Winter of lurgii - what to change next year?

just a bad year. kids at school bringing home bugs will get progressively worse until they bugger off to uni. basically as the pool of bugs get larger with each school and as their peer group grows.

vitamin Suppliments and lots of water.

i've 2 kids in different schools and my wife is a teacher in another school - i'm basically doomed every winter.

Maybe upping the vitamin intake would be a good move anyway...get started on that and it might have some benefits anyway.

has this just been a bad year for bugs

Yes.

> cough, wheeze, creak <

This winter has been like the end of war of the worlds.

I've just embraced my new role as a slightly mobile host, given up expecting it to be anything different.

Get a Flu jab from you pharmacy is my advise. Since having them survived the last two winters unscathed.

JeZ

Bad winter, more people reverting back to pre-Covid habits, while there's plenty of bugs going round including Covid and Covid has weakened the immune system of many.

Various local family have had something or multiple somethings since late November, while I had flu-like bug that knocked me out for ~2.5 weeks, I managed to dodge to Covid-like coughing fits the others have had (multiple negative LFTs)...

But I was the only one who had had my flu jab well before catching lurgy that hit four of us since Xmas. Plus I'm the only one taking relatively large dose of Vit D, 4000IU per day since October. Doesn't cure everything though, still have long Covid since infection late September.

Yeah, I've not got a flu jab this year, at the moment though I have covid so not sure that would have helped.

+1 on Vitamins, including of course Vitamin D in Scotland. I found it really helped me at the end of a busy season - I used to collapse with flu and exhaustion every November. I now am tired, but much less ill.

+1 on having another Covid jab (married to someone uber vulnerable) and Flu jab.

I'm just coming out of my winter of illness, coughs, colds, a chest infection and other random feeling like crap pretty much since October half term.

2 small kids bringing everything home from school and nursery plus I think a lack of exposure over the past couple of years.

Based on a survey of me...

I had my first ever Flu jab at the end of Nov '22 and this is the worst year i have had for catching the lurgy. Seems like every few weeks i have caught another strain...

Doubt its anything to do with the jab but just saying 🙂

Yes I meant to add I will now be first in line for Flu jabs in future years (edit: hadn't seen pandhandj's reply)! Not even sure if I've had the flue, whatever I have now seems to align with the sort of chest infection that follows on from Flu or Cold, so perhaps I had a mild Flu that I just wrote off as a cold or something and then this has followed it.

Plus I’m the only one taking relatively large dose of Vit D, 4000IU per day since October

Yikes! I'm only taking 1000IU and would be lying if I said I remembered every day (I've stopped taking it first thing as apparently taking it either side of your morning coffee sort of just flushes it straight through!). Need to up my game!

I think whether or not you were badly affected by Covid,it still gave a lot of peoples immunne system a proper kicking.
It's always harder if you have exposure to public transport and schools when stuff is flying around.

I seem to pick something up as I roll into November or December - usually from where I work - a University. Up the vitamins, etc is all you can do.

Covid got me in November, put me off the bike for 8 weeks.

The last couple of years have been a killer for me since my lad started nursery. I had covid at the end of Sept, tonsillitis first week of December and then a stinking cold at the end of Dec. I started with a raging sore throat again yesterday. I seem to get hit way worse than my lad or the wife when I inevitably catch it from them (I work from home and generally have little close contact with others & Wife goes into the office 5 days a week).

That being said, although it's been a rough few months it's waaaay better than last winter which was just one cold / virus after the other from Oct - May.

Vitamin C and use a first defense nasal spray at the first sign of anything cold related.  That's a trick from Mark Beaumont when he was doing one of his bike endurance things. Seems to work for me.

Vit D3 and echinacea; soluble vit C occasionally.

As a long time caffeine addict, with my last cup of the day being before ~1630, my routine is to take my daily multi-vitamin and VitD capsule either after dinner or after my usual evening snack.

Not sure either way if taking Vit B in evening may result in getting to sleep issues.

VitD is fat soluble iirc, some vits are water soluble.

Better half is on an intensive iron prescription, three tablets a day, pharmacist reminded her to avoid caffeine around time of taking (so I'm putting kettle on far more often just for me at mo) and taking orange juice (for vit C) will aid absorption of iron.

