Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sick

How high can a fever get before seeking care?

jsturgill — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:19:40 -0800

Feeling ill yesterday and today, with a fever, slight cough, stuffed nose, sore joints. Taking dayquil and nyquil, and keeping track of my temperature every few hours. What temperature means "go to the hospital?" What other symptoms re: the cough and nose might man go to the hospital? In america, with an okay PPO but no regular doctor yet.

Ill and disgusting taste in my mouth? No thanks.

horizonseeker — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:42:58 -0800

Please give me your recommendations for cough drops that actually taste good! I've been sick with a terrible cough for a week now. I've been sucking down cough drops like they're air, and boy, do they taste foul! Isn't there a decent tasting cough drop to be found out there?

Please, hivemind, help me save my taste buds. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

From the metro DC area, if that's relevant.

Who to believe- my doc or my pharmacist or random people in my life?

silverstatue — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:40:18 -0800

Should I keep pouring different meds into my poor body to fight this beast of a chest cold? YANMD and YANMPharmacist. That being said, I need advice. I have been crazy sick for the past 2.5 weeks. It started off as just a sniffly cold. Then in the 2nd week, it escalated into a really bad cough and congestion. I went to my doctor and he gave me three prescriptions - for Robutussin with Codeine, for Advair (an inhaler) and for Prednisone. He said to try the first two for a few days and then if I wasn’t feeling better, to go to the Prednisone.

I went to the pharmacist and tried to fill the first two. The pharmacist was shocked that my doctor had prescribed the inhaler, given the fact that I don’t have asthma or allergies, and was extremely reluctant to fill it. We only filled the Robitussin. I took the robotussin for 4 days. It did nothing and I got worse. Finally that Saturday (2 week mark from getting sick), I filled the prednisone prescription. It’s a 10 day cycle and today is day 5. I've been really bad the past 4 days but today I have for the first time started to feel slightly better.

This is where things got stupid. I mentioned to some friends last night that I'm on prednisone and they freaked out saying it lowers my immune system and I'm just putting myself at risk for something worse and I should be on antibiotics, etc.

I called my doctor this morning and he said that I was supposed to be taking the Advair and prednisone together and should get the advair right away and start taking it too. I am terrified to put yet another drug into my body. The congestion DOES seem to be breaking up a bit as of this morning, but I'm still sneezing and coughing my brains out.

My question is: Do I A. stop taking all meds, since I feel like my poor body is going to explode from all this crap. B. Keep on with the prednisone and hope that things will clear up, even though everyone tells me that it’s a steroid and super bad for me. C. go to pharmacist and try to get him to fill the Advair and go on that too even though he was 100% against it. or D. Go back to my doctor tonight and have him re-evaluate me.

I know the go-to advice is to see a doctor, but.. my doctor seems to be in conflict with everyone else I talk to.

Help me figure out this very perplexing stomach bug

shrimpsmalls — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:16:05 -0800

YANMD, and I understand that the internet cannot diagnose a medical issue. However, I am wondering if anyone has experienced the same symptoms in regards to a stomach bug, whether viral or bacteria. I am just trying to get some perspective on what my body is doing, and whether or not this seems in-line with something that will likely clear on its own. I'm not in severe pain, but will definitely see a doctor if things take a turn for the worse. I've had SEVERAL unhelpful, or frankly harmful, doctor visits in the past year, so I am (justifiably so) wanting to wade this out for a bit longer. - Sunday I ate some sort of questionable smoked salmon - seems to be the only likely culprit behind potential food poisoning. Fiancee ate the same.
- Both of use come home sick (of the toilet hugging/severe stomach pressure and pain variety) on Monday mid-day. We sleep from 6 pm until 8 am the next day. He is fully recovered at this point. We hear that lots of people who attended the same wedding on Saturday as we did also came down with some sort of sickness.
- I go to work after a decent lunch on Tuesday and feel a bit queasy but mostly on the up and up.
- Tuesday night after dinner, IT strikes again! (just me this time). I spend a while in the bathroom and am waaay too sick to think about going into work the next morning. I stay at home in bed all day. My poop is a scary yellow.
- All the while (and x 10 today), I have excruciating gas, bloating, and sulphur-smelling burps. Today, I'm also having difficulty urinating and a bit of burning in the nether-regions.

