Reply With QuoteYup. Without fail. Having to work seems to supresses the external symptoms of cold. Soon as I'm off, bang, like a recurring nightmare. I wonder if there's science behind it?
I mean it literally, not as a metaphor.
So anyway... again and again, the moment I stop working at the end of the year, I get sick. Fever, headaches, muscle pain, etc. Almost every year, for quite a while now. It's as if the body suddenly decompensates (is that a word?) after a long period of job related exhaustion. I need then a few days of bed rest, some proper medication, then I'm functional again... But Christmas kind of gets effed up.
I am curious if similar things happen to some of you, and how do you deal with them.
Weak cheers,
Christian
Yup. Without fail. Having to work seems to supresses the external symptoms of cold. Soon as I'm off, bang, like a recurring nightmare. I wonder if there's science behind it?
Same here. The cold that I've been fighting for weeks has finally taken hold after 1 day off.
When I worked it was very much the same. Get well soon.
When I was a kid my parents went through a ‘somewhat traumatic’ divorce.
My Mum was working three jobs just to keep us three kids fed.
I remember her going to the Doctor and saying “I can’t cope, I’m going to have a breakdown” to which the Doctor replied “No you won’t..... it’s when you think that you are coping that you’ll have a breakdown, the fact that you’re here seeing me shows that you really are coping”.
I know it’s a bit of a tangent but I think the ‘psychology’ (?) behind it is the same.
In a generally healthy person that is perhaps feeling ‘worn down/stressed out’ etc but with no actual ‘illness’ as such, the body will pack up and take time out to repair itself when it needs to, but only when your mind says it can.
(obviously I don’t mean viruses and stuff or mental health issues but more ‘man flu’ type things where one almost ‘shuts down and recovers’ for a while if that makes sense??)
Self employed?
It happens to me too whenever I manage to take time off.
Yep.
Chest infection signs Wednesday. Today full blown so on steroids antibiotics and drinking Lemsip max like it's tea.
Every bloody year. You could set a watch by it
Happens with my wife every year....she is an overworked Midwife.
Nothing more to say other than 'retirement'.
For the last 2 years I've had the 2 bob bits, so this xmas eve I'm drinking water and eating plain crackers instead of the usual ruby with the boy.
In the offshore oil industry around Christmas - there are probably hundreds of poor workers who come down with a bad dose of Tinselitis......
(usually the ones at home - scheduled to be offshore at Xmas, though)
Headaches and tonsillitis are my Christmas buddies most years. I’ve had one sick day in 2017 like most years as my body saves it all up for Christmas and New Years!
Yeah stomach infection since last Saturday, it's made me even more bad tempered than usual!
I'm sure it's nothing, seems to be all but gone now. My wife is convinced it's this norovirus - anytime any of us get a tummy upset it's bloody norovirus! Living with a hypochondriac.
Burn out
Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I am not an exception at all. Never thought actually that this phenomenon is so frequent... At least now, based on the 'misery loves company ' principle, I'm already feeling better :D
Yeap, when the mind decides that it's ok to crush down a bit, the body follows. The paradox is that, when you could enjoy a bit of well deserved rest... you don't. There's some hidden penalty structure going on, for pushing yourself beyond reasonable limits.
How have you guessed? :))Originally Posted by Dave+63
Ask any teacher - end of term signals a couple of days in bed. Once you relax it all goes a bit wrong!
If it's any consolation I finished up work at the end of September, went on Holidays until the start of November, then joined a gym with the express plan of getting fitter and feeling better. Things were going great; I'd dropped half a stone, was eating right, looking after myself and starting to feel really good for the first time in a good few years. But- at the end of November I got the dreaded lurgy- a terrible cough and a cold. Trying to look after myself in absolute textbook fashion, I retreated to bed and took it very easy for the best part of a fortnight- I didn't go out of the house for over a week. Having thought I'd beat it all, I returned back to light training, only for it to be back with a vengeance. The GP has given me a course of Antibiotics with me diagnosed with a chest infection, and I'm to take it easy again over Christmas. There's some nasty stuff knocking about that's for sure.
So as I say, if any consolation it isn't just work..
Yep, man flu here too.