For me stress and work load has a big factor. Leading up to Xmas holidays tend to be extra busy at work trying to close out open items and the such and as soon as I attempt to relax, my immune system sticks two fingers up at me and I'm flattened.
I was out for nearly three weeks with this years version.

I didn't get a flu jab nor COVID booster (the booster jab was cancelled), which now I regret. Since recovery I've been taking echinacea along with a multi vit.

Hmm. No flu jab. Survived winter with no illness so far. Daily vit D 3000, C, zinc, and fish oil.

But I suspect the fact I live in a 2 adult household, don't use public transport, and only work in close contact (car sharing) with one person at a time is more relevent. Though I do go for a pint in various pubs around three times a week, so a bit of social mixing there.

i have a 6 year old. i’m ill all the time and so is he. both of us are flu jabbed. my wife has taken to wearing a mask at home. i don’t blame her as it was less than a week since she recovered from the last round than the new illness entered the house.

' Don't think I’ve had the flue', I think you'd know.

Am I missing something here? Surely the flu jab only protects against (some variants of) flu, not against the normal range of colds, throat and chest infections and general winter bugs?

People stating that they had the flu jab but got ill with something else? That's irrelevant unless it was flu that you came down with. 😀

Up until last week *coughs* I managed to avoid all the bugs going around. *coughs* However it looks like I’ve got the non-covid manky chest infection that’s doing the rounds *coughs*

4 covid jabs but no flu jab (and what idlejohn said)

Bill - yep, that's 100% correct.
I've had flu once and it was grim - nausea, headaches, sweats, couldn't eat.
Have had lots of colds from minor to heavy.
The difference between flu and a cold is like that between night and day.

I've never known a winter like it. From November i noticed the volume of people just coming down with heavy colds was crazy.

On the run up to Christmas loads of get togethers were cancelled.

I've been in Verbier since late December and even now everywhere you go there are people with hacking coughs and all sorts of bugs going around! Any bar or restaurant sounds like a Doctors waiting room!! 😀

I haven't had any Covid jabs or any flu jabs (ever) and thus far managed to avoid everything bar a bit of a cold over Christmas.

My plan of attack in keeping the immune system up to speed is keeping boozing to a minimum, plenty of sleep, manage stress, good organic foods and a healthy regime of vitamins and supplements. Seems to work for me and has done for years. Vitamin D is touted as a bit of a panacea, which it can be, but you need to have your levels checked first as too much can cause you other problems. For the Vitamin C advocates, get into Liposomal Vit C - it's a game changer!

‘ Don’t think I’ve had the flue’, I think you’d know.

Aye fair enough, it's so long since I've had the flu that I genuinely don't know! Wasn't sure if it was possible to have 'mild flu' as I've repeatedly come down with mild variants of most symptoms bar nausea, but I think that's also indicative of these non-specific 'chest infections' that are going round!

Had flu just before Christmas. it was savage! Bed-bound for ten days. Not been that ill for decades. Did a covid test which came out negative so can only assume flu. Certainly wasn't a cold. On the plus side, lost loads of weight. Just in time to pack it back on for GreedFest.

I've not been sick since before Covid, picked up a cold in France last week, developed properly on Thursday night and has been pants since then. Hoping to come out the other side shortly. Friday night I woke up in the hotel, sheets were soaked through, proper night sweats. Last night it was just the 2-3 am coughing fit till I cleared a chunk out and could breathe again!

I have 'vid tested and negative still so far.

I think whether or not you were badly affected by Covid,it still gave a lot of peoples immunne system a proper kicking.

Mrs_oab has lived with no* immune system for 17 years.
She has at least 4-5 chest infections a year, most coughs and colds. It's tiring and wearing, and has all sorts of other side effects.

*she has one, it's just miniscule. And can't keep it. So injects a new immune system each week.

People stating that they had the flu jab but got ill with something else? That’s irrelevant unless it was flu that you came down with.

not all flu viruses are in the flu vaccine, but that’s not to say all infections are the flu.

i’m interested to know what these respiratory infections are, though. a huge variety of common colds, i guess.

currently i have a head cold. it’s a stinker and been lingering for over a week, but it’s not the flu, because i don’t feel like im dying.