Is it possible that I got nasty stomach bacteria that is working its way out and is thus morphing into a UTI? Has anyone had this set of symptoms together? I am drinking lots of the pure cranberry juice and some ACV bc it can't hurt, but does this seem like the thing that really needs an antibiotic?

Any feedback, assurance (professional or anecdotal) is much appreciated.

How can I minimize my contagiousness as I travel while sick?

croutonsupafreak — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:58:29 -0800

I woke up with a stuffy, sneezey nose this morning. I fly across the country in four days to a conference I can't afford to miss. Is there anything I can do now to minimize the likelihood of making everyone else sick on my plane and at my conference? I'm hoping this is just a cold -- I did get the flu shot months ago and I don't feel bad beyond the congestion -- but there's a lot of nasty stuff going around, and the idea of being any kind of disease vector on an airplane makes me cringe.

I basically cannot get down with the sickness.

woodvine — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:56:16 -0800

Help! I'm starting my new job tomorrow and I think I'm getting sick. YANMD. I'm in Boston. I fly to North Carolina tomorrow for training. I'll be there for two days. I'm all packed and ready to head for the airport tomorrow morning.

About six hours ago, I noticed a throat tickle. This has progressed into the little girl's plea from Chloraseptic commercials of old: "It hurts when I swallow!"

This is my first job out of college, and it's basically my dream job. I've already rescheduled my training days once due to delays in moving across the country. I'm really worried that if I reschedule again, especially at the last minute like this, I will look totally unreliable.

I haven't had strep throat since I was a kid, but this feels like what the beginnings of that felt like. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I had a flu shot a month ago, so this (hopefully) isn't the beginnings of that.

What do I do if I wake up tomorrow morning and can't talk? Will I be infecting everyone within radius if I go ahead and go? Is there anything I can do tonight or tomorrow before I get on the plane at 8 am to mitigate this? Am I overreacting to a little sore throat? (I'm not miserable or anything, but there's definitely a problem.)

How do I stop being irrationally paranoid about getting sick?

windbox — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:25:40 -0800

I leave for a much much much needed vacation tomorrow that I've been looking forward to for the past two months. As more and more people around me (family, friends, coworkers) have been getting sick during this nasty flu season, I have been super paranoid about getting the flu myself just in time to spoil my vacation. I started feeling really achy and fatigued last night, but maybe it has more to do with other things? I got a flu shot a little over two weeks ago and that definitely quelled a little bit of my fear, but last night at around 6 I started feeling incredibly tired and sort of achy in an onset-sickness way. I also woke up this morning with some very slight, dull body aches, though I'm wondering if this is a result of the fact that the weather where I live just went from below freezing, to 65 and humid, to raining and flood warnings - in about 72 hours - and maybe my body is reacting weirdly to it. I do not have a temperature.

Either way, I'm super paranoid about getting sick. I should probably stop worrying so much, leave for my trip anyway as long as I don't have a temp, but not sure how to chill the hell out. I'm putting myself in a position where I'm either a) not going to enjoy myself because I'll just be paranoid about if and when these onset symptoms are going to turn into a full-blown sickness or b) going to placebo effect/confirmation-bias myself into thinking that I am actually getting sick or actually sick, by mentally exacerbating my "symptoms". I realize this may be one of the more neurotic questions, but how do I reduce my anxiety about this over the next 24 hours, and just let myself be excited and enjoy myself?

Sick kitty, low on cash.

greta simone — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:14:02 -0800

My cat is sick. I have next to no money. Is there a really-truly-worth it pet insurance company you recommend? Or is there a place I can apply for financial assistance? These are the details:

My cat, Greta, which is also this Greta, is a 10 year old female DSH, spayed, indoor-only cat. She's been showing bad symptoms and I have been taking her to a vet I'm really happy with (I have seen other, [only-slightly] cheaper vets in the city that I have not been as happy with. We have been putting her through some tests to figure out what's wrong with her. Best-case-scenario: She has a kidney disease I will have to treat her for for the rest of her life. Worst-case-scenario: Cancer.

