what do you do when you have a cold?

[seliph]

am i running out of things to talk about? it's possible. i have a nasty cold so i'm wondering what are some things everyone else does when they have one.

- i drink a cup of tea every day, usually either lemon ginger with honey, chai, or peppermint. the peppermint tastes absolutely horrible to me but it's really good for clearing up congestion.

- tylenol cold day and night tablets are my saviours, especially the night tablets. they knock me out cold (pun absolutely intended).

- i take hot showers as well as eat as much spicy food as i can in an attempt to sweat it all out. it also clears my sinuses and whatnot.

- soup!! especially this "sick soup" we make with spicy italian sausage, shell noodles, and veggies.

i don't take any liquid medicine 'cause my body can't get it down for whatever reason, i always cough it back up it sucks.

so what does everyone else do when they are suffering?

 

[Gabby]

I try to rest as much as possible and take time off from work, first and foremost. I know this is not always possible and I'm grateful to be in a position where I can (as sad as that is to say). I will usually hang out on the couch and veg out, blow my nose as much as possible, and drink lots of tea. I also like to take hot showers and eat a lot of veggies. At night, I'm throwing back some liquid Nyquil. You will not catch me staying up all night sniffling, sneezing, or coughing. I'm out like a light. I'm down for the count. And I'm getting rest.

I also mask if I need to go anywhere, let friends and fam know I'm sick, etc. I am definitely a hypochondriac and very aware of spreading/catching germs.

 

[Corrie]

How ironic, I think I'm actually starting to catch a cold lol rip.

I grin and bear it til it's gone. I obviously take medication as much as possible and try to get good sleep but at the end of the day, the only thing to help a cold (for me) is time. I keep kleenex near me and try to blow out as much as possible. I'll suck on candies if my throat is sore. When I sleep I use double pillows to help breathe. Hot showers are also really nice as well for clearing the nose.

 

[Xara]

complain endlessly and think about all of the times I took being able to breathe through my nose for granted

I thankfully don’t get sick all that much nowadays, but I got sick for the first time in 3+ years this past summer, and it knocked me on my ass for about a month. It was more of an ear/throat infection than a regular cold, but I think it still counts.

Medicine is my best friend when I’m sick, and is my main remedy for trying to get better as quick as I can. I mostly stick to liquid stuff like Buckley’s and Nyquil, but I’ll sometimes even take my allergy meds just for an extra something. Buckley’s Complete Syrup is my go-to, though. I think it’s a Canadian thing. Their slogan is literally, “It tastes awful. And it works.”, and it’s definitely accurate LOL. It doesn’t taste pleasant, but it works better for me than anything else does, and the cooling effect it has does wonders for my throat and blocked nose. It works so effectively that I don’t even mind the taste of it anymore.

I also keep lozenges handy. Most of them taste gross to me, but they give me at least a little bit of temporary relief from sore throat and coughing, so I use them anyways.

I make sure to drink plenty of fluids; mostly cold stuff like water, smoothies, milkshakes etc since the cold soothes my throat, but I’ll go for hot chocolate if it’s cool enough for it. I overheat easily during the summer, so if I’m sick then, the last thing I really want is to eat or drink anything warm. I’ll still practically live off of Campbell’s soups like Chicken Noodle, Chicken and Rice and Vegetable, though. Ice-cream is also nice to have since again, the cold is soothing. And of course, I make sure to get plenty of rest. I stay away from my parents as much as possible so that I don’t risk getting them sick, and I wash my hands frequently. I stay home until I’m better if possible, but if I have to leave my house for whatever reason, I mask up, stay as far away from other people as I can, and sanitize/wash my hands as often as possible. I’ve never had COVID, but even if all I have is a common cold, the last thing I want is to get anyone else sick, and I take every precaution I can to ensure that I don’t.

I hope you feel better soon.