Eat food, not too much, mostly vegetables.

Exercise within your limits.

Enjoy good sleep habits.

Can’t say I have this all perfectly, but I haven’t taken a vitamin or supplement in over a decade and apart from a week of Covid haven’t been sick.

Up until last week *coughs* I managed to avoid all the bugs going around. *coughs* However it looks like I’ve got the non-covid manky chest infection that’s doing the rounds *coughs*

So it turns out that the non-covid manky chest infection is actually covid *coughs*

‘ Don’t think I’ve had the covid’, I think you’d know.

I thought covid might have dispelled the myth that unless you are flat out, you can't have had flu.

Yeah, it's COVID which has implanted the idea in my head that you can have bugs but not really know it, my one brush with COVID thus far was pretty uneventful except for month long dislike of Branston pickle afterwards 😂

Interesting wee update/bump.

My symptoms have verrrrrrrry gradually been abating, restricted to mild morning coughing which still produces a bit of white (hence probably not bacterial) mucus.

As of two weeks ago I was still getting occasional and very mild 'hot flushes' (I can't quite stretch to calling them fevers as there were no sweats etc).

I'd finally had enough and made an appointment with my doctor who answered the phone coughing funnily enough and explained that there was some sort of review of current viral pathologies (or something, I forget the clinical terms he used) which suggested that this whole winter there had been concurrent and/or overlapping mild viruses that appeared to be hitting otherwise fit and well people in their 30s and 40s worse than any other group! My symptoms and experience were therefore not unusual and nothing to be concerned about (i.e. I hadn't suddenly become immuno-compromised and wasn't suffering some sort of horrible bacterial pneumonia in disguise 🙄). He couldn't promise there wouldn't be another 'wave' before the good weather came around, but it backs up the suspicion that this had just been a bad winter.

Good to hear you are on the mend.
Yeah, our local surgery said there was a round of mild viral cough that typically was taking healthy people 8 weeks to clear. Not ideal for aerobic stuff, but fine for everything else.

This is good news for two reasons.
1/ You are feeling better.
2/ You will now reorganise the April fools 'cobbles ' ride for later in the year 👍 😆

You will now reorganise the April fools ‘cobbles ‘ ride for later in the year

Haha! I was praying nobody had remembered that one! Didn't even want to bump the thread for fear of it reminding folk. I should never have posted it in the first place. New rule is never plan things for Spring until you've survived the winter 🙄

Tru dat,bump it when you feel on (much) better form. 😃

13thfloormonk - just off the phone to my doctor with similar outcome.

I've had an x-ray as I still can't go up a flight of stairs without stopping due to coughing to the point of vomiting..... but steroids did stop that....which suggests something was up. Soon as I stopped the steroids it started again. The x-rays showed no significant damage

Doc has suggested I use couch to 5k lite as a starter to get them opened up gradually.

I am still expecting asthma - I do have a couple of previously fit healthy cycling mates who after prolonged similar symptoms now have an inhaler due to being diagnosed with post viral asthma due to lung trauma

bugger TR that sound awful, hope your feeling better & on the mend soon.
I think stopping using hand sanitiser when you visit or leave new places, has it made a huge difference to the amount of colds I caught over 20-22 (working in multiple schools), that and giving people space, that's totally disappeared.

Bloody hell trail_rat, that's a different league from what I've been dealing with, hope it clears up.

I haven't pushed myself hard after sacking off the CX season, when I have (an experimental hill session on a cold evening) the breathing felt OK, so I've hopefully dodged any sort of trauma.

Funnily enough I got an asthma inhaler after the first two races of the season to help deal with mid-race wheezes, but in the end didn't race again so haven't tried it.

RSV, Human Metapneumovirus, Influenza, Rhinovirus, Coronavirus (the others), and of course COVID. It's been a great winter (if you are a virus). Just off COVID round 4, I now have a cold, could be any of the above, except COVID (I tested for that). Once you are over a proper viral infection, you realise just how rubbish you felt at the time. No riding (again) this weekend.