Since my daughter started nursery almost 2 years ago I've been a lot more blighted by colds (and the odd stomach bug). No surprises really, I suppose a combination of getting run down chasing after 2 kids plus having a a small person plugged directly into a virulent pool of germs.
What I'm curious about though is how different the bugs that I pick up are now, previously I'd get primarily head colds a few times a year. Now when I get ill I seem to get these bouts of aches/pains/chills (sore neck/lower back) and just feeling really lethargic for a few days, sometimes with brutal night sweats and diziness. Thinking back it seemed to start with a particularly severe dose of the above, the only time I feel like I ever have had flu. So my question is, is this...
- just what viruses I'm exposed to now/how my body has decided to respond now?
- the same thing that's laying dormant in me that keeps flaring up when I'm run down?
hit me with your best medical pseudoscience/old wives tales (actual medical advice appreciated too!)
Obviously latent cat aids is the primary suspect.
But also, maybe glandular fever.
No pseudo science for you, but it does get better.
Mine are 7 & 3, and I suffered seemingly non-stop colds for years. It has now backed off to normal every now and then background!
Faint hope I know. But hope, nonetheless
No pseudo science for you, but it does get better.
No it doesn't.
Mine are 15, 14 and 10 and i'm currently afflicted with Whooping Cough.
uppose a combination of getting run down chasing after 2 kids plus having a a small person plugged directly into a virulent pool of germs.
I think the bit about being rundwon is the killer (not literally)
lack of sleep & time for R&R- really hits your immune system
if possible try & get more sleep & make sure youre eating healthily etc
Yep - know the feeling.
When my 2 (now aged 9 and 11) were at Nursery, it felt like one cold would start almost as soon as the last one finished. I basically came to the conclusion that a revolving door of colds etc were a given for a couple of years. I continued to ride/go to the gym even when i wasn't feeling 100% as otherwise I wouldn't have done much of anything.
As others have stated it's lots of (new) germs + you being run down as little kids are tiring.
It does get better, once they were at school everyone got less ill less frequently.
Try taking zinc daily; I have been since I bust my collar bone 10 months ago and I haven't had a cold since - there is evidence that zinc helps your mucous membranes to fight viruses. Try to get out of the habit of rubbing your eyes and picking your nose, that's the quickest way to infect yourself with a virus. A household policy of washing hands on entering the house would have an effect on viruses lying around the home.
See a GP and get tested for stuff like Lyme's disease.
I recognise a lot of those symptoms, currently just making sure I top up my Vit. D but will look into zinc as well.
Some good advice I read was to avoid the kids for an hour or so after intense exercise as this is when your immune system is at its lowest. Easier said than done though, in my house if I'm lucky enough to get out for a good ride/race etc. then I need to act like super-dad the second I get home, if I betray a hint of fatigue or disinclination to chase after toddler then all biking privileges get revoked for a while (and usually other, more exciting privileges, although it never takes much for them to be revoked...).
At least I do my turbo sessions once the wee man is down, so I don't have him thrust into my arms as I stagger back in from the garage!
Pretty much everything in your post can be attributed to stomach bugs. Usual disclaimer about not being a doctor.
We had the same ongoing rota of illnesses for a few years. Youngest got less at nursery/playgroup - presume he picked up some sort of protection from having exposure to the eldest being at home with the usual round of bugs.
When my two were at nursery they gave me a stomach bug so bad that I had to make myself some giant nappies using bed mats. Every time a let my guard down and relaxed a little, I shit myself. As soon as I fell asleep, I shit myself. This went on for about a week.
If it is any (small) consolation I did read an article on the BBC News page that having children adds up to 5 years to a persons life because they stress your immune system - the benefits accruing in later life.
Whether that compensates for the years of energy that they drain from you is another question.
Age and run down definitely contribute. I'm going through it too and I suffer with colds way worse than before.
But there's nasty strains hanging around at the moment. A particularly nasty metapneumovirus is the one causing trouble round our way.
On a very sad note, a friend thought she was always tired and run down because she had a 3 and 5 yr old. It turned out she had cancer and was always tired because her body was trying to fight all the time. Always worth seeing a doctor if it doesn’t seem to shift.
