Fighting a cold

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-14-2006
Fighting a cold
8
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 6:41am

My DD15 has been fighting a cold all week - coughing, sniffly - overall not feeling well. She doesn't want to miss school right before the break, so she's been dosing up on sudafed and advil. One more day of school and then we're OFF, OFF, OFF for 10 days!! Hopefully, she'll sleep alot and get rid of this darn cold.

We don't usually do Christmas, since we're Jewish, but tomorrow we're going to my MIL's to celebrate with her - I'm hoping DD is feeling somewhat better so we can enjoy our road trip some.

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2006
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 8:09am

It IS the sniffle season....my DS17 has also been fighting a sore throat/cold this week with Zicam and ibuprofen and has a big bio test today. Five minutes before he had to leave he said, "Where are my jeans?", ran downstairs and got his damp/almost-wet jeans from the dryer and started to put them on. I stopped him. (He wore a clean pair yesterday--can't he wear the same jeans two days in a row? Who would even notice?)

When traveling by car we sometimes hang wet towels in the car if the air is too dry. When going by air, the dry cabins and terminals can be killers when you have a cold. Keep pushing the fluids.

Just read that echinacea increases G-I tract bacteria--anyone else see that? The article was vague but noted that increases in bacteria are seen in some colon cancer patients. My favorite mantra is "everything in moderation" because, each substance/activity/environment to which we subject ourselves will, some day, be found to harm us.

Hope your daughter is soon feeling better. Enjoy your holiday!

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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 10:47am

Oh, poor L! I tell my kids it's completely against the rules to get sick at the holidays -- so far, they've followed the rules!

DH swears by those Zicam lozenges. He starts taking them at the first indication of sniffles, sore throat, etc. I have to say, I've used them too and they do seem to work. Kids can't stand them tho, and refuse to use them. My neighbor swears by AirBorne.

C had her last 1/2 day of school on Wednesday -- yay! After a rather grueling week, she is in total decompression mode now, slept til 10:30 yesterday and though I did drag her out to get her Christmas shopping done (at least for family; friends will be getting 'New Years' gifts) she's been quite content to lay in front of the television watching endless episodes of CSI.

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-14-2006
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 12:04pm

Good idea about hanging towels! I'm going to pack extra water bottles in the car so I can push the fluids!

Hope your DS is feeling better.

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-14-2006
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 12:06pm

I had to LOL on the TV watching. My DD's addiction right now is "That 70s Show" - I could probably recite whole passages from memory. We won't get real decompression until Tuesday, but I'm betting we'll see alot of that show then.

Enjoy your break with the kids!

Sue

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 1:33pm

I swear by Airborne, too. It's worked for me many times. Most of the time my kids won't take it because they hate the taste, but when dd is desperate (like last week) she did, holding her nose the entire time. My teens are finally on break starting today.

DD has had sore throat/sinus/cold for weeks now. She's had her third course of antibiotics now - takes the antibiotics, and then 4 days later, sick again. We're going to a specialist and will probably have her adenoids, if not also her tonsils, removed! I do NOT look forward to that....

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2006
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 2:12pm

Yikes! 3rd course of antibiotics? T&Aectomies should help.

My first sinus infection was about 5 yrs ago @ age 46. But within the past two years I've had about five! I got sick of running to the dr. for antibiotics--time wasted in the office, paying the bills, taking the medicine. A coworker recommended colloidal silver which I used as a spray and it worked the first time, but not the next. Last infection in early fall I picked up some "Sinus Buster" nasal spray, natural hot pepper extract, from the health foods store. I felt relief each time I used it, 3X/day, and within 7 days my infection was gone. Hope it works for me again next time. Also bought the saline nasal cleansing system/neti pot, but haven't had the guts to use it yet...just seems so gross, and until I'm really desperate I guess it'll sit in the closet.

Hope your DD feels well for the holidays!

-----------------------------------------------
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Fri, 12-22-2006 - 4:58pm

Wes had his tonsils and adenoids removed when he was three. He used to snore so loud! I thought it was cute, this little guy snoring like a freight train. One day, I had him in my lap and was tickling him. When he threw his head backward (he was laughing) I could see right down his throat and saw that there was virtually no passageway. I don't know how he could swallow, his tonsils and adenoids were so inflamed.

He was a little trooper, but it was not fun, that's for sure.

DD got her braces off in August and at her first post-ortho dental exam, x-rays indicated her wisdom teeth are already there and threatening to ruin the smile we just paid thousands of dollars for if they aren't removed soon. Sigh ....

I told her I won't ruin her Christmas or Spring break and won't schedule the appointment until summer. Maybe you can put of your DD's surgery until summer?

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Sat, 12-23-2006 - 1:23am

My youngest had his tonsils out when he was 6 - the situation got so bad he had sleep apnea - would literally stop breathing for seconds at a time. His tonsils were also blocking his airway, worse when he slept. It was really, really scary. Brandon was a little trooper, too - but he's by far been by easiest child, always has been. You barely knew he was in pain, until one day he told his grandma, "My throat doesn't hurt anymore!" But Lord knows, when dd is in pain EVERYBODY will know about it. She's a *little* like me that way. ;)

Yeah, I hope we can put it off...