I've already spent $600 on tests and visits alone over the past two weeks, and we haven't yet figured out what the deal is, but either way, I know I will be spending more money in the coming weeks to figure it out. I spoke with the vet about costs and my options. While they don't offer a payment plan, they offer essentially a line of credit that I could use to pay for the visits. I researched the line of credit, which would only offer so much, at a 27% apr. I looked into my existing credit and I can extend my current credit line the same amount as the vet-credit offered, at my existing 14% apr. So I have extended my credit the allowed amount. This is still not much (I know because I've spent as much for less serious but still critical care in the past) and will likely not cover the worst-case-scenarios. I am already struggling to pay my own bills as it is, though obviously I am working on that. I have nothing of any value to sell that isn't of vital importance.

My cat is not in any pain, and is otherwise healthy enough. My vet said that whatever it is, it has been caught early (according to the rate at which blood indicators show) so I have no plans to put her down in the event of worst-case-scenario, and fully plan on giving her treatments for whatever until things tip the scale to where she is in pain.

So I'm seeking a few options:

#1) I have heard of organizations or groups that offer some free assistance to people that can't afford treatments. Do you know of any groups where I can apply for such a thing? I'm in NYC if that's relevant.

#2) Are there any pet insurance companies that are actually worth the value that will cover serious care for an already aging cat? I can probably scrounge up $50 a month to pay a premium, but not the $500 every few weeks that I've already had to do.

Also, my cat is very sensitive to new environments and people and other animals (and my absence) so any suggestions to rehouse her with someone who could pay are not acceptable, as rehousing her would be as much of a blow to her quality of life as an untreated illness. I am only seeking suggestions on how to afford her care.

Please help. Thank you.

Going to work with the flu

odawg — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:03:01 -0800

Do I really need to stay home with the flu? Despite my cocky insistence that it wouldn't happen to me, I have succumbed, and succumbed hard, to this flu that has been infecting everybody lately. Of course, I have been staying at home - not only have I been feeling really crappy, but, as everybody reminds me, it is pretty inconsiderate to expose my office to my germs. But as I was thinking about it more, I started to have some reservations. I work in a huge company, in a giant skyscraper, in the middle of Manhattan. I would say that in a typical day, 100% of my co-workers come into close proximity (on the subway, in the streets ,in the lobby, on the elevator, throughout the office, etc., etc...) to hundreds of people and the various concoctions of germs, bacteria, and viruses that these hundreds of people are transmitting. So, if you add me to the mix, does it really make a difference? If people are going to get sick, they're going to get sick, and my decision to stay home would be moot. Or can I just continue to play video games and watch movies in bed guilt-free?

How risky is poor food handling?

Che boludo! — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:33:51 -0800

What are the odds of actually getting sick from poor food handling at home? How can I convince family members their food hygiene is at worst deadly, at best simply gross. Let me know if I'm overreacting here please. I just saw my mom put raw hamburger, hamburger buns, and cheese on the same plate to take outside and throw on the grill. When she or my father are done cooking they will put the cooked burgers back onto the plate, bring it inside, and eat.

They also tend to cook pork roasts on the grill and put it back on the same plate they brought it to the grill in. I mean right back into the puddle of uncooked juice.

My mom will thaw chicken on the counter (in its packaging)(at least she always roasts chicken in the oven destroying the potentially nasty stuff that comes in chicken). My brother and I caught her cutting ham on the counter where she was later making turkey sandwiches, right on the counter, no plate no paper towel, nothing.

Wet towels and sponges are left soaking in the sink. Cooked foods are left for hours out of the refrigerator in the pots they were cooked in.

I tell them their food handling practices are not good. "We've been doing this 50 years and never got sick" they reply. They frequently entertain and cook for my 83 year old grandmother and very young children.

I have taken on the cooking cooking duties when I am around as much as possible (of which they are always grateful for the help) or avoiding eating their food by making my own meals.

I'm definitely of the Alton Brown school of food safety. I know he's a little anal and neurotic about this subject. So are people gonna die salmonella over here or what?

What can I do about a sick person who insists on coming to work?

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:32:35 -0800

My clearly ill coworker refuses to go home. My coworker is very clearly ill and has been all week. She coughs - no exaggeration - almost constantly. She is obviously congested, she said she was "really bad" this weekend with fever and fatigue. She finally left early (but only an hour early!) yesterday after infecting the office with her coughing all day. I told her not to come back today if she still feels ill because I really don't want to get the flu. She said she didn't want to make me sick. She was there today, same thing. I asked her if she at least had antibacterial hand sanitizer at her desk and she said no.

