BlogHer - I'm Sick -- Rantings from a sick BlogHer - Comments

The Bug City

Virginia DeBolt — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 09:07:18 -0500

Not to be paranoid about germs or anything, but when you go somewhere new you encounter all sorts of bugs that your immune system hasn't met before. On stair railings, door handles, hotel lobby desk tops, shuttle bus seats. You get the idea. I did hear a bit of coughing at BlogHer. I was coughing, too: smoggy places always irritate my throat. So I hope I didn't add to your misery. Get well soon.

http://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

Me Too

jessicao — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:26:00 -0500

I thought I was being a smart cookie bringing my own pillow & blanket for the airplane, Airborne, water. Last time I used the nasty ones on a flight I was deathly ill--like they were the pox ridden blankets given to the Native Americans. Anyway, I was a sweaty, sore, sneezy mess the first couple of days back from BlogHer. I guess it was from being a tad hungover,tired, strangers breathing on me, and just the general recycled air. I'm better now, and I hope everyone else is. Next time I'm going to schedule at least a day off of work after I go on a trip, just in case.

Wisebread
Amuse Me

No worries...

Catherine Morgan — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:50:11 -0500

No worries Debra. I do have a dry cough with this, but also a fever, and many other symptoms. What you have could be allergies, and that isn't contagious. Either way...I wouldn't trade the time we spent together at the conference, it was so great getting to know you.

As far as the doctor...I would use your own judgment. If you feel your getting better, don't bother. But if you aren't getting any better, it couldn't hurt to get checked out...Even if it is allergies, the doctor might be able to give you something.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters

Oh, dear... was it me??

debra roby — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:30:16 -0500

We spent a lot of time together, and I was occasionally hacking from here to tomorrow. But it was a dry cough.. not what I usually have with bronchitis. And absent other symptoms (fever, etc.) not thing I'd consider contagious. I just figured it was allergic in nature, and made worse by the dry, conditioned air.

There were lots of folks with that dry cough (which I still have. Should I see my doctor?) I keep wondering if there isn't "something going round". Came home to find my hubby and trainer both sick, too.

sigh...

Just call me typhoid mary...

A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

I'm not sick

Denise — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:38:44 -0500

I know I am jinxing myself but I am surprisingly NOT sick. Total shock. I almost always wind up sick on a trip or immediately following a trip. Considering I wasn't feeling all that hot the week before, I thought for sure I was going to infect you all with the death plague. But I didn't. Yea!

Now about recovering from bronchitis. Sleep, water, sleep, water, sleep, water. That's it.

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High & Flamingo House Happenings

I'm Sick -- Rantings from a sick BlogHer

Catherine Morgan — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:33:36 -0500

As the person who wrote that very memorable and quite informative post on how to not get sick when flying, I guess it's a bit ironic that I am now going on my sixth day of being sick after flying. Let me just start off by saying, I had a great time at the BlogHer conference, I met so many wonderful women, it was a powerful and empowering three days that I will never forget. But, by the time I was on my way to the airport on Sunday afternoon, I knew I was sick; my head, my throat, and my ears were killing me. When my plane began to land in Orlando, I thought my eardrums were going to explode. I spent the next twenty-four hours at my mother's house where she and my daughter took care of me, feeding me soup and giving me Motrin whenever I woke-up. I'm not feeling any better today, so I had to cave and call my doctor...It turns out I have Bronchitis. Little known fact...Nurses don't really make the best patients (or so I hear).

So, in my fevered delirium I'll attempt to write this post. Please excuse what I am sure will be a post chock-full of grammar and literary faux pas. I am certain in a few days when I am feeling better and look back on what I have written here, I'll be wondering..."What was I thinking?" Until then...

Where oh where to start? Do you feed a fever and starve a cold, or starve a fever and feed a cold? Does it really matter? What about chicken soup? To call the doctor, or not to call the doctor, that is my question. How do you know if antibiotics will help? What about herbal tea? These are some of the questions I will try to answer, with an emphasis on "try".

I found an article from Jane Thurnell-Read at Health Happiness & Alternative Medicine...

If you get a cold, there are simple things you can do to speed your recovery. Resting and getting an adequate amount of sleep allows your immune system to maximise its effort to fight the cold. Make sure you keep up your fluid intake. Take vitamin C, both in the form of food (fruit, juices, vegetables) and as a supplement. Some authorities recommend 1 gram of vitamin C an hour when you have a cold. Zinc lozenges have been shown to be helpful, as well as being generally pleasant to take. Biochemic tissue salts work well for many people, and there is a specific combination for coughs and colds. These are safe for even very small children to take. Finally, a positive mental attitude has been shown repeatedly to have a positive effect on the immune system, so think of all the good, positive things in your life and give your immune system the support it needs.

One of many, many WikiAnswers on (and the one I feel most effectively answers the question)...Should you feed a fever or starve a cold?

Eating doesn't really matter. Just drink lots of fluids.

Alix from Med Nauseum answers the question of chicken soup as medicine...

Did you ever wonder why chicken soup is supposed to be good for a cold or flu? Do you think its an old wives' tale? It depends on what kind of chicken soup you have. Unlike canned soup or soup made from a cube, a real home-made bone broth actually does have all the healing qualities associated with chicken soup.

From Revolution Health Dr. Scherger talks about colds and flu...

Both a cold and the flu are viruses that run their course and don't require antibiotic treatment. As a cold runs its course, it's important to drink plenty of fluids in order to prevent dehydration and keep the mucus from getting too thick. It's also important to get rest so that the body can reserve its energy to fight the infection. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications such as acetaminophen can help remedy any pain, and antihistamines and decongestants can help with the other symptoms.

WebMD answers the questions of...When should you go to the doctor? -- When should you use Antibiotics? -- and on the herbal tea question...

Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, prevent dehydration, and soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat. If you're so congested you can't sleep at night, try a hot toddy, an age-old remedy. Make a cup of hot herbal tea. Add one teaspoon of honey and 1 small shot (about 1 ounce) of whiskey or bourbon. Limit yourself to one. Too much alcohol inflames those membranes and is counterproductive.

At Essentials of Health I found a post on Vitamin E and Respiratory Infections and Zinc Supplements Decrease Infection in the Elderly.

And it seems I'm not the only CE prone to getting sick...Here is a lovely post by health and wellness contributing editor Denise titled - Sick, Sick, Sick

Sick, Sick, Sick. I am officially sick. And I am not a good sick person. I do not like medicine. It either doesn't work or it makes me feel jumpy and gross. So instead, I whine. A lot.

So, before I fall asleep from all the meds my doctor gave me...Anybody else sick? Hope not. Feel free to leave any "recovering from bronchitis tips" in comments.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters