sick again

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This time I’m going to the doctor. I’m sick again and cannot deal. I’m walking around in ugly plaid pjs from Old Navy with an even uglier shirt that says, "I’ve been Naughty." Here is what I want: a professional gland massager. Someone who’ll whisk in and massage my swollen glands and sore muscles. It feels like the flu or a bad cold. I am so tired of having such a shitty immune system. The fact is, wherever the kids bring home colds, I get them too, but worse. Phil never gets them. Add stress, not enough sleep, and its not a good process. I want to die right now.  Even news of a shopping spree couldn’t make me move. It’s when I know I’m sick. I used Afrin. I know I can’t use it for too long, that I’ll be dependent on it. But that is a wonder drug. Okay, I must go. It’s conference call time. Never mind that I can barely keep my eyes open. Did I mention I want to die? Sick sucks.  In other news, we’re going with Kini. Mr. Bikini at more formal times. Higgins just didn’t feel right, even though I like the name better. Kini just fits somehow.

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COMMENTS:

  1. Kini sounds like it was meant to be from the beginning : )

    As for your immune system, I read somewhere that cutting back on sugar helps a lot. Apparently sugar weakens your immune system's response. Personally, I swear by Cold-Eeze. If you take it when you first feel that scratchy feeling in your throat, when you aren't really sick yet but you know you're getting there… it shortens your cold by days. Feel better!

  2. We have a beagle. She is 4 years old now. Her name is COPPER.

    She has a “sister” (a britany spaniel) we named Nickel.

    They are wonderful pets. We did install a 4 foot chain-link fence around our property, but we also invested in electronic collars.

    These collars are great for taking walks and runs through parks and around the marshes, etc… The collars have a “pager” as well as the shocks, so you can use the pager (sound only) instead unless you need to shock. The shock values range from very weak to very intense, we always start small and I always test on my hand before I would do it on either of their necks. Beagles can be challenging to train, but their love and affection and fun-factor make them so worth it!

  3. Dude. I'm right there with you. I've been sick probably 10 times since August. Every time my little one brings something home, I get it. My husband doesn't get it, the nanny doesn't get it- I get it. I was miserable over Christmas/New Years with a killer cold that turned into a sinus infection. I'm just getting over it and awaiting the next onslaught. Just so you know- I, too, went to the doctor and he ran every test in the book on me. The prognosis? "You're perfectly healthy. You just have a toddler." Sigh.

  4. Kini is adorable.. both the name and the pup.

    I chuckled to read your "corn chip" comments. For years I've teased my friend that her poodle smells like a Frito when she's ripe. I call her "Corn Chip Sally."

    Hope you feel better.

  5. Kini is a great name. And what an adorable puppy!

    I've been sick for two weeks now, and it was most definitely not pleasant. Ugh.

  6. Hi Stephanie,

    Sounds like your body is in major stress. Stress could be emotional, physical, chemical, etc. And as bad as the colds/flu are, stress can have more dangerous and damaging effects. And what sucks, is that most medications just make things worse. And what sucks even worse for me, is that sugar (which is my main drug) reduces your immunity even further!

    A year ago, I went the holistic route, mainly for weight loss reasons, but also for fatigue, hormonal imbalance, etc. Starting with a detox program, It's completely changed the way I look at my health! I've lost 40 pounds, gained TONS of energy, and I feel so much more in control now. I have an amazing practicioner that I work with; she is in California but she works with people all over the world by phone. It may sound woo-woo, but it's actually very reasonable and balanced. She is a former model!

    If you are interested, I'll be happy to refer you. It's SO worth a try; I highly recommend it.

  7. I heart Kini. My cocker still looks like a puppy even though he's 7-still melts my heart with the head cock. He can do no wrong.

  8. Oh no! I hope you feel better soon. A hot and spicy bowl of Vietnamese chicken noodle soup always seems to make me feel better.

  9. My former husband is a teacher and during his first year of teaching, I was constantly sick. Every cold/illness his students had, I got. At least when my daughter was a toddler I had some immunity built up.

    Hope you feel better, being sick sucks.

  10. I know this sounds awful, but get a flu shot next year. I am sure your dishwasher is turned all the way up, right?

    Other than that, from the mother of three who used to have a stressful job and a husband she didn't see eye to eye with; make sure you are getting 8 hours of sleep and that you are eating right. I mean eat right……whatever size you want to be in won't matter if you feel like shit. Don't diet, take care of yourself.