 

[nightglow]

I'll cut sugar even more and try to keep hydrated.
I take Vitamins with Elderberry in it.
Eat something oniony or garlic. Like a soup.
And if it is bad, I'll take a zinc or airborne which has zinc in it.
Mucinex is the next step.
And then if it is even worse I have to contact a doctor and see what antibiotics I can take because I'm allergic to a whole bunch and sometimes the ones I'm not allergic to don't work. It's a hassle dealing with bacteria. Viruses are so much easier for me.

 

[Seastar]

I take hot showers everyday and try my best to sleep but that part is not easy.
As for medicine, I have mixed results with it. Usually medicine for dealing with mucus actually works for me meanwhile I feel like a lot of the other stuff is just not helping but some of it I still take anyway.
I cannot take liquid medicine without gagging really bad (The last time I tried, I could only manage to take half of the dosage which isn't helpful) so I have capsule versions instead which I unfortunately heard are less effective.

 

[Saylor]

I totally believe in the sweating it out thing. If I feel a cold coming on I always take a hot shower and eat spicy soups and if I do it early enough I really think it helps me feel better quicker. I try to rest for as much of the day as I can and do things that make me feel relaxed. I live with family so I stay holed up in my room with tea, water, and tissues at my bedside. I love Vicks vapor rub too, it helps me feel less congested and the warmth when I put it on my chest is soothing. My throat usually bothers me the most when I get colds so other than soup I use cough drops to help make it feel better. Those Halls creamy strawberry cough drops are my saviors.

I hope you feel better soon

 

[SkyKnight03]

I have no aversion to medicating, so if I can clear my symptoms through a pill, it's what I will go for. I was taught that it's better to not needlessly suffer if it can be prevented. Of course this doesn't rid the sickness. It merely coats away the symptoms.

It also gives me an excuse to drink ginger ale which I enjoy.

 

[Mistreil]

I stay in denial about being sick for as long as I can (still mask up and stuff though).

But more helpfully, I sleep a lot more and take naps when I can. Even when I'm awake I'm usually dressed warmly to try and sweat it out and also idk canada's cold anyways so. might as well.

And then the cycle of drinking litres of water, burn through a million tissues, complain, eat fruits, eat congee, complain, sleep. And forget to take medicine (or just be too lazy to). 'w')b

Denial helps me the most, I think.

 

[seliph]

oh yeah can't forget about using up a whole costco family pack of tissues every day. i try to stay home if i can but definitely mask up if i gotta go anywhere!

 

[Aniko]

I drink yuja, I eat melona popsicles and do some sport or exercise, even if it's the last thing I want to do. Take a bit of fresh air outside too, even if I really don't want to, and eat some spicy soup if my throat is okay. Take zinc vitamin as well
But sometimes I use it as excuse to stay in pajama all day, eat ice cream and watch anime.

 

[Beanz]

nyquil chicken tissues, tea and off brand target night/day cold and flu relief pills, i actually had a cold a few weeks ago. don’t take nyquil unless you absolutely need to, i slept until 10:00 and its like the sleep you never want to wake up from.

 

[azurill]

I usually take an emergen C drink mix for the extra vitamins. A daytime then nighttime cold medicine always pills. Try to sleep more and rest on my off days. Make soup . Thankfully I don’t get sick too often.

 

[DaCoSim]

Ughhhhh just starting to get over what I thought was just a cold, myself! After almost a week of it, I went to see my dr. Tested neg for Covid (twice) thought possible sinus infection (because of HOW MUCH drainage), and started zpack. I really should have taken more time off of work than I did. I made my “sick” tea, of fresh lemon juice, honey, cinnamon and ginger a lot, super hot showers, sudaphed and ibuprofen during the day and Musinex night time at night. Ended up going into an upper respiratory infection but luckily not bronchitis or walking pneumonia which I’m prone to getting.

