Grr!

Curlychip

Im on illness number 9 of this winter....seriously any tips for preventing all these colds, GI bugs, flu etc. We even had chickenpox in the household.
I take a multivitamin... Its really disrupting my crossfit plan

AllanMisner

The only answer I have is harsh. When my wife gets sick, I make her go into the bedroom for quarantine and I sleep elsewhere. We go nuts on the hand sanitizer and Lysol spray. And we stay that way until all of her symptoms are gone. So, to beat viruses, you have to treat them as such.

leahkite

No shoes in the house, everyone washes hands and/or sanitizes when they come home. And quarantine those that are sick, sanitize common areas frequently. I'm not a germ freak but having two kids in schools means they are exposed to and bring a lot of stuff home with them.

Curlychip

Yup, I have a 2 year old who is pretty hard to quarantine! I could go heavy on the alcohol gel though - good plan.

Inkratlet

I think a healthy diet, not under-eating and plenty of exercise probably does help too.

My immune system seems to be far more robust than that of 95% of my colleagues, but I live a far healthier lifestyle.

ascrit

Inkratlet wrote: »

I think a healthy diet, not under-eating and plenty of exercise probably does help too.

My immune system seems to be far more robust than that of 95% of my colleagues, but I live a far healthier lifestyle.

I agree 100%. Since I lost a lot of weight and starting living a healthier lifestyle almost three years ago I have not had to take a single sick day from work. I think the worst I have had in these three years is a runny nose one day.

bostonwolf

leahkite wrote: »

No shoes in the house, everyone washes hands and/or sanitizes when they come home. And quarantine those that are sick, sanitize common areas frequently. I'm not a germ freak but having two kids in schools means they are exposed to and bring a lot of stuff home with them.

I have to say that I think the hand-sanitizer is uses to great excess today. None of us over the age of 40 grew up with it and without seeing data, I'm guessing we were less sickly than people are today.

Our immune systems need to be exposed to germs to learn how to effectively fight them off.

I would guess that sanitizer is also going to lead to more superbugs, since none of them kill 100% of bacteria.

To the OP, might be worth getting some detailed blood work done to see if you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency that could be a root cause.

leahkite

I would agree that hand-sanitzer can be used in excess. I also think that 20-30 years ago Mom was probably at home with kids and not sending their sick children to daycare with mine So they are exposed still, however they are 5 & 1 1/2, they touch EVERYTHING and the youngest still puts a lot of stuff in her mouth. Our youngest was hospitalized with RSV last year and now requires breathing treatments every time she gets sick; so I try to keep extra stuff from hanging around in our house.

I would say over use of antibiotics will lead to superbugs on a much larger scale than hand santizer will. I also think that the amount of travel people do now compared to "back in the day" means we are exposed to more than we would have been when our parents were kids.

Curlychip

Thanks everyone. Yup it may just be having a 2 year old for the first time ;-)

Ive had antibiotics once out of those 9 for tonsillitis but the rest has been waiting it out, but then the next strikes a week later! The blood tests do sound potentially useful but I live in the uk so would probably need more of a reason to see the gp. If Im still getting something every week in the summer ill go!

Still working on the healthier lifestyle, like all of us

bostonwolf

leahkite wrote: »

I would agree that hand-sanitzer can be used in excess. I also think that 20-30 years ago Mom was probably at home with kids and not sending their sick children to daycare with mine So they are exposed still, however they are 5 & 1 1/2, they touch EVERYTHING and the youngest still puts a lot of stuff in her mouth. Our youngest was hospitalized with RSV last year and now requires breathing treatments every time she gets sick; so I try to keep extra stuff from hanging around in our house.

I would say over use of antibiotics will lead to superbugs on a much larger scale than hand santizer will. I also think that the amount of travel people do now compared to "back in the day" means we are exposed to more than we would have been when our parents were kids.

Didn't mean to single anyone out, but just saying in general. And I agree daycare was a bit less prevalent, but was pretty common when I was a kid and I am 45. Several of my mom's friends ran day cares with varying degrees of legality

Inkratlet

Curly, you are also in the UK right? The climate here is a perfect breeding ground for viruses, don't forget. 0-10 degrees C, damp

Climates that have real seasons (cold in winter, hot in summer) do make a difference.

The only other thing is getting the flu jab. I've never had it personally but plenty of people say it prevents a lot of common colds

Curlychip

Yes, up north Didn't get the jab this year, but it turned out to be the wrong one anyway didn't it!

Mummyadams

Ive had the flu jab for past 3 years and haven't had the flu (cross finger I don't jinx myself) since. Where previously I would ALWAYS get the flu. Worth a try?