Multiple people have told her to go home and says she has stuff to do, she's not contagious, etc. As she is on my team, I know there is nothing she has to do that either we couldn't do ourselves or that could wait. However, I am not her manager so I can't force her to leave. People have asked our manager to have her leave and he said he's been telling her and she won't go. So he would have to force her to go, which I think he's reluctant to do because she can be difficult about some things (whole different story). I thought about calling HR, but I like my manager (as well as my coworker, who is otherwise excellent) and as I can't report it anonymously, I don't want to be the one stirring the pot.

I'm relatively certain she will be in tomorrow. If she still seems unwell, I am going to point blank ask her to please go home. She will likely refuse again. What can I do at that point? I am already washing my hands a lot and I may tell her not to come near my desk or give me any of the paperwork she normally does because I have never had the flu and I really, really do not want to get it. Or maybe I'm overreacting and if so, please let me know. It would be one thing if it were just a cold, which I wouldn't really care about, but I am a little aggravated that someone who is obviously sick would knowingly spread their germs around when it's something that could be potentially bad like the flu.

Fwiw, I got a flu shot, but the doctor says it can take two weeks to become effective. Also, she is hourly but I know she has PTO.

So Sick of Being Sick

rollbiz — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:59:36 -0800

Any thoughts on whether this is viral/something you've heard of going around, or whether it might be time to find a new doctor soon? From about the 20th to the 25th, I had what was easily identifiable as a bad cold or flu. Mostly head symptoms, stuffy/runny, weak, so on. Maybe a bit of a fever, maybe not (lost my thermometer but definitely woke up sweaty a few times). Then, thankfully, I started to feel better...until suddenly I didn't.

Last Wednesday, I started to feel really lousy but in a different way. Cough but not really a productive one, dizzy/lightheaded, fatigued, nausea (no vomiting), no appetite. More concerning was that I had a bit of pain and soreness in my left chest, shoulder, and arm. I would also feel like my heart was thudding after even small amounts of physical activity, although my pulse didn't seem to be wildly high when I would check. I started to worry that it could be a heart attack, so I went to the ER. Tests (EKG, blood enzyme, CT scan) all came back fine. Was also feeling anxious, but probably because I was working myself up about something potentially being seriously wrong with me. No fever.

The following night, I woke up from a dead sleep feeling really anxious and like my heart was pounding, and what felt like a slight tightness in my chest. Went back to the ER, and a couple more EKGs and blood tests later, they tell me I'm still fine. Also, still no fever.

Went to see my doctor today, and he basically told me he doesn't know what's wrong with me but that he feels comfortable the major stuff is ruled out. Sent me on my way and told me to come back in four months, but didn't really address what to do (and when) if I keep feeling like this (to be fair, I didn't think to ask). Again, no fever.

As it stands, I still have no appetite (I can eat but have no desire to), mild to moderate nausea on and off, dizzy and sort of lightheaded and out of it on and off. Headache on and off. Chest/arm/shoulder soreness and pain on and off, still mostly on my left side. My nose has been a bit stuffy in the last few days, but nothing like it was when I had the traditional cold symptoms two weeks ago. I still have no fever. Sometimes the symptoms are stronger, sometimes they're not bad. Sometimes eating seems to help, sometimes it seems to make things worse. Activity of almost any kind seems to make things worse.

Any thoughts? Any word going around about people having similar sickness, particularly without a fever (I'm in MA)? Any thoughts on how long I should let this continue before I try to approach my doctor (or maybe a different one)? You are, of course, not my doctor.

Is my space heater making me sick or am I just unlucky this year?

Young Kullervo — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:32:32 -0800

I know YANMD, but I am wondering if anyone has been told to cease using a space heater due to chronic pharyngitis or similar illnesses? I have always been a fairly healthy individual but I always come down with ONE fairly awful upper respiratory infection/cold/hay fever/bronchitis when the weather changes in the spring and autumn. That much is predictable. However, this autumn, starting around the beginning of October and ending (hopefully) in early December, I've sick 3 times with, what could have been, chronic pharyngitis or sinus infections/upper respiratory infections that have lasted at least a week or more each. It is also possible I caught every strand of rhinovirus out there within the period of a month because I have been told that this was a particularly brutal year for such things. No one knows. Much like an A student who receives a string of Bs, my initial thought is that "this doesn't happen to ME" so I began looking for possible causes. I am starting to suspect my space heater as a culprit for various reasons.

The first time I came down with the typical symptoms: sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, sneezing, etc. I let it pass without visiting a doctor. Not even a few days after feeling "better" I relapsed fairly harshly after waking up with what felt like a softball lodged in sinus cavity, a sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, and the NEW symptom of blood in my post nasal drip. I finally visited an immediate care clinic and they sent me away with my first ever zpac for pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat). I have no evidence that the zpac was actually necessary or effective because these bouts of illness typically last a week or so regardless, but that is neither here nor there. A few weeks later I woke up yet again with the same symptoms and finally decided to find the cause.

I have not been sick since the 4th of December, but I am thinking there are three things that could have caused this stubborn bouts of illness. Again, still no official diagnosis other than pharyngitis the one time, and every observation below is dreadfully post hoc, but here goes anyway!

1. The vigorous use of a space heater before the onset of symptoms, both at home and in my office. I had stopped using the space heater at home and the office and felt pretty fine over my holiday break. Today I returned to my office and decided to run the heater again because it is flipping freezing in here and I started to feel rather headachey/itchy in the throat almost immediately. Could the abrasive heat from these contraptions be affecting my upper respiratory system? Is this even a thing that happens?

2. Running 3 miles every night in cold weather could also be a factor. I wouldn't run during the illness but after feeling "better" I would start running again and then symptoms returned.

3. It is possible that it has just been a frankly shitty cold and flu season and everyone is getting sick repeatedly and I am no exception. I have been told this by multiple sources, but again my reaction is "But I don't get sick!"

I know my illnesses could probably a combination of all three (and the added bonus of working full-time plus teaching on the side) and I should talk to a doctor about this. I will if it continues for a 4th time but I really just want to know if anyone has had a similar experiences and if their doctor recommended scrapping their space heaters? If and when I do visit the doctor should I even bring it up as a concern? Or perhaps I shouldn't use my exercise or space heater as a scapegoat (because I really like it, my office is cold always) and just cope with the fact that my case is the same as a vast majority's this year? Thanks always!

OH GOD STAY AWAY

apip — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:25:42 -0800

Housemate has strep throat. How can I avoid contracting it? So one of my housemates found out today that he has strep -- he's been sick since Saturday. We've all been pretty good about washing hands, cleaning handles/doors/switches with those anti-microbial wipes, and trying to get the sick guy to stay out of the living room (or just blocking ourselves in our rooms when he comes out).

Any other tips for halting the spread of strep? Is he even virulent anymore?

Feelings are stupid.

kat518 — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:46:53 -0800

How do you take care of a sick significant other without feeling resentful? My husband has been sick for more than a week with general cold symptoms - sore throat, cough, runny nose, congestion, headache, swollen glands, etc. We just got back from visiting my family for the holidays - left on Friday, came back today and he was pretty much sick in bed the whole time. In that time, we barely talked - he hasn't been up and about and most of the times I checked on him, he was sleeping.

I've gotten him a humidifier, neti pot, medicine, soup, juice, etc. I made him matzo ball soup. I offered to take him to the doctor and called around to find a place that was open where he could go. I eventually called my sister who is a doctor to ask what we should do and she gave us some great advice.

My problem, and I really feel badly about this, is that I feel resentful towards him for being sick. I know it's not his fault that he's sick and he's obviously less happy than I am about being sick. He keeps breaking my heart because he says things like, I'm trying so hard to get better and he's going to make me feel proud of him for getting better. I'm trying to do the right thing. But part of me just wants to be like, dude, just. stop. coughing.

I'm trying to put my finger on why I feel resentful. He didn't spend much time with my family. Being with my family around the holidays is kind of stressful and he hasn't really been there. I know that's not his fault but I'm just frustrated. I miss my best friend and I want him to get better.

I also feel like a jerk because I"m a little annoyed that he's been sick for over a week and I think that he should go to a doctor. I don't think one should have a cold for more than a week - if it lasts for more than a week, I think it's usually not a cold but something else and a doctor would help him figure that out. When I tried to get him to go to a doctor, he said that he didn't think the doctor would be able to do anything because it's just a virus. But dude, maybe he will and then you will get better faster - isn't that worth going to the doctor?

