So basically I felt I was coming down with something on Saturday and I did come down with something. I woke up yesterday morning feeling like my head was going to explode ala Scanners and I had a semi-congested, semi-runny nose (which I turned into a full-runny nose thanks to some over the counter congestion meds). And I think I had a fever. I feel weak-ish.
I took my first sick day in three months. And I drank a lot of orange juice, gatorade, chicken soup, and slept. I'm pretty sure I broke my fever, too. Mostly anyway.
Normally, I would just pity myself and suffer through the sickness as long as it takes, but I have friends coming from Finland on Friday and I want to make sure I'm in tip-top shape for when they come.
So what are your best methods for getting rid of this kind of crap? I mean I have four days, I should be able to kick it. Sadly, I cannot take another day off of work, so I'm going in (right now). I dunno. Gorge myself on chicken soup and OJ? Take vitamin supplements and if so which ones? Rub tuna fish on my belly while singing the national anthem? I'm open to any suggestion at this point.
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Otherwise tons of water/OJ/vitamin C/chicken soup and sudafed.
If none of that works, you could always try leeches...
Otherwise you have a viral upper respiratory infection. Nothing has ever been shown to reduce the length of a cold by more than about 4 hours. Take NSAIDs*, a decongestant with pseudophedrine* and generic claritin to get through work. Sleep anytime you aren't at work and stay hydrated.
The good news is that four days is long enough for the worst part to be over just because it will have run its course.
*Read the packaging carefully. If your decongestant already contains NSAIDs don't take a separate NSAID. I always try to get single ingredient meds but they are hard to find - most of them are combinations of multiple medications.
Yes. I'm the type of person who gets yearly colds around the winter time, but they always used to last the better part of a month. It was miserable. A year or two ago, my friend suggested really focusing on drinking tons of water, tons and tons of water. Ever since I've never had a cold that's lasted more than three days.
You should also be making even more of a point of eating regular, balanced meals. The best way to get rid of a cold, is to really take care of your body. Pamper it with healthy decisions and your immune system will kick into overdrive.
This, so very much. I'm working through mostly the same thing right now (started on Saturday too), and drinking tons and tons of water is probably what's keeping me from crossing the line into "oh god, I want to die" vs. just feeling crappy.
I think that it varies a lot from person to person.
Anecdotal, but my brother acts pretty odd when he's running a mild fever, say 100F. I've remained lucid, albeit feeling like mangled roadkill, when running fevers of 104F or more.
As said, it varies - personally, low-grade fever doesn't faze me if given appropriate temperature surroundings. But last time I had a fever of 103 or so, I decided in the middle of the night that it would be a nifty idea to go sleep on the living room couch for no reason....and spent the rest of the night dreaming about being lost in a desert with talking cactus.
Like everyone else is saying, eat right, rest, and drink plenty of water. There's really nothing else you can do about a cold, aside from avoiding one in the first place (by getting sleep, eating right, exercising, etc.).
Sleep as much as you can and keep hydrated. Colds are viral and they have a set course. You can ensure that it passes quickly by making sure you don't wear out your immune system even more by lacking sleep or being dehydrated or overworked.
Well, we can always hope for some placebo effect to help him feel well enough to meet his friends.
edit: do things that make you feel better. If you like drinking some orange juice, do that. Is there something that you like to eat? Have someone pick that up. Watch some TV you like. Sleep. Whatever.
but they're listening to every word I say
*kidding**
**mostly.
Anyway, I'm feeling a lot better today. I did get a fair amount of sleep last night and I think I'm on the road to feeling better. Still sniffly, but I've been worse.
While there is NO evidence that vitamin C actually does anything to reduce duration of illnesses, it is a natural antihistamine so that will help with congestion (at the very least).
Drez, the only thing clinically proven to shorten the duration of the common cold is sending me money. The more money you send me, the faster you will get better.
Send Thanatos enough money and you will actually feel better when you get sick - it's just like old school RPGs, get enough resistance and eventually what once harmed you will heal you!