  11. When my twins were small we used to get sick like falling dominoes: first my boy, then my husband, then my girl and finally — when all of them were cheerful and energetic again — me. Your mom had it right: sleep and fluids. I myself am a fan of OTC decongestants, every four hours until dinnertime (they can keep you up at night). Each year it gets better, promise. Just make them wash their hands, and you wash yours, constantly!!

  12. Sorry you're sick!! :( There is this stuff that I use and its another "miracle drug." I can't pronounce it, let alone spell it so, how about what someone help me out here. I betcha someone knows how to spell it….its start out "occ….." and its a long word. If we can figure out how its spelled…go get it…or send Phil! :)

  13. well after i got my tonsils taken out when i was 18 i've been extremely careful since everyone always told me that i was "getting rid of my first line of defense" …which is all a bunch of crap because what good is a pair of tonsils that make me sick all the time. anyway.

    so i always wash my hands (especially because i babysit twin 2 year olds just 2 weeks younger than yours), i hold my breath for a few seconds if someone sneezes or coughs too close to me (i know this sounds horrible), and if i feel the slightest bit like i'm going to get sick i use Zicam. I'm not very much of a holistic person or whatever but i do know that the only substance proven to reduce the length of a cold is Zinc (even though people think it's vitamin C). Zicam seemed to work pretty well the few times i've gotten colds in the past 5 years (i can literally count my colds on my hands).

    If you don't want to try Zicam then i would defnitely suggest a multivitamin…make sure it has Zinc! oh and you can google the studies. But you have to take the Zinc as soon as you feel the cold coming on.

  14. Hi!

    I agree with Donna. The holistic route is the way to go. What I eat seriously affects the way I feel. Sugar and white flour make me feel terrible. They create sinus infections, stiffness, aches and pains, and even my hands swell. Every one is different so foods will affect everyone differently. Food intollerances are not talked about because Dr's make so much more money on precribing meds.

  15. Sorry to hear that you're feeling rough. I recently started seeing a naturopath and when he looked at my blood levels (all of which had been diagnosed as "within normal range" by my regular doctor), he decided to test me for allergies. Turns out I'm highly allergic to wheat, eggs, and dairy except for hard cheese. How did I not know this, you ask? How could I not tell? Because my body fights the allergies so that I don't have colon/intestinal issues. In the end, though, the way my body was manifesting all of the added stress I was introducing through these foods was by just getting colds all the time.

    I had been eating "right": all organic, whole grains/whole wehat, egg whites, lowfat yogurt, cottage & string cheese for snacks…but all of this stuff was just putting stress on my body. Now that I know what to look for, I've even sort of diagnosed my husband (who has crazy sneeze attacks, lots of throat clearing and pretty bad eczema, all of which are signs of a gluten allergy). Now that I've reduced the amount of these things in our diets, we're both feeling a ton better and haven't gotten a cold in awhile.

    It could be due to a hundred things and you could just be rundown from your stress, but you might also want to look into a blood allergy test and see if that helps a little.

    I will be sending healthy energy your way in the hopes that you have some bright spots of sunshine here and there to start of 2009.

  16. Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I swear by sleep, extra fluids and Emergen-C (a powder that you stir into water – all water soluble vitamins so you can' OD on any of them).

    As for all this food intolerance stuff – there's no science behind it in terms of colds. If you have a food allergy, you have an allergic reaction to that food, period — like hives, itchy throat, digestive issues, etc. Doctors don't talk about food intolerance tests because they're bogus. I'm not anti-organic or even entirely against natural medicine. But I also don't like how supposed naturopaths rip frustrated people off. No doctor is making money off of colds, because there aren't any meds you can prescribe for colds. It's the folks saying they can test your blood for food intolerances who rip you off by charging you for bogus tests.

  17. Kini is very cute! I read where someone suggested to name it Baxter, which I thought was too cute too! Hope you feel better soon! Just getting over something here too…it's been my first year back to teaching, and I am catching everything! My kiddos have been sick too…sigh. Feel betta soon, okay?

    Hugs,
    Michelle
    PS – Phil's twin lives here in Cincinnati!