He's taken care of me before but I usually feel like we're a team and I haven't felt that way lately. I did the shopping for my family for Christmas, bought stocking stuffers, wrapped presents and made cookies, with very little help from him - not a big deal but I would have appreciated some help. I checked us in for our flights, which he usually does, I packed for us, found out what times we needed to be on the train to get to the airport, etc.

I feel sad because I have this weird feeling like I want him to "make it up to me" when I know that he doesn't have anything to make up to me! I just want him to get better! But that feeling is in the back of my head. Plus this weekend we're going to visit his family and if he spends the whole weekend in bed again, I kind of don't want to go. I love my in-laws but I need him there as a buffer, and not there up in his bedroom. I know I can't make him get better and he'll probably be better just because he wants to see his family but I think I will feel unhappy if he spends the whole weekend in bed again.

And dude, seriously, you shouldn't be so sick that you spend several days (all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday, most of the day Tuesday, about half of the day today because we were traveling) sick in bed. He has health insurance. I think the medicine he's taking (DayQuil and such) says that you shouldn't take it for more than a few days at a time without seeing a doctor. And he said he thought he accidentally took too much the other day and thought his heart was racing. He's also just drained from being sick - I'll ask him if he wants medicine or soup and over the last two days, he just shrugs.

This also makes me feel like I'm going to be a terrible parent in the future. If I can't take care of my husband, how am I ever going to take care of kids?

TL; DR - I feel like the worst person ever because I feel resentful towards my husband for being sick. Have any of you felt this way when caring for a sick loved one? How did you deal with it?

Stretches in bed?

JJkiss — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:08:22 -0800

What are the best stretches I can do or device I can buy in order to stretch while I'm bed ridden for a week? I have upcoming facial surgery which will not effect my body and I'd like to at least use this time to do extreme stretch and get closer to splits etc. It isn't feasible to be in the splits postion for extended periods of time as it's very strenuous to hold yourself up in that postion. I'm interested in other stretches as well. I'm happy to buy bars, bands or anything to make this process easier.

I went down to St. James Infirmary...

Reverend John — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:34:29 -0800

I'm sick Metafilter. I'm in a bad way and I want your advice. I have a nasty case of the flu. I visited my doctor yesterday morning, and she diagnosed me with the flu, though the nasal swab test she gave me was negative for Flu A and Flu B. At the time I thought I was getting better, but now I think I've taken a turn for the worse. I'm contemplating going to the emergency room, and I'd like your advice on how I should decide whether or not to go, when to go, if I should bring someone with me, and anything else I should ask or do. I know you're not my doctor. I'm going to visit my doctor's sick call hours first thing in the morning if I don't go to the ER. That's in about 11 hours. First, I live in the northern Chicagoland suburbs. Lake County, Il. I'll probably go to either Condell or Lake Forest (Condell is closer but LF is where my doctor is on staff). Is either of these significantly better? Or should I consider a third choice? My parents, and brothers and sisters all live in Northern Cook County, so if I went to say, Northwest Community Hospital I would be very close to them if I wanted them to come along. Or if there's another hospital that's just out of sight for putting you right I could go there if it wasn't too far.

Should I call one of my family members and ask them to come with me? My wife can't, she needs to stay home with the kids. Or can I trust that everything will be ok.

I've been sick since last saturday, though I've been at my worst Monday afternoon and evening, and today since 5 today, when I started a sudden chill. When I visited the doctor they measured my temperature externally with a wand at my forehead at 97.9. Earlier today I measured my temperature orally with an electronic thermometer and it read 96.9. I haven't measure it since I started experiencing chills. I've just been resting, but now I'm fealing so hot and weak that I'm starting to worry that I'm in worse trouble than I thought and better get this addressed sooner rather than later.

I've been getting rest and fluids, and mostly chicken soup to eat. A couple of hours ago I thought I was on the mend, now I don't know what to think.

Thanks for your advice, Metafilter!

How do I stop getting sick on tour?

FuckingAwesome — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 01:18:30 -0800

How do I stop getting sick on tour? I sing (shout) in a heavy metal band - we go on tour fairly regularly and I invariably get sick after a week or so.

I put this down to a combination of: lack of sleep, lack of decent food, cold weather, and long periods of inactivity combined with short periods of intense activity.

My question is: What vitamins / supplements / anything else can I take in order to boost my immune system whilst I'm away?

