Got yet another bug

[Milky Bar Kid]

Can someone please explain this to me? Why, why, why, do I always get ill when I am on annual leave? Every bloody time I am off, I get some sort of virus or infection leaving me to feel utterly crap. Is it coincidence or is there a reason for it? If there is a reason for it, how the hell do I prevent it?

Fed up of it now! 4th time this year that this has happened to me!

[JamesMio]

Quite common actually, I had a bit of a theory that your system just keeps soldiering on when you've got little or no other choice (i.e. when you're at work and not in the habit of just throwing sickies all the time).

When it comes to holidays, you subconsciously just let all these things catch up on you and you get hammered.

I have nothing to base this on other than my own thesis, but can't just be a coincidence can it?!

Get well soon, and all that

[missyburd]

With your kind of job I would imagine it has something to do with constantly having a busy mind and having to be on the ball, so when you actually get time to relax your body says "eh, this ain't normal" and your immune system deflates letting the bugs in. You're probably quite run down and it's only when you have a break that your body decides to surrender to the lurgies. I had a similar type thing earlier in the year, had 2 weeks of working manically on a reserve and doing nightwork then straight after I was moving house. I moved house then straight away (literally same weekend) got a cold, closely followed by conjunctivitis and blepharitis and cue feeling rubbish for 2 months. It pays to look after yourself and have some you time.

Or I could be talking utter sheeeeyte. What's that they say...baffle them with bullcrap :-P

[Milky Bar Kid]

It's utterly pants. I am due to go for surgery on my knee on Thurs so I cannot be sick then! Bed and rest for me all weekend then!

There must be some way of preventing it?

[Bibio]

ok if your serious then start taking Echinacea every day. i use the drops and mix it with orange juice or whatever is in the fridge.

apart from my health problems (heart) i don't get ailments like colds etc.etc.

http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/a-vogel-echinaforce-echinacea-drops-50ml-35857%3Futm_source%3DGoogle%26utm_medium%3DProduct %26utm_campaign%3DProduct?gclid=CPGT8KOLw7MCFXDLtA odfzEAGQ

[Specialone]

Nic, I normally get a cold round Xmas time when I'm off, James' theory is similar to my own, I think your body relaxes and lets it's guard down a bit so bugs take their chance.

Only consolation is, the older you get the less colds you get, reason is, every cold you get is another strain of cold bugs, you apparently only get the one strain once in your life, so eventually you've had most of them hence less colds.

[Milky Bar Kid]

To be fair, it's very rarely colds. Its normally more like tonsilitis, ear infections or tummy bugs.

I'm gonna start wandering around a couple weeks before my leave wearing a surgical mask! Lol!

[pookie]

do you take annual leave a couple of weeks after the kids get back too school? I find a correlation between germ spreaders to illness :)

[maviczap]

ok if your serious then start taking Echinacea every day. i use the drops and mix it with orange juice or whatever is in the fridge.

apart from my health problems (heart) i don't get ailments like colds etc.etc.

http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/a-vogel-echinaforce-echinacea-drops-50ml-35857%3Futm_source%3DGoogle%26utm_medium%3DProduct %26utm_campaign%3DProduct?gclid=CPGT8KOLw7MCFXDLtA odfzEAGQ

I'm with Bib on this one, but I take something else.

I take one Centrum multivitamin, with the immune protection additive and have done for 18 months. I've had one cold this year and only a couple of days of feeling grot (guess this'll jinx me now). Whereas my wife has had cold after cold, as have my children.

I used to regularly get colds & other things like moth ulcers when I got run down, but now my general health is much better.

My diet isn't great & I work crappy hours meeting lots of people,so I should pick up more bugs, but not lately.

I also stress my system out but regular exercise, which is another thing my wife doesn't do.

[Milky Bar Kid]

do you take annual leave a couple of weeks after the kids get back too school? I find a correlation between germ spreaders to illness :)

Not usually no. But I'm not really up to speed With school hols cos I don't have kids.

[Milky Bar Kid]

I'm with Bib on this one, but I take something else.

I take one Centrum multivitamin, with the immune protection additive and have done for 18 months. I've had one cold this year and only a couple of days of feeling grot (guess this'll jinx me now). Whereas my wife has had cold after cold, as have my children.

I used to regularly get colds & other things like moth ulcers when I got run down, but now my general health is much better.

My diet isn't great & I work crappy hours meeting lots of people,so I should pick up more bugs, but not lately.

I also stress my system out but regular exercise, which is another thing my wife doesn't do.

Hmm, I might try this. I can't exercise much just now due to knee but after thurs it should be fixed!!

It's prob what u say, long hours, shifts and working with the public that's the cause.

[maviczap]

Hmm, I might try this. I can't exercise much just now due to knee but after thurs it should be fixed!!

It's prob what u say, long hours, shifts and working with the public that's the cause.

Is you knee causing you pain & do you regularly take meds for the pain?

Another thing to reduce you immunity if you do

[Dicky Ticker]

Nic,Do you get a flu jab?

[Bluepete]

Hope you get better quickly. There's nowt worse than being sick on leave is there!

I can't help with remedies for general health, but would suggest cod liver oil and glucosamine post op. I take both and feel they help.

