Has anybody else been fighting a cold/flu for at least a month?

[smirkymonkey]

I have tested negative for Covid 3 times, have been to my doctor twice, have had a chest x-ray (to check for pneumonia - I do not have it), and have had a few close calls with recovery, only to relapse a few days later with a terrible cough, runny nose, tiredness and today the body aches/headache came back as well. No temperature though and no signs of a bacterial infection according to my doctor.

I can't really taste anything (but my sense of taste isn't completely gone) and eating seems to make the cough worse and when I cough I just about gag on whatever I have been trying to eat, so I usually give up. I am taking Mucinex (Guaifenesin), drinking hot herbal tea w/ honey, doing hot chest compresses w/ Vicks, taking Benedryl after work, but it never seems to go away completely and I am really tired of it.

Just wondering if this is something a lot of other people are experiencing. There is one other guy in my office who has had pretty much the same trajectory that I have, but he actually had Covid. Just looking for someone to commiserate with, basically.

[BlueGreenLady]

1. I have been fighting allergies all month.

Plum and cherry trees are in full bloom right now so pollen count is super high. I love the fruit tree blossoms but I don't like the sneeze'n that comes with them.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Yep, I started with cough and sneezing my head off. After 3 weeks, I still have deep cough. I

tested negative for Covid 4 times. I've had no other symptoms, but cough up white, stringy stuff.

[redwitch]

3. That sounds awful!

My husband and I both had something similar in Jan. 2020. He tested negative for flu. We were exhausted and really felt lousy for a month. We never thought it could be Covid until the cases in nyc became unmanageable and the shutdown came.

I hope you are well again soon!

[smirkymonkey]

6. Thank you!

[dweller]

4. Have you had covid in the past ?

Wondering if it could be symptoms of long covid .. ??


✌🏻

[smirkymonkey]

8. No, that's the strange thing, I haven't really been sick since

Covid started. I think I just picked this up since going back to work and not wearing a mask all the time anymore. i have tested for Covid a few times just to be on the safe side since my mother was being treated for cancer, but never once tested positive. Unless I am just showing false negatives.

[mnhtnbb]

19. Have you had a PCR test, not home tests?

The home tests are known to give false negatives.

[smirkymonkey]

22. Yes, I did. Mostly because I didnt really trust the home tests either.

[Donkees]

21. Might be a dust mite allergen (or other allergen) in your office environment (?)

Some common symptoms of dust mite allergies are:

Runny nose
Sneezing
Trouble breathing
Coughing

About 20 million Americans suffer allergic reactions to these tiny bugs, which can make you feel like you have a never-ending cold.

When your immune system reacts to foreign substances — like dust mite debris — it produces antibodies to protect you.

You also experience an inflammatory response that can affect your lungs and nasal passages. With ongoing exposure to a triggering allergen, you can develop the chronic inflammation that’s related to asthma.

https://www.carolinaasthma.com/blog/3-ways-cure-dust-mite-allergies/

[smirkymonkey]

23. Would an allergist be able to test for that?

I was thinking that at first it was just a bad cold/flu, but allergies might be aggravating it (we have a lot of flowering trees in my neighborhood). I am not in the office very often. Once or twice a week at most, but other people from work have been out sick as well.

[Donkees]

38. If you've got high pollen counts in your environment, try using the facial mask at home...

just as an experiment to see if your symptoms improve. I thought your office environment might be toxic if it was closed for a long period, or if they renovated (new carpets) or didn't clean the ducts, etc. It seems there are allergy tests for dust mites, but I think you are correct that mask-wearers are being over-whelmed with allergens now when the masks are not in use much.

[Ocelot II]

5. I know of several people who have bad colds and have tested negative for covid,

and I'm starting to wonder whether the measures that were taken to avoid getting covid - staying home, avoiding crowds, wearing masks - might have resulted in not only less exposure to the usual cold viruses (I haven't had a cold in more than two years), but less resistance to them if you do encounter them.

[smirkymonkey]

9. That's what I was thinking. Our immune systems weren't getting their usual "workout"

because I was pretty isolated and very careful for two full years. Pretty much, as soon as the mask came off and I dipped my toes back in, I got sick. I wouldn't even say I was that heavily exposed, just less careful.

[at140]

7. I have gone through similar symptoms before!

Especially after a move to a new city I used to get those never ending colds and coughs.
None of the usual medical solutions worked. Then I tried cheap anti-allergy pills from dollar store, and magically I was back to normal.

[smirkymonkey]

12. Hmm, maybe it is like being in a new world now that we are back in the office a

few days per week and not wearing masks every time we leave our homes. Just increasing one's exposure a little bit after being so sheltered for so long probably wasn't the best way to go about it.

[at140]

43. That is a more salient point than you probably realize..nt

[Phoenix61]

11. Sounds like bronchitis. I have a friend who battles it on a

regular basis. When you aren’t breathing well it’s common to feel tired.