  18. Wonder drug for colds is Zicam nasal swabs. I swear by it. It cuts most of my colds in half. It's apparently homeopathic which I usually don't believe work but this stuff does. Good luck with your cold. Get better soon.

  19. After I moved I got a new doctor who happened to be specialised in homeopatics. She prescribed me Echinacea drops to increase my resistance. Since then (3 months ago) I've had two major colds – in one month. The stuff does not work for me (at least not on short term) and it tastes foul. I'm not sure why I get so many (and such serious) colds, they are virusses so I guess I catch them at work (airco in a big cubicle office).

    I've just come to terms with it, shitty as it may be, that when I'm sick, my body needs rest, period. It was difficult at first, but now I've stopped worrying. When I get sick, I take a day or two off from work to pamper myself and catch up on my sleep. The world doesn't stop turning and my employer will just have to deal. I think they even prefer me taking a couple of days off instead of sludging on like a wreck for a week, unable to concentrate and getting my coworkers sick too.

  20. Becca,

    Apparently you've never experienced food intolerances. They are not allergies. I've never taken a test however when when I eat certain foods I can feel it in my body. Maybe that is a test …lol. Seriously, if I ate white flour and sugar everyday I'd feel bloated, my head would hurt and I'd develope sinus problems of tightness, swelling, stuffy nose. It's not medically proven but when I change my diet to fish chicken, veggies and fruits hot tea hot citrus water only I start feeling better immediately.

  21. I'm sick too (since NYE) and being 8 mo pregnant and sick is pretty much as bad as being a mom to toddlers and sick I think. I cracked up when I read about the gland massager, so much so that I had to read it to my husband because I could have written that. As soon as I feel them swelling I'm asking him to rub them. So gross. lol. Hope you feel better!!

  22. Kim,
    I think it's good you're taking care of yourself but just remember that frequent hand washing and some of the not-so conventional things I do helps reduce your susceptibility to colds. Also Echinacea hasn't been proven to do much with preventing colds. I had a roommate in college who would take one pill a day and would still get more sick than I did.

    Jessica,
    I agree Zicam works and I'm not into that homeopathic stuff either. Zinc is the ingredient in Zicam and as I said before it's the only thing proven to cut the length of a cold. I actually would rather just take a Zinc supplement (full force….since Zicam has like less than 1/100th of a mole of Zinc in it or something ridiculous like that) when I have a cold but my mom works in a hotel and people are always leaving behind unused boxes full of Zicam so there we go and I don't have to buy anything.

  23. Whatever you call them (intolerances, etc.), our bodies we definitely not built to handle large quantities of white flour, refined starches and sugar. You don't need to pay a natropath to try fiddling with your diet, but I bet it would make a good difference for you!

  24. Hey Steph,
    I'm so sorry you're feeling lousy…may i recommend a couple of things? okay…instead of the afrin…try…vicks sinex 12 hour ultra fine mist…yes…still addictive…but who cares you just want to be able to breathe right? to get off of it i usually need to use some sudafed a couple of times…

    now the rest of it…you might have a sinus infection…if so you need antibiotics…symptoms…slight fever…coughing at night mainly…coughing up gunk…sometimes dizziness…sometimes pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) 1000mg every two hours can kick it…

    if its a pain-in-the-butt cold…then vitamin C every two hours helps you get over it fast…orange juice…fruit…are better than the pills…which can give you kidney stones at high doses possibly…

    be healthy!
    :)
    ~Laura

  25. Stephanie2 – To clarify, I'm not saying food intolerances don't exist. But there's no test for them (other than elimination diets that help you sort out what's bothering you, and you can do those yourself for free). Food allergies trigger an immune response that can be measured through a blood test. Food intolerances don't involve the immune system and can't be measured. My objection was mostly to your comment about doctors ripping people off. In general people are looking to spend money on quick fixes. People demand medications and treatments, even when they're uncalled for. Demand antibiotics for nonbacterial infections, etc. If they're told there's no "cure," they gladly hand over money for nontraditional treatments that are unstudied (both for safety and effectiveness). There's a place for traditional and nontraditional medicine, and I understand trying something different when nothing else is working. But people need to be more responsible for their own health. People need to know what they're taking or getting into, and stop looking for quick fixes. Good health starts with eating well, exercising, keeping your weight down, sleeping and stress-relief. OK, sorry. I'll get off my soapbox now and retreat into the oblivion of the interweb.

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