Oh ye wise people of the ICN- my first real flu

[GinaGV]

I am currently on day 4 of a very bad flu that my daughter was kind enough to share with me....

My initial instinct came from my brain which said hey Gina.. Go get orange juice girl!! ... But my Bladder went: oh nay nay dont even touch anything thats even orange colored or I will let you know all about it ...

Ive been eating chicken broth until Im starting to cluck (albeit a sort of deep, Lauren Bacall-esque one) with all the chest congestion and coughing Im doing. I have a very good cough syrup Im taking.. Hydromet I think its called...

Any other suggestions oh wise ones?

Gina (on her 7th box of kleenex)

[dyno]

Drink, drink, drink, and lots of rest. It is horrible, we are still recovering at our house!

[ICNDonna]

Drink lots of fluids, get lots of rest, and if the cough doesn't improve soon or if your temperature goes back up, call your doctor. I've heard it's a nasty bug.

The only things I take for a cold are the generic for Chlor Trimeton, a plain saline nasal spray, and tylenol.

Feel better soon!

Donna

[muxerr012]

Maybe the HYDROXYZINE you just started will be of help to you. I drink decaf peppermint tea with honey. Honey has been used for generations and is a known healing agent. It is so soothing as well.

As far as orange juice no way, BUT to get your vitamin C boost you can eat broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. One cup a day gives you your daily Vit C requirements. Drink lots of water as others have said to, this will help flush out the mucous too. Hope you feel better soon!

[dancemomof2]

:grouphug: Hope you feel better soon. Why is it our children only share the bad stuff.

[kadi]

I'm a big wimp when it comes to a cold or flu. I just throw everything I can at it...

For colds...
Here are a few of my favorite (for me, IC friendly) cold remedies:
1. Hot showers with a "Sudacare Shower Soother" on the floor (fizzy tablet that releases Vicks type vapors when the hot water hits it)
2. Rinsing nose out with "Simply Saline"-reduces congestion
3. Vicks "Baby Rub"- milder than regular Vicks & more soothing
4. BreatheRight nasal strips (stick on to outside of your nose to open it up more)
5. Hot pear juice with a little honey
6. For sore throat & to soothe dry cough, Werthers Original hard candy
7. Gargle with salt water
8. Homemade chicken soup (I add a little red bell pepper for vitamin C)
9. Mucinex for chest coughs
10. Ludens Licorice Throat Drops
11. Vaporizer next to bed, mine has a place to put menthol liquid in it.
12. Neo-Synephrine nasal spray: I can only do one dose of this or I think it might bother my bladder (not really sure), but one dose has been okay to clear nasal congestion.

[ICNDonna]

Kadi has some good suggestions. I don't ever think of the Vicks stuff because I am allergic to both eucalyptus and menthol. Hope your "bug" goes away quickly.

Hugs,
Donna

[blendno14]

Hi, the one thing that helpes me most is to inhale 3 times a day, for at least 5 minutes. It has unfortunately become less popular because nobody earns money with it. But it's completely safe, no side effects and it costs almost nothing. We (family& friends) do it as I said 3 times a day, when the cold gets better 2 times or at least once. I think it's best to put the hole head under a towel - you get a kind of "head-bath":smile tee I use seasalt and thyme (2 teaspoons on 1 liter water). You can also use camomile if you're not allergic to it.Not too hot, so you don't feel uncomfortable.....