Luckily its not a total wipe-out cold though. Probably a result of a mad couple of weeks this December - 150hrs in work in 14 days
Echinacea will help, especially at this time of year. Then a decent supplement like epresat or viridian essential male multivit.
Fresh fruit, veg, plenty of rest and no alchohol.
Have a good Christmas. Dave
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Same here, chest infection and sore throat took hold yesterday.
Good job I no longer do Christmas so dont have anything to do as regards preparations etc.
Will stay in bed for the next few days.
fresh ginger, honey, lemon
Really good tip for anything fluey etc, before you go to bed, hot milk, with plenty of turmeric and a dash of black pepper.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Ive upped my daily dose or Echinacea and soluble Vitamin C.
Thanks for the tip - just about to see if I can find some ginger, lemon, turmeric and black pepper in the kitchen. Cant have any dairy products unfortunately.
For me business is full on, manic and constantly looking to evolve my organisation and I am sure running on adrenaline for good amount of the time..
This year has been even more so with big build project at home over the year and losing my father with whom I have worked in varying shapes and forms with over the last 35 years.
I just feel my body letting go as it shuts down this time of year. I also think I become immune to stress and pressure and it does take me a week to speed up again after the break.
Pitch
Echinacea is good but you need to get in there quickly before the lurgy takes hold. It's an immune system primer so good for raising white blood cells against a viral infection but as soon as it goes bacterial it's useless.and antibiotics are the only option. If you end up on steroids, probably prednisolone, then watch our for insomnia. It's the most common side effect and can be very unpleasant, especially if you've no idea why it's happening. As others have said, eat well and 2,000mg of Vit C a day until you feel better. The supermarkets tend to do them in 1,000mg chewable tablets.
If this happens every year then some prevention is probably in order. Start Echinacea and Vit C 2 weeks before you finish work, have a break from the booze, stay hydrated and eat well.
Edit: also maybe look at some adrenal support supplements as this may be your core issue. Adrenals stressed then allowed to relax which means they put you into a slow down. Core vitamins in these supplements are B vitamins, plus adrenal extracts help rebuild the glands. Nutri Advanced do some at a decent enough price
Last edited by Schofie; 23rd December 2017 at 01:29.
I can’t be 100% certain but I believe that blueberries are great for preventing colds. I was one of those poeple who constantly had colds. Pretty much a week with a cold and a week without for at least a decade. I was known as some kind of sickly weakling at work. It was incredibly frustrating. Then two years ago I started eating a portion of blueberries every morning with my breakfast at the insistence of my wife. Since I started that I get only one or two mild colds per year. As I said, could just be coincidence but personally I believe there is a connection. First thing we do on holiday somewhere is find a source of blueberries!
Chest infection here, off to the primary care unit at 8 as advised by 111.
Bronchoforce very effective for chest complaints
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
And N Acetylcysteine. It's a compound that's medically proven to shift heavy mucus from the chest. Readily available on Amazon and 1,200mg per day recommended for that purpose
Had it for two weeks. Just about shifted it now.
Only found out yesterday that you can pay for a flu shot if you aren't of an age where you can get it free.
My youngest son is the only one that didn't get dropped by this nasty flu and he got a flu shot at his primary school.
Certainly going to get one done once I am 100% over it.
Completely unnecessary. Either what you had is the flu, and the fact that your body got rid of it proves that you have more antibodies than what any shot can get you to produce, or it wasn’t in which case the shot will do nothing to prevent it from reoccurring (but the antibodies you produced, will)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I thought the flu shot is preventative?
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Yeah if you've had the flu then you're now effectively immunized. Just get a shot in November next year
Edit: of course if it wasn't a strain of flu then a shot would still potentially protect you if you came into contact with it
Last edited by Schofie; 23rd December 2017 at 09:48.
A flu shot is an injection of a weakened virus that will not make you sick (much) but that will get your body to start producing specific antibodies against it, so that should you be infected by that very virus (one of the problems is the number of variants) your body would react quickly and eliminate it.
If you’ve just had it, your immune system has all the information it needs to fight back the next occurrence.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thats what I originally thought, but I have had full blown flu twice within two months and a chest infection to go with it.
However, point taken. Will wait until next year.
