OT: How to quickly get rid of a cold?

[storrsroars]

My dad's "cold medicine" was whiskey, lemon jiuce, and honey. He swore by it.

Oddly enough, to people outside the family, he bragged about never being sick.

My mother would give me that once she thought I was old enough to handle it. Apparently she thought 8 was old enough.

Like others mentioned, wife tested positive last Monday. Caught it from work. We'd both had the flu two weeks earlier and tested negative, and she wasn't going to bother getting tested until she got an email that her boss and one other she works closely with had it. Not a horrible strain of it, but she's still got some symptoms five days later.

Wife also turned me on to Airborne for colds. Unlike 8893 I load up my chicken soup with onions, garlic and carrots as they all have medicinal qualities. And it tastes better.

Wife also notes Paxlovid has an astoundingly vile aftertaste.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Tried this once on a whim and while it wasn't 100% effective it certainly helped

Clear a stuffy nose or clogged sinus

 

[uconnfan68]

Came down with Covid this week with those exact same symptoms. When I said to my doctor, I thought it was just the cold that's going around. My doctor said, 99% of the cold that's going around is covid.

If it's covid, and you have any health issues, consider asking for a Paxlovid prescription. I tolerated it well--no effects at all.

Otherwise, stay active if you can; don't lay down other than sleep; mucilex, fluids, gatorade, and stay active.

That meant for me doing chores around the house and in the back yard, sitting up watching TV, getting up to pee from all the gallons of fluids.

No after effects but terrible taste while taking the pills.

 

[8893]

I took a covid test around lunch time and it came back negative, I had covid in December, if that makes a difference.

What's weird is that I had a nasty cold just three weeks ago, so the timing of this is strange. Obviously there's a variety of cold viruses, but I haven't been double whammy-ed with colds this quickly since my first year of teaching. Makes sense though, since I imagine all of our immune systems have been out of practice these last few years.

I definitely feel guilt/shame even though this is totally out of my control. If I miss part of or all of the trip, it will be more taxing for the other teachers (just six of us in total), so maybe one option is take a train down Tuesday to give it another day's rest and just wear a mask all trip to avoid infecting others.

Avelo is flying to BWI daily now out of Tweed.

 

[Fishy]

Late last night, I woke up with a wicked sore throat and have slogged through today in a general sense of yuck (low fever, aches, headache, etc). Compounded to this is my seasonal oak allergies, which are sky high due to all the gross stringy stuff and dust everywhere.

Normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm chaperoning a school trip to DC starting early on Monday through late Thursday and need to recoup fast.

What's your quick fix remedy?

There is no such thing.

Rest and pray.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Ivermectin.

 

[Get a Job]

This thread is a randomized controlled nightmare. Talk to your doctor and ignore us all (except me).

 

[HuskyHawk]

Late last night, I woke up with a wicked sore throat and have slogged through today in a general sense of yuck (low fever, aches, headache, etc). Compounded to this is my seasonal oak allergies, which are sky high due to all the gross stringy stuff and dust everywhere.

Normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm chaperoning a school trip to DC starting early on Monday through late Thursday and need to recoup fast.

What's your quick fix remedy?

Dude you have a man cold. That’s pretty much the worst, most dreadful illness of them all.

 

[upstater]

No after effects but terrible taste while taking the pills.

Yes, that is true. Metallic taste after

 

[temery]

 

[Rocktheworld]

A cold is the sniffles.

Fever and aches are flu/COVID.

 

[uconnever]

Test again and people are reporting getting Covid 2 or three times. The other thing we forget is that we wore masks for a year and some of us still do in certain indoor situations. We also didn't go out a lot so we weren't exposed to the normal soup of bugs and pollen. My wife had the first symptom free pollen season of her life.

I was gonna say this, since I have starting wearing a mask, I have not gotten sick. It’s been 2 years and nothing. I always get a nasty cold or two every year, but the mask has definitely helped me and I recognized it and still wear it for that reason when I’m indoors out in public. I feel a little out of place because not many people are wearing them now and my friends make fun of me, but I really believe that’s why I haven’t gotten sick these last two years because it’s the only thing I’ve done differently.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Dude you have a man cold. That’s pretty much the worst, most dreadful illness of them all.

Haha, that was totally me last night.

My wife was basically guilt convinced me that I'm acting sicker than I actually am because I don't want to go on the DC trip (the same trip she's going on too). She's probably right. Comparatively, I'm a baby with any illness where she doesn't say a peep.

I'm in Day 2 of the 'cold' and I've already moved onto the congested stage: no fever or sore throat, just feeling crappy and stuffed. Strong chance it's just extreme allergies (I'm allergic to oak and did lawn work Friday evening and oak strings/dust was everywhere).

Before any big trip, even ones I'm excited about, I tend to "get sick" (mostly stomach issue) but I guess that's what living with anxiety does to me. Honestly, if I were able to sleep through the night without stress dreams, I'd probably be close to 100%. This will be a new experience for me and I haven't slept much all week due to anticipation. I'll probably feel great by Tuesday morning when I wake up in my hotel room.

