head and chest cold season

[Marthe48]

We watch our grand kids and get every cold they get. I use hand sanitizer, vitamin C, eat healthy, don't smoke, don't eat or drink after them, and they have their own kid dishes and cups they use. What else can I do, short of avoiding them, to keep from getting sick?
It seems like every time I got sick the last 3 years, it turns into 3 weeks of sinus and bronchial woes. I guess I'd rather be sick than not get to see them, but I never used to get sick like this and it is hard to take.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Hand sanitizer has been debunked as germ preventive.

Washing hands often IS very helpful, and not touching face after touching kid's stuff until you wash your hands is helpful.
Amazing how often people touch their mouth/nose a day.

And having said that...
Mr. Dixie got a cold after being in the front seat of a car where a kid with a cold was in the back seat.

We have avoided any bugs, otherwise, because we are hermits and rarely around other people.

[Marthe48]

2. I worked from home for 9 years

and wasn't sick for 12 years. So being a hermit works

[otherone]

3. I got bronchitus today so I feel your pain

peace and feel better

[Marthe48]

4. Thanks

Hope you feel better soon. It is no fun, and I have a feeling I am headed into it myself.

[otherone]

7. my prayers are with you

peace and low stress

[trof]

9. Me too, a week ago. Still 'recovering'.

I think I pulled a chest muscle coughing.
Hurts like hell when I do cough.

[Marthe48]

10. Ice? Heat?

My best friends are a hot pack and a cold pack Feel better!

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. Have zinc lozenges handy

At the first hint of a cold, suck on those lozenges constantly.

[Marthe48]

6. Thanks!

I forgot about the zinc

[LiberalElite]

8. Yes. I use Cold-EEZ

I carry a couple with me so in case a sore throat starts, I nip it in the bud with one of these. I swear by them. Occasionally I get a cold anyway, but I swear that stuff works to shorten the duration.

[Marthe48]

11. I use Zycam

I just finished antibiotics for a sinus infection (can't blame the kids for that!) and didn't think of using anything else.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

12. Yep. I swear by cold eez.

It shortens the duration and keeps it out of my chest.

[callous taoboy]

13. I teach second grade. Pull up a chair.

No, I do a lot of hand washing during the day, wiping down surfaces with clorox wipes. I also highly recommend a product called "Kold Kare." I get it through vita cost. I am a little sick right now, but I'm pretty sure that's because there was a delay in shipping my vita cost order. I just took a Kold Kare tablet, and I expect to be feeling much better today. It's interesting stuff. When I have it at the ready and I start to get that feeling I may be coming down with something, I'll take a tablet and in 20 minutes I feel a rush of warmth, and usually all symptoms dissipate in a few hours. I believe I have averted many a sickness with this product.

[bamademo]

14. Mine is actually allergies. It is leaf mold. I am fine, get outside and I start sneezing.

Not even in Spring do I have these kind of allergies.

[Marthe48]

16. My husband is allergic to mold

Two years ago, he raked wet leaves and ended up with pneumonia. Drs. said unknown origin, but I read online that pneumonia can be the result of a severe allergic reaction. So if he does yard work, he takes allergy medicine and wears a face mask. He has had other severe reactions, in 2006 spent the night in the hospital. I think this last one convinced him to use preventative measures.

Be careful of yourself. It doesn't get more tolerable

[Marthe48]

15. I might try that

does it have niacin in it?

[Aristus]

17. Thanks for the reminder. By the way, everybody:

The common cold is a virus. Don't go asking your medical provider for antibiotics, because those are for a bacterial infection. Viral infections such as the common cold, or even viral bronchitis, require symptomatic treatment until the patient's immune system makes them better.

No antibiotics for a viral infection.

Thank you.