NB: I am a vegan.

Thanks!

Recent nicknames: Sickie, Boogernose

sucre — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:30:42 -0800

This cold is making me crazy. Help me feel better! I work in early childhood special ed, and therefore get coughed on quite often. Today is Day 10 of a darned bad cold. It started as a very sore throat and very tender, swollen glands and moved to a nose full of gunk and a tickly chest cough (sometimes dry and sometimes quite congested). The cough has woken me up a few times during the night.

On Sunday, I visited a clinic and was told I had a cold. I have asthma, and have experienced bronchitis and pneumonia in the past. This feels bronchitis-y to me, but the PA checked my lungs and all sounded good in there. I am on the highest dose of Alvesco, a long term inhaler.

I have not had a fever during this time, but I have felt clammy.

Things I've done: used Emergen-C, drank tons and tons of water, OJ, and hot ginger/honey concoction, used vaporiser, slept with elevated head, used Nyquil and Nighttime Alka Seltzer on different nights (neither had much of an effect but the Alka Seltzer made me super groggy the next morning), used Mucinex daily (the one with just the expectorant), used my rescue inhaler regularly, taken ibuprofen, taken melatonin to sleep.

This is a long question for a measly cold, but I feel awful. My abs ache from coughing! Basically, I never knew a cold could be this bad, because I tend to get something worse than a cold. I will head back to the clinic in the next few days to get a second opinion, if I don't improve.

Any ideas on how I can feel better?

Sick Kitty

galvanized unicorn — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:55:09 -0800

Can you help me figure out what caused my cat to have an allergic reaction? My 3 year-old cat, Tahlia, was very sick last night. She vomited several times and seemed to lose control of her bowels, leaving a messy trail throughout the house. I took her to the emergency vet and he noticed that her ears and the skin around her eyes had turned a pinkish color. He said it must have been an allergic reaction to something that caused the GI. Shots of antihistamine and anti-nausea and a huge bill later, we took her home and she seems to be perfectly fine.

We have another cat and two dogs with no issues. I've kept Tahlia confined so that we can keep an eye on her litterbox usage and water levels. I searched everywhere for something toxic that she might have encountered, but couldn't find anything. We've had no changes to her food lately and all household chemicals were safely out of reach. She has never had a health issue before. Now I'm scared to let her out into the house for fear that this will happen again.

Has something like this ever occurred with your cats? Do you have any suggestions for what she may be allergic to?

In sickness and in health

3491again — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:58:23 -0800

What are your expectations for your boyfriend/girlfriend caring for you when you get sick with a cold? I have a lot of issues around feeling cared for because my parents were neglectful and abusive.

They were pretty awful when I needed help as a child -- letting me sit in my own vomit, for example. Or not getting me glasses when my eyesight was so poor I couldn't see the blackboard at school.

Now I'm dating someone seriously and I'm not sure what to expect. We've been together for almost a year, are very close, but don't live together. We've had super serious conversations about the future.

At the moment, I'm not super sick, but I have a stuffed up nose and low fever. He's across town at his parents' house. I know he'd be there for me if I went to the hospital or needed crutches or something, but I'm not sure how to handle minor health issues.

So, Mefites in happy, healthy relationships, how does this work for you?

- Do you ask your SO for help? Do they just offer?
- Do they rush across town if you have a cold?
- How do they help you? What do they specifically do?
- What are reasonable expectations for help with minor things?

AND

- Do you have issues like mine related to being cared for? How did you get over them and learn what was appropriate to ask for as far as help?

Sick of getting sick!

bquarters — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:38:33 -0800

How can I stop getting sick? I teach High School and am constantly run down. I eat healthy, go to bed ridiculously early to get up early, exercise, and wash hands as often as possible (and have wipes in classroom) but it is pretty much impossible to stay healthy in a non-healthy atmosphere. Now I go to accupuncture, recently took antibiotics for a chest infection (contracted first week of school) and feel like I am getting sick again (third week of school). I am in contact with 120 teenagers a day, custodians clean only the floor by sweeping (no other surfaces) and I try to stay as clean as possible but since I am trapped in a room (ie touch any school doors after washing hands- hands dirty again, despite now trying to clean immediate surfaces in morning with wipes, or need to take assignments etc from students and so on, there is simply no easy way to get around a great deal of communal touching, nor am I in control of the air temperature and carry many layers with me.). Note: I am not paranoid about my health, I have just worked in schools for 10 years and get sick wayy too often between Sept and June. I have to go to bed insanely early to get enough sleep to wake up at 5:30 am and have to use weekends as "downtime" to recover, therefore my own social life suffers. However if I 'push it' by exercising more or going out more- BAM, sick again. Is there anything I am overlooking besides the usual don't touch your face, take vitamin C etc?