[Karma13612]

13. I felt really poorly for several days after my recent

2nd COVID booster. Much like I did for Vacc #2

And of course we have allergy season now.

I put myself back on my Singulair to get thru it and I seem to be doing better.

Hope you feel better soon!

[smirkymonkey]

24. Thanks Karma!

My doctor finally prescribed a Symbicort inhaler, which helps a bit. I just did a saline sinus rinse this evening, and that seems to have helped a bit already. Herbal tea with honey has been very soothing as well!

[Karma13612]

36. Oh good!!! 👍❤️🙋🏼‍♀️

[MerryHolidays]

14. I really hope you get better soon!

Just before the March 2020 lockdowns began, I was a bit ill, having attended an international conference in the West Coast US in February 2020. I chalked it up to just being fatigued/run-down after the running around involved in attending this event, but I don't know for a fact whether it wasn't Covid.

I am a bit concerned about how long this has lasted for you. I totally agree that the last two years have been the least sick I've ever been (I had one cold in late 2021, but that's it).

You've been to your doctor, had x-rays, been tested, etc. I am not sure what else you can do, except, if possible, take SEVERAL days off work and JUST REST! Rest does wonders for a lot of things.

If it's possible, take several days off, watch EVERY movie you've wanted to, and read every book you've wanted to. Hopefully, you will be on the mend.

I wish you the very best!

[smirkymonkey]

25. That sounds great! It seems like I will start to get better, then go into work or

go out and do things and it starts up again. I have been trying to take it easy on weekends, but i am also going a little stir crazy.

Thank you for your well wishes!

[Rhiannon12866]

15. Me!

I was diagnosed with the flu, "Type A", on April 9th. The Covid test was negative and this was in the ER, the only place that would see me on a Saturday. For the first week I went nowhere, couldn't eat, all I mainly did was sit in front of the TV when I wasn't sleeping. I went out three times in the past week, but it was an effort and it wore me out. I have a busy day tomorrow, an appointment, running usual errands and a meeting and I'm dreading it. I also had a chest X-Ray which my doctor said looked "good," and I guess I should go back to the doctor's office, but that would mean getting up and going out. I'm sure that allergies are a part of it, but they're usually not this bad.

[smirkymonkey]

26. Yes, what i have sounds exactly like that. Couldn't eat, had no interest in food, slept a lot.

We only have to go into the office two days per week, and I have managed to make it in at least 1 day per week, but most people want me to leave because of the coughing and the fact that I am obviously visibly sick. Even so, I have been working from home, but I took last Friday off because i was just so wiped out.

I know how you feel, every time I try to go out and be "present" or even go to the doctor's office, I end up feeling awful and can't wait to come back home to get in bed again. I hope you feel better soon as well!

[Rhiannon12866]

30. Did you see this? Read this last night, was just talking with another girl who was also down with flu

Who also isn't getting over it, but then she said she had Covid at the same time. They're now saying that this year's "seasonal flu" may be the same virus as the 1918 pandemic! That would certainly explain a lot! I went out today, had to be several places, and I was dreading it since I knew it would wipe me out. I'm still coughing, too, still congested and I get so tired that I just need to put my head down. I really hope that you feel better soon, too... I know exactly how you feel.

Study links current seasonal flu with 1918 pandemic virus
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216681651

[imavoter]

16. Zyrtech or generic nightly

for a month, see if that helps.
Take it night.
Lots and lots of water.
Vitamin C and zinc.
Make sure to take zinc with food.
Is hot soup bothering you?

Did you do a pcr test or a rapid test?

If problem persists, you should call the doctor back
and emphasize that they investigate further.

Feel better soon

[smirkymonkey]

27. Somebody was just suggesting that to me today. I will have to go get some tomorrow

to see if it helps. Also some zinc. I have vitamin C and have also been taking Curcumin (Turmeric) and Ginger as an anti-inflammatory and I think that helps too.

I did both the rapid test and the PCR test and all were negative, but if I am not better by this weekend, I have my annual physical on Tuesday, so I am going to see what other options there are.

Thanks for the advice and well wishes!

[smirkymonkey]

28. Somebody was just suggesting that to me today. I will have to go get some tomorrow

to see if it helps. Also some zinc. I have vitamin C and have also been taking Curcumin (Turmeric) and Ginger as an anti-inflammatory and I think that helps too.

I did both the rapid test and the PCR test and all were negative, but if I am not better by this weekend, I have my annual physical on Tuesday, so I am going to see what other options there are.

Thanks for the advice and well wishes!

[summer_in_TX]

17. A friend had a bad respiratory virus for 10 days or more.

She was miserable, coughing her head off and running a fever. But every COVID test was negative.

The doctor said it was a virus.

[smirkymonkey]

29. There is definitely something going around, and it seems to be lingering for

most people.