What ya having done by the way?

Pete ;)

[Milky Bar Kid]

Yeh knee has been sore for 20 yrs! I don't take as many pain meds as I should. Normally only at bedtime.

DT no, not had flu jab - not entitled to it.

Bluepete I am having an arthroscopy. I have "suspected medial plica".

[Sir Trev]

Quite common actually, I had a bit of a theory that your system just keeps soldiering on when you've got little or no other choice (i.e. when you're at work and not in the habit of just throwing sickies all the time).

When it comes to holidays, you subconsciously just let all these things catch up on you and you get hammered.

I have nothing to base this on other than my own thesis, but can't just be a coincidence can it?!

Get well soon, and all that

Like James and MissyB I have similar observations, and often find it hits me on weekends, not just at holiday time. Being busy during the week keeps your mind tied up and the adrenaline flowing - OK I fly a desk but the stress can be huge, especially as I know my job could be regraded and moved to central Europe if I don't add enough "value". No alarm on Saturday morning and no feeling of dread as I'm not driving in to the office so no natural stimulant flowing through the system. Avoiding alcohol on Friday and planning something to do on Saturday morning helps me ease into a weekend. Bodies are weird!

[dizzyblonde]

When I'm ill, it has to be bad enough to bring down an elephant.
Last major cold..some of you would refer to it as flu, but its really, just a cold..was last Christmas. I managed to sort out our festivities on the day, but by Boxing Day I could hardly sit up. Was supposed to cook for my parents, but ended up taking all the food down there and sleeping on the sofa.

Unfortunately mums, aren't allowed to be ill, and carry on pretending we are perfectly well. Bring on the school bugs, we tough them out and soldier on. When somebody asks if we are ok, our reply is no I'm fine....whilst obviously sweating our heads off and wobbling about in a dizzy manner, spreading snot on sandwiches and sneezing in people's dinners!

[Milky Bar Kid]

When I'm ill, it has to be bad enough to bring down an elephant.
Last major cold..some of you would refer to it as flu, but its really, just a cold..was last Christmas. I managed to sort out our festivities on the day, but by Boxing Day I could hardly sit up. Was supposed to cook for my parents, but ended up taking all the food down there and sleeping on the sofa.

Unfortunately mums, aren't allowed to be ill, and carry on pretending we are perfectly well. Bring on the school bugs, we tough them out and soldier on. When somebody asks if we are ok, our reply is no I'm fine....whilst obviously sweating our heads off and wobbling about in a dizzy manner, spreading snot on sandwiches and sneezing in people's dinners!

Dizz with all due respect, your not the only one who toughs it out and I resent the implication that I don't.

The last time I was off work was when my temp was 103 due to a severe infection following a dentist pulling a tooth that had a massive abscess. I was on double strength AB's and passed out when I stood up.

I am merely asking if anyone has tips on how to stop the bugs catching me when I am on holiday. I know the difference between the cold and the flu. I've only ever had flu twice however, I am prone to tonsilitis and chest infections. These are what seem to catch me on hols.

[dizzyblonde]

Never implied owt Nic!

I can't tell you.the answer either, and in fairness I doubt anyone else could.
Echinacea is ok in small doses. You shouldnt take it for long periods. I'd go with eating food stuffs that are known for propping up the immune system. Lots of people eat very healthy diets, and sometimes can't understand how they still catch bugs, a lot is to do what type of healthy food you put in.

One thing I will point out, you do a hell of a lot of nights. I used to always get bogged down with alsorts when I worked them.going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark, does weird things!Maybe a lack of vit D maybe the issue? You can buy supplements of it, coupled with zinc is possibly an avenue. Zinc is well known for combatting colds, you find it together with vit C.
I have found spending as much time outside in the day time great. Also playing with muck.

As for toncilitus....I had mine removed when I was in my late teens. I had it more often than not, and understand having it all the time is very unpleasant.now I obviously don't get it....have you thought of having them removed?

[ruddlad]

Hope ya feeling better soon and good luck with the knee op, could be worse, be glad its not manflu and as we fellas all know that's the worst of the lot:D:D:D

[Teejayexc]

As for toncilitus....I had mine removed when I was in my late teens. I had it more often than not, and understand having it all the time is very unpleasant.now I obviously don't get it....have you thought of having them removed?


Just make sure they get you the right way round on the operating table :smt083

[dizzyblonde]

Just make sure they get you the right way round on the operating table :smt083


They draw on you in permanent marker..........can't be that hard to follow a big black arrow:)

[maviczap]

I am prone to tonsilitis and chest infections. These are what seem to catch me on hols.

My doc said I could have the flu jab, as if I do get a cold it tends to be a bad one, always followed by a chest infection, which had ruined 2009 & 2010 Christmas holidays, and like you I did used to come down with one bug during my hols.

He also said I ought to have a pneumonia jab too.

But the last couple of years I've been ok, which coincidentally fits in with a series of vaccinations for typhoid, hep A & B, plus tetanus jabs I had at the beginning of 2011.

So I didn't bother with the flu or pneumonia jabs just yet, i've had had enough of being a human pin cushion