This is perfectly possible. Flu viruses have many variants. Labs wait for the first wave to arrive to produce the vaccine for the right variant; but if a different variant arrives in a second wave the first shot is likely to be mostly ineffective.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
£9 from Tesco pharmacy section.
The pharmacies’ best customers are the self-employed.
Seems like employees don’t recognise the risk/benefit the same
My work gives free flu jab vouchers out to whoever wants one. Out of 140 on site only approx 30 take up the offer.
The message isn't getting across.
Real flu will have you in bed for two weeks, and it will take more weeks to fully recover. if you have any underlying conditions get the jab.
Our flu season follow the Southern Hemispheres. Australia has just had the worse flu season for years. There is some discussion that the flu jab wasn't very effective this year. The WHO decide which strains to cover, and its possible a new strain can come along or mutate during the season. We are well overdue a pandemic.
Very good, I am going to offer it to my staff next year.
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I used to suffer every time I went abroad for my summer holiday. As soon as I stopped work, my body just waved a white flag & shut down.
I started to take 2 weeks holiday, only going away for the second week & using the first one to be ill & recover.
Luckily in recent years this has not been the case, but I’m very aware of my limits these days both from exhaustion & mental health so never let myself get to that stage.
Hope you feel better soon.
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I'm fit as a fiddle but sick of Christmas. It gets worse every year. I'm sick of the whole tinsel, music, sales and plastic cra* routine, sending cards to folks we never see or talk to and probably never will in the future! Bah! Humbug! The less I get involved, the less stressful I find it.
Good manwell worth doing.
Good article on flu today
Winter flu: Should we expect the worst?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42365304
Last edited by Essexman; 23rd December 2017 at 11:28.
I used to get sick when I had a stressful job and lifestyle and took it as I sign to make a few changes - now I’ve got less stress, a little less money but a better life. Rather than medicating the symptoms I took a look at the cause and luckily now I spend more time with the family and feel better at 48 than I did at 30. Still got my hair too!
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I was off work last week for the first time in years. I had awful fever, was wrapped up in bed with tracksuit, dressing gown, quilt and blankets heating on and yet I just couldn't get warm. I was like this for four days then started throwing up as well and finally when I was able to get to the docs last weekend I've been diagnosed with a serious infection in my left lung, so antibiotics and steroids to reduce inflammation.
My other half recorded me while I was sleeping and I sounded like Capt Howdy from the exorcist I sounded possessed and vile. Nearly two weeks on the fever has gone, I'm back to work but far from well, feeling light headed, exhausted and coughing up things I've never coughed up before but I feel far better than a week ago so I'm hoping things are going the right way.
There is some awful stuff around at the moment, everyone I know at work had either been ill or was about to fall badly ill when we shut down for Christmas.
As has been said listen to your body and get to bed if you need to, otherwise it could be a lot worse!
Finished Thursday, felt a bit unwell yesterday and today I’m laid up and can hardly move. Leg ache, chest infection the lot. Am hoping that a day in bed will sort it and yes, the same most years.
It’s my back this morning, woke up 6am feeling fine. Fed the cat then back to bed for an hour or 2 and woke up in agony. Loads of jobs to do but even making it to the bathroom is a struggle.
I see a significant amount of train drivers/guards are feeling a bit under the weather and ruining people's travel plans for Christmas.
Funny how the attitude is different if you work for yourself.
Touch wood I have avoided the lurgy so far after last years debacle, me and the GF both had a horrid virus/cold thing. I had a 4 day shoot on with studios/assistants booked, client coming from overseas etc so had to work through it, I nearly passed out on the train in and had to ask a woman for her seat it was that grim, the sinus pain was so bad I didn't sleep for 2 days, the GF had it worse as she got a chest ear and eye infection and couldn't hear or see properly, they had to give her a second round of stronger antibiotics to try and shift it. We had to stay home and not visit the folks until new year.
Yes, let's mix the height of the flu and cold season, with the largest holiday season of the year. Who's bloody stupid idea was that?
Yup, self employed.......
The pagans
Obvs not the Australian ones though
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Have a 2 year old who was sick as a dog earlier in the week, today i have not been able to stray too far from a toilet and feeling rough as i've ever felt, last year it was bronchitis that hit me for the holidays.
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