[Rhiannon12866]

18. Yikes! Just spotted this thread which you should check out, too:

Study links current seasonal flu with 1918 pandemic virus
https://democraticunderground.com/100216681651

[smirkymonkey]

31. Wow! That's kind of scary!

The only good thing about that is that nobody in my paternal grandmother or grandfather's family died from it and they all would have been from about the ages of 10 to 25 or older (10 kids in my grandmother's family and 8 in my grandfather's). I don't know anything about my mother's side of the family that far back.

It will be interesting to hear more about this. I wonder if they can test for it to find out if people have that particular strain?

[Rhiannon12866]

33. I believe that my grandmother had it, I really wish I could ask her more now

I was pretty close to my Nana, Dad's mother, and she told me a lot - and I remember her saying that she was out of school and her teacher stopped by with her schoolwork/exams and she worked on them sitting in front of the fireplace at home. Knowing what we know now, I suddenly have a lot more questions!

And I was tested for Covid, that was negative, but I was told that I had the flu, "Type A" specifically. So could that be the same virus? I need to know more now, too.

[smirkymonkey]

34. They might have been sick with it, but none of them died from it because they all lived

to a ripe old age, except for a few who died from unnatural causes in the 50's and 60's. I really wish they had told me more. You were lucky that your Dad's mother filled you in on things. For some reason, my family was very secretive about a lot of things.

I am hoping my doctor will have some more answers for my when I go in for my annual physical on Tuesday!

[Rhiannon12866]

35. I was especially lucky with my Nana, I spent a lot of time with her always

We even went overseas together twice (Ireland and the USSR - as part of a peace group she joined!). And, thanks to her, I know a whole lot of other relatives on my Dad's side, especially my grandfather's extended family (and he was the eldest son of 11!) even though he died when my Dad was only 12! I even met a third cousin once! And my Nana lived till 11 days before her 98th birthday, but I still miss her terribly and often think of things I wish I'd asked - like her experience with the 1918 flu!

And I don't have a checkup with the doctor till October, I generally don't bother unless I'm sick. I have thought I should move it up, but that would mean I'd have to get up and go somewhere. You understand.

[Irish_Dem]

20. Same here.

Been sick with cold symptoms for about three weeks. I keep doing Covid tests but they are negative.

I chalked it up to allergies. But I don't usually have them like this.

Runny nose, sneezing, fatigue. Some coughing but not a lot.
Funny taste in mouth.

[smirkymonkey]

32. Yes, my allergies don't usually present like this either.

Usually just runny nose and runny, itchy, red eyes. Some fatigue and maybe a little coughing from post-nasal drip, but not this bad.

[Irish_Dem]

40. Maybe it is a bad allergy season this year. A just a regular cold.

[CTyankee]

37. I have! I thought it was because I do a lot of work in bed, sitting up, due to my arthritic back.

I also take a nap if possible. I'm 82 and no longer have all the pep in the world. Bu

I just got my home PCR test and will open it and read the instructions tomorrow morning.

I'm bringing up a lot of pflegm and have a head cold. I'm just taking Ibuprofin for a sore throat. I have been thinking it's a head cold.

It's strange because I am adamant about wearing a mask when I'm out doing food shopping or any time I am out. My last outing was to my dentist who wears a shield when he works.

[Emile]

39. Last month it took me 3 weeks to get over a chest cold.

[Marthe48]

41. I was sick from last wk. of Feb. to 1st wk. of April

I felt miserable, had a low fever the whole time, sweated every night in my sleep, which I never do. I changed my shirt 2 or 3 times a night.

I got treated for a uti in Feb, and thought that med. might take care of the coughing bouts I was getting, but it didn't. I went back to the dr. in March, and got a z pack and steroids. Xray showed no pneumonia. I've got asthma and have used an inhaler for a few years. None of the medicine did much good. I have a neice who does Reiki, and sells essential oils. I asked her if I could get an e.o. for respiratory health. She sent samples right away and I started using an e.o.oil and a chest rub. She gave me a free distance Reiki session a few days later, and worked on unclogging my throat chakra. Other chakras were pretty good. I started feeling better a few days after that. I am fine now.

I was outside in cold air in Feb. I thought I had protected my airways, but not good enough for being outside, walking, in windy 30 degree weather for 5 days. I really think the cold air irritated and inflamed my lungs. I looked for my symptoms on Google and this seemed to make sense.

As long as the remedies you try do no harm, try anything you are comfortable with. I hope you feel better.

[smirkymonkey]

44. Thank you, Marthe48.

I did do a saline sinus irrigation last night and I actually think that helped a lot. The only think is that I was really tired today. Could barely make it through the work day and had to take a nap after work, but the cough and runny nose are better.

Thanks again!

[Marthe48]

46. Whatever it takes to get better!

[womanofthehills]

42. This is worrisome- Dr Jen of ABC quotes new Lancet study on immune system