 

[Kattea]

• Tea (honey lemon ginger, with added extra honey)
• Cough drops (honey lemon)
• Soup (any, mostly chicken noodle)
• Naps (a disgusting amount)
• Medicine (if I must)
• Thick socks, cozy sweater
• Cuddles with my cat
• A good book

 

[Belle T]

You pretty much do everything I normally do in this situation. This changes depending on the symptoms of course, but green tea with lemon juice and honey really does wonders for a sore throat. Any kind of salty soup is good for when your stomach is upset but you need to eat. If your nose is clogged, the spiciest of spicy instant noodles you can find will fix that up pretty quickly. At least, these are all things that work for me.

It's a shame you can't take liquid medications, because those are the ones I would most recommend. I wouldn't know what to replace them with unfortunately.

 

[.: Meri :.]

• I don't do any more work than absolutely necessary and sleep. A lot.
• Even if I don't feel like it at all, I'll make sure to still shower daily (usually warm, sometimes room temperature or cool if I have a bad fever), brush my teeth twice daily, and floss and use mouthwash in the evening. Keeping up with basic hygiene stuff keeps my morale up and while I don't know how much of an actual impact it has on the length/severity of a cold, the thought of all the germs dying in the process also makes me feel a bit better.
• Nyquil used to be my best friend, but it interacts with my current medications, so I can't take it anymore. :') So I have to stick with Tylenol (for fever/aches) and/or Zyrtec (drainage/etc.).
• also RIIIIIIIIIIIIIICOLAAAAA. I love that stuff and it works really well at easing throat/mouth discomfort. I'll also take one sometimes after my throat's better if my nose is causing me any pain or discomfort, and it often works!
• Honey, lemon, and/or salt in varying combinations in drinks like green tea or water, because normally when I'm sick my usual drinks hurt my throat. I'll also drink orange juice or grapefruit juice, but try to stay away from apple/grape/etc. if possible because they're too sweet, even if I can drink them. Sparkling water with pickle juice may be a bizarre combination, but it's easy on my throat, and it's good for you too!
• Sometimes I'll gargle with warm salt water for extra throat relief.
• Spicy food in the first few days, until I get over the drainage and my sore throat goes away.
• I avoid sugar where possible (with exceptions for natural sugars in fresh fruit and honey) and try to eat even more veggies and healthy stuff than usual.
• As soon I start feeling better, the boredom starts getting to me and I want to DO STUFF, so to prevent myself from overdoing it and causing a relapse, I bring out the video games and Youtube and any other entertainment I can get my hands on that will keep me on the couch.

 

[BetsySundrop]

I haven't been sick in forever, I don't usually pick up things people around me have. I thought I had a cold a while back, but it turned out to be spring allergies, ugh. The itchy watering eyes should have been a clue. If I do get something, I'll take vitamin k2/d3, an elderberry thing (it's elderberry, vitamin c, zinc), drink water, then power through lol...

I really like to be out in the sun. So if I do get sick, I'm usually outside in the sun, trying to 'sweat it out' haha...

Oh - if I'm around sick people, I do try to avoid getting contaminated, wash hands more, etc. And I'll do the vitamins/elderberry thing as prevention. No idea if it works, but I usually luck out.

 

[Mairmalade]

I use it as an excuse to eat ice cream & popsicles.

I also use 'Emergen-C' when I feel a cold coming on and mix it into water. It's more of a preventative measure, but I like the taste and it helps with hydration. Tylenol Day & Night (+ Vicks VapoRub on my chest & nostrils) are staples, too, especially if I have a lot of cold symptoms.

 

[cornimer]

• Eat Ricolas all day long to help with cough/sore throat
• Eat as much hot & spicy food possible to set my throat on fire and make it stop hurting
• Gargle with warm salt water 1-2 times a day
• Saline nasal spray 1-2 times a day to clear my sinuses
• Drink lots of water and tea (my mom gives me strange teas with German names, I have no idea what they are in English lol. I think one of them translates to "Chest and Cough tea" ?? but I couldn't tell you what flavour it's supposed to be)
• At night I drink NeoCitran which is a drink that tastes like hot lemonade and is supposed to help you sleep when you're sick
• Take Vitamin C, Zinc and Elderberry gummies