 

[Hankster]

Test yourself for Covid. There's a fair chance that's what you have in which case you're not going anywhere on Monday. Those are the exact symptoms my wife has had and she tested positive for Covid (and did again today a week and a half later).

Same here. Get tested. I used the home test kit delivered by the Post Office. Same symptoms. Fool's Cold. Feeling much much better. The VA won't give me a booster unless I am symptom free. I have zero idea how I picked it up.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

 

[dennismenace]

I took a covid test around lunch time and it came back negative, I had covid in December, if that makes a difference.

What's weird is that I had a nasty cold just three weeks ago, so the timing of this is strange. Obviously there's a variety of cold viruses, but I haven't been double whammy-ed with colds this quickly since my first year of teaching. Makes sense though, since I imagine all of our immune systems have been out of practice these last few years.

I definitely feel guilt/shame even though this is totally out of my control. If I miss part of or all of the trip, it will be more taxing for the other teachers (just six of us in total), so maybe one option is take a train down Tuesday to give it another day's rest and just wear a mask all trip to avoid infecting others.

I worked in education for a number of years and I can't think of a better "incubator" for viruses, germs and everything that can make you sick than a school building. Part of this problem is and has been parents bringing their children in when they are symptomatic. The conflict of getting immediate childcare and/or work conflicts (staying home) is a big one. Even if that could be solved in those places sicknesses are bound to rampage through them. Bright side is you develop a pretty hardy immune system

Good luck "Hey Adrien" and thanks to all the posters on this thread for the timely information.

 

[tomtom80]

It's called a Hottie Tottie. Named by grandma's throughout the ages.

Yea that was the “elixir” in my house growing up. Even called it the same

I used to fake a cold sometimes to get one

 

[NJHusky]

Same here. Get tested. I used the home test kit delivered by the Post Office. Same symptoms. Fool's Cold. Feeling much much better. The VA won't give me a booster unless I am symptom free. I have zero idea how I picked it up.

If u got covid that is your booster

 

[UCHuskies08]

Late last night, I woke up with a wicked sore throat and have slogged through today in a general sense of yuck (low fever, aches, headache, etc). Compounded to this is my seasonal oak allergies, which are sky high due to all the gross stringy stuff and dust everywhere.

Normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm chaperoning a school trip to DC starting early on Monday through late Thursday and need to recoup fast.

What's your quick fix remedy?

You really think the Boneyard is the place to solicit medical advice?

Also, you have COVID. I just had it last week, same symptoms. It's not a cold, stop calling it a cold. You have COVID.

 

[District-Husky]

Sounds like what me and my family had 3 weeks ago - and it was covid. Pretty mild. No meds. Had flu like symptoms for about 24 hours and then annoying cough / sore throat / tired for about a week. Tested negative on every rapid but positive on PCR.

 

[aburks41]

Haha, that was totally me last night.

My wife was basically guilt convinced me that I'm acting sicker than I actually am because I don't want to go on the DC trip (the same trip she's going on too). She's probably right. Comparatively, I'm a baby with any illness where she doesn't say a peep.

I'm in Day 2 of the 'cold' and I've already moved onto the congested stage: no fever or sore throat, just feeling crappy and stuffed. Strong chance it's just extreme allergies (I'm allergic to oak and did lawn work Friday evening and oak strings/dust was everywhere).

Before any big trip, even ones I'm excited about, I tend to "get sick" (mostly stomach issue) but I guess that's what living with anxiety does to me. Honestly, if I were able to sleep through the night without stress dreams, I'd probably be close to 100%. This will be a new experience for me and I haven't slept much all week due to anticipation. I'll probably feel great by Tuesday morning when I wake up in my hotel room.

This isn't related to your cold but I used to get the stomach issue with anxiety all the time when going on a trip or starting a new job, etc. I wouldn't be able to eat anything for a few days and would feel like total garbage. I used to get pretty bad panic attacks (the ones where you think you are dying and having trouble breathing) when I was growing up but then a few years ago my doctor put me on a low dose of lexapro and it completely changed my life. No more anxiety, no more panic attacks, and no more stress from worrying about potentially getting anxiety.

I have had zero side effects from it too so it doesn't even make me any different in my normal everyday life (unlike some strong anxiety medicines such as xanax or klonopin). You should talk to your doctor about it, it might honestly change your life if you deal with anxiety on a regular basis.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

This isn't related to your cold but I used to get the stomach issue with anxiety all the time when going on a trip or starting a new job, etc. I wouldn't be able to eat anything for a few days and would feel like total garbage. I used to get pretty bad panic attacks (the ones where you think you are dying and having trouble breathing) when I was growing up but then a few years ago my doctor put me on a low dose of lexapro and it completely changed my life. No more anxiety, no more panic attacks, and no more stress from worrying about potentially getting anxiety.

I have had zero side effects from it too so it doesn't even make me any different in my normal everyday life (unlike some strong anxiety medicines such as xanax or klonopin). You should talk to your doctor about it, it might honestly change your life if you deal with anxiety on a regular basis.