I guess it's a two part question. How can I stop getting sick so much, and how can I fit in my own interests and needs better without getting excessively run down?

Additional notes:I am aware of previous questions and even reference myself here. This has happened to me in different buildings in different countries so it is not just my particular present place of work.

I heard that you were feeling ill ...

lunasol — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:27:37 -0800

I have a cold/flu thing. What can I do to speed my recovery as much as possible? I started feeling sick on Wednesday night. At first I was just a bit congested, and I went to work yesterday (Thursday) morning for a meeting, but by noon I knew I had a fever and had to go home. I got about 10 hours of (Nyqui-assisted) sleep last night, but actually feel worse today.

My symptoms are fever, headache, body aches (mostly in my torso), slight congestion and a nasty cough.

What I'm doing:

- Taking it easy. Doing a tiny bit of easy work, but mostly watching TV and sleeping.
- Taking a small dose of dayquil during the day to be less in pain, and nyquil at night to sleep. Do these drugs slow healing?
- Drinking lots of liquids: water, emergen-C (made with hot water and honey) and orange juice.
- Eating as healthy as possible: yesterday I ate mostly chicken, rice and salad.

Normally I'd just figure I'm going to be sick as long as I'm sick and deal with it, but I'm working on a political campaign and election day is just over a month away. I would really love to be back in commission by Monday. Is there anything I can add to my current regime to speed my recovery? I have a drugstore pretty close to me.

Skinny people die

msleann — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:16:48 -0800

I have been overweight all my life, as has all of my family. I have noticed that as we age, get sick, and eventually die, between the sick and die part they get skinny! So each time I lose weight and look at myself I look like a cancer patient waiting to die and I gain it back. I've talked to a counselor who did a lot of hmmm and mmms which was too expensive to repeat. Any ideas how to fix my psyche and eventually fix my physique?

sick of being sick, how to keep my chin up?

lifethatihavenotlivedyet — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:55:34 -0800

I'm sick and depressed and I don't know how to stop it I've had the worst year ever - three separate, consecutive major injuries - one that meant I had to quit my sport, which was my favourite thing in the world, one that cost me my job, and a third that forced me to take a week and a half off my new job cos I couldn't walk, and has meant I've been unable to run (best way for me to get in a good headspace) for 2 months. Finally, my foot seems pretty much healed, but I've had flu for the past 2 weeks. I can't go to work when I'm sick because I work with people with compromised immune systems. I've spent soooo much money on diagnosis and treatment for my injuries, and have no sick leave accrued in my new job. I'm lucky that my parents are helping me out financially but I'm 28 years old and just want to get ahead and be independent again and feel like a "real" adult with something to contribute and be proud of. I live alone and 2 friends have come to visit while I've had flu but I'm a very social, physically active person so this flu is really wearing me down emotionally. I've had some success with choosing to be positive etc but it's challenging to maintain and I'm starting to wonder if my luck really will turn around, cos I've told myself it would so many times this year already. I feel like I HAVE to get better by tomorrow but I'm afraid I won't (I still had a temperature last night). Rationally I know that there's nothing I can do about that this but I feel almost embarrassed that this is happening and it's somehow my fault. I don't want to burden my friends with more of my depressed complaining cos I've already relied on them so much. I want to get back to being the positive person I generally am but I feel overwhelmed. The things I'd usually do (exercise, go spearfishing, partying etc) are off the table. The only things I can think of to do might be write letters/cards to send to my friends to surprise them. I feel really unmotivated to do anything at all, even watch a movie, cos what's the point? I just want to be better so I can get on with my life. How can I accept this situation and stop being so afraid I'll lose my job if I have to call in sick for a few more days? How can I stop feeling like this all reflects poorly on me? How can I reassure myself that I will get better? What things can I do to create and maintain a positive mindset when I'm sliding back into being depressed?