sore throat and a cold

[liljen211436]

i just woke up with a sore throat and an cold. this is the first time im sick with having ic and pfd. what kinds over the counter meds should i try and what kind of foods should i have that are ic friendly? thank you.

[mary124]

This past week I was sick with the same thing, by Saturday I was miserable- stayed in bed the WHOLE weekend. I did try some Tylenol Cold and Cough -- someone said to stay away from the Lemon though, the cherry was ok; I did try the berry flavor- didn't like it too much but it didn't bother my bladder. As to eating food - I can't help answer that one, as when I am sick, I hardly eat at all.
Hope you get to feeling better.

[SharonA]

Homemade Chicken Soup is always wonderful when not feeling well. I believe there is a recipe or two in the Diet Threads. Do a search in the Search feature (link to it is in the dark blue ribbon toward the top of this page).

I hope you start feeling better very quickly. :)

[bluetou]

I had asked this question a few weeks ago....I asked it before I got sick because I wanted to make sure I had all the stuff on hand for when I do get sick....

Someone suggested: CHECK BELOW...it is a list of all that was given to me...the list is in no particular order. I have tried the ricola cough drops (and love them)...I have done the pear juice with honey (love this!), I have done the wethers (love them)..I am also on the colostrom pills daily...of course chicken soup is great! I have also taken the licorice root tea which is an immune booster (but again is a herb, do a google search and see if you can take it, as I am not sure of what type of meds you may be on or not..)..I DID TRY ESTER C (and I THINK I flared....was not sure if it was something I ate or not...so will retry in a few weeks when I am off work for a few days)
BUT DO KNOW that SOME people flare with VITAMEN C, so use it with caution.....

BELOW IS THE LIST OF SUGGESTIONS I received from some ladies here:

Pear Juice and manuka honey (that is natural pear juice)
Ricola cough drops (plain ones)

I use Ricola honey cough drops..

I took colostrum last year everyday because they say it is good for the immune system, and I have to say, I really did not get sick. I may have had a little cold or 2 but that was really it. I took the capsules. I was also able to tolerate cherry ludens believe it or not! You should try things now to see if you can tolerate them before you get sick, but hopefully you won't get sick!

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

find Werthers original toffee/caramel candies do not upset my bladder at all and I also buy honey and glycerin type gums or sweets from health food stores or pharmacies to soothe a scratchy throat. I also take a spoonful of honey if it's really bad.

I can take rosehip tea w/lemon and honey; echinacea with goldenseal; buffered vitamin C


peace

[Sheila6830]

Thank you so much for your list of ideas on what to take. I have terrible allergies and asthma and I cannot take any of the meds that have decongestants - which can be very frustrating during cold and flu season.

I will try some of the things on your list.

Any ideas on how to lessen or thin out the sinus drainage that is causing my awful soar throat? It feels like my throat is swollen (but its not) - just swollen glands from the drainage.

[ICNDonna]

A saline nasal spray works for me.

Donna

[formom]

I actually do ok with prescribed Nasonex and Veramyst. My doc said I have to continue these in order to keep everything clear this time of year! But I also have used simply saline sprays in the past everyday.

[Mothergoose]

I really like Cold FX, there is 2 ways to use this it is just ginsing nothing else, at the first sign of a cold you take 3 pills 3x for 1 day, next day 2 pills 3x for one day and third day 1 pill 3x per day. The trick is to take it at the first sign of a cold once you have the cold it is to late. Now on the bottle it is recomended to take a pill everyday.

Since I have been using this I have had only one cold, that did turn out to be a bad flu that I needed AB's for, this is a good record for me I used to catch every cold going by.

The other tip I have is to us Neil med nasel wash, it sounds gross but it really does help with out using meds to bother our bladders, so big plus for me.

My gp has said that if I am really stuffed I should use a decongetant nasel spray for a few days to help keep things draining, to help ward off the infection spreading to sinuses.

Good luck, colds and flus are not nice at the best of times but worse when you can't take meds to help make you feel better.

[Goldfinch]

I'm a big fan of nasal irrigation. I'm not sure what "Simply Saline" is but I am guessing it is the same idea. I use a bulb syringe and make my own solution according to the ENT who treated my daughter when she had serious sinus issues. You can also use a Neti pot for the same thing. This doc was strongly against using any antihistamines because they function by drying out the sinuses when it's better to keep them moist. His recipe was to dissolve one quarter tsp of salt (I use kosher non-iodized) and one quarter tsp baking soda (as a buffer) in one cup of very warm water. The solution should go up one nostril and exit the other. He suggested two passes for each nostril twice a day. It really helps immediately with congestion, and provides some relief from sinus pressure/headaches and is as non-invasive and non-chemical as possible. Some people like to do it once a day as preventive medicine. I know I don't have that kind of discipline.