Glad you've been feeling better!

I started noticing anxiety/panic symptoms towards the end of college but my peak occurred after a rough month-long trip to the Philippines where I showed symptoms very similar to what you shared. Some days, going to the mall or even the grocery store would cause major panic attacks. That was the longest I was consecutively in therapy (about a year) with lots of stuff from my childhood having to work through me.

Never took medication, but talk therapy was amazing for me just hearing things out from a very objective point of view. A major win was that I faced my fear of long-term intimacy (my parents having a mostly amicable divorce when I was 11 really had some long-term effects on me) and ended up marrying the women I was dating while I was going through therapy (we'll celebrate our seven year anniversary this summer).

I meditate every day, try to eat well, exercise and just try to think/live more mindfully to be a generally happy and good person. Generally, I need to be more OK with stretching my comfort zone and this DC trip is a good example of that. I'm a pretty adaptable person. In general, once I'm exposed to something and, like most people who live with anxiety, I show almost no physical signs when I deal with it. The general affect most people perceive of me is pretty low-key and calm, my wife calls "golden lab vibes", even when I'm working through stuff.

Wow, that was more than I planned on writing, but thanks for allowed space for some catharsis.

 

[aburks41]

Glad you've been feeling better!

I started noticing anxiety/panic symptoms towards the end of college but my peak occurred after a rough month-long trip to the Philippines where I showed symptoms very similar to what you shared. Some days, going to the mall or even the grocery store would cause major panic attacks. That was the longest I was consecutively in therapy (about a year) with lots of stuff from my childhood having to work through me.

Never took medication, but talk therapy was amazing for me just hearing things out from a very objective point of view. A major win was that I faced my fear of long-term intimacy (my parents having a mostly amicable divorce when I was 11 really had some long-term effects on me) and ended up marrying the women I was dating while I was going through therapy (we'll celebrate our seven year anniversary this summer).

I meditate every day, try to eat well, exercise and just try to think/live more mindfully to be a generally happy and good person. Generally, I need to be more OK with stretching my comfort zone and this DC trip is a good example of that. I'm a pretty adaptable person. In general, once I'm exposed to something and, like most people who live with anxiety, I show almost no physical signs when I deal with it. The general affect most people perceive of me is pretty low-key and calm, my wife calls "golden lab vibes", even when I'm working through stuff.

Wow, that was more than I planned on writing, but thanks for allowed space for some catharsis.

Anxiety is so weird man, when I did the talk therapy a few years ago it was helpful to kind of laugh at the ridiculousness of it. If you think about it, most of those worrying intrusive thoughts have zero basis in reality. That's what helped me get through it until I started on the lexapro - and even now I feel like if the lexapro ended up being a placebo I wouldn't even notice because it gives me peace of mind. Hope you feel better soon and have a good time on the trip

 

[sdb1989]

If you start taking it early enough zinc will help

 

[CL82]

I was gonna say this, since I have starting wearing a mask, I have not gotten sick. It’s been 2 years and nothing. I always get a nasty cold or two every year, but the mask has definitely helped me and I recognized it and still wear it for that reason when I’m indoors out in public. I feel a little out of place because not many people are wearing them now and my friends make fun of me, but I really believe that’s why I haven’t gotten sick these last two years because it’s the only thing I’ve done differently.

Have you been more attentive to washing your hands? Have you been in less social gatherings? Have you gone out to eat less?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

charlie s. was a brilliant dude. from day one of his peanuts miniessays, charlie b's stomach hurts were a constant theme.

nothing new, not uncommon.
and as far as the creator of the world's most popular and recognizable character of fiction, this dude,

charlie s. only felt happy and confident when sitting at his desk, where he felt in control.
all i got is 'eat more yogurt.' at least ur stomach will actually be happy. prolly also helps when fighting a cold or flu.

 

[Get a Job]

Well, did you test or what?

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Well, did you test or what?

I've done a take home Friday, Saturday and earlier today. All negative.

I've been drinking a ton of water as well as hot water w/ lemon/habanero honey/cayenne. I woke up to pee about six times last night, but the sore throat is gone and my stuffiness is about normal level to how bad the allergens are.

I'll go as originally planned, but just to be safe and considerate of others, I'll wear a mask inside the bus (I haven't worn masks since recovering from covid in late December, but I like the idea of wearing a mask when I have a virus, a la Japan) and any other large indoor space.

 

[UconnFanDC]

We don't want them germs here in DC. Lol. Naw take a couple of tablespoon of Braggs apple Cider Vinegar and keep drinking plenty of water and OJ

 

[Dove]

Late last night, I woke up with a wicked sore throat and have slogged through today in a general sense of yuck (low fever, aches, headache, etc). Compounded to this is my seasonal oak allergies, which are sky high due to all the gross stringy stuff and dust everywhere.

Normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm chaperoning a school trip to DC starting early on Monday through late Thursday and need to recoup fast.

What's your quick fix remedy?

Chew on pimento sticks for 20 minutes.