A&E last night because his temp and heart rate were sky high. They think it's a nasty virus so we were sent home and told to monitor him. Got a pcr test today, he's been coughing loads. He was crashed out at 6.45 and is already down with us, he was sick from coughing 🙁

Can grandparents join in?

We’ve all been in our hermetically sealed bubble for 18 months, family health 100%

Little one started at baby clubs/groups six weeks ago - hurrah, about time - but we’ve all had bug after bug ever since.

Good diet, multivitamins and a cheery disposition all help.

@Fivebyfive2, oh no poor you that's awful. I also have a boy who will be 2 in Dec, plus a just turned 4 year old.

Did you get any antibiotics at all? At least you were seen in A and E.

My youngest had croup on July and that sent his heart rate high and oxygen low and we ended up in hospital for the steroid treatment. Keep an eye out the cough doesn't sound like croup or if any excess dribbling/drooling.

One thing I did after that episode was buy an oximeter on Amazon and you can check the oxygen levels at home.

Hope he feels better assp.

Awww sorry to read that there are so many of us being hammered by these bugs.

DD was in with me last night, wouldn’t settle and kept coughing. Started her next lot of antibiotics today, so fingers crossed.

Temp was 38.6 earlier then suddenly dropped to 35 and she went blue and shivering. This fever is horrible. Don’t think the fact we are teething too helps.

Single mum and struggling with juggling the constant illness, whilst feeling meh myself!

@stripetop hope your little one is ok. It’s not nice when they choke.