I am so mad of all the times in my life to be sick my husband and I have cold/flu 5 days before we are getting ready to leave.
We are taking between 3000-5000 mg of vitamin C (Emergen C packets), triple echinacea tea, and I am also taking ACF Complex. I am also putting extra garlic cloves in our food and getting plenty of rest. What else can we do to get rid of our cold/flu and stay healthy for the trip?
I know exactly how you feel. We leave in less than two weeks and I am coming down with a cold. I haven't been sick for years either! I hope I don't get the flu that's going around. I did get a flu shot, but that doesn't always help. Here is advice I was given to help knock out a cold. If you have Jamba Juice where you live, you get a Cold Buster with Immunity boost three days in a row. I had my first one today, so I don't have any proof yet that it works. My friend swears by it. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.
Umm... hate to tell you, but if it's the cold or flu, your body is just going to have to recover by itself. There are no clinically proven medications to speed up recovery from a cold, and anti-flu medication like Tamiflu needs to be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms to have any effect. Over-the-counter cold and flu medication can lessen the symptoms, but they don't affect the length of the disease. But 5 days is probably enough time to at least make a partial, or even full recovery from an uncomplicated upper respiratory infection.
Do you have any sinus or nasal congestion? If so, talk to your doctor about taking a decongestant on the flight. If you're sinuses are clogged, your inner ear will have trouble adjusting to the changes in atmospheric pressure, and you'll have a nasty earache for several hours during and after the landing. A decongestant can significantly alleviate, or even eliminate this discomfort.
Remember, treat a cold and it will be gone in seven days. Do nothing, and it is gone in a week.
Be glad you have 5 days before you leave and not 2. In 5 days you'll feel better. Perhaps not 100%, but better.
A week before we left on our trip in October I also was sick. When it didn't get any better, I went to the doctor and had a pretty bad sinus infection which cleared up pretty quickly with antibiotics but I had a hacking cough for 10 days. If you have a tendency to develop a cough after a cold or flu, you may want to take something along for that. I found that the places where there were a lot of cigarette smokers were the hardest for me to tolerate.
Whenever I have cold symptoms or other feelings of listlessness (when you don't feel good but you can't put your finger on the reason), I boost the Vitamin C as you have. I also take odorless garlic pills and zinc tablets. Both boost your immune system.
Whatever you do, don't get the zinc lozenges. It'll ruin your tastebuds and everything will taste tinny.
Get well soon!
Zinc lozenges - taken at the very start of symptoms - actually seemed to help cut down the severity and duration of a cold for me. (Dunno if there's any proven evidence, but seemed to help me).
For nasal congestion, I like the Vick's personal steam inhaler.
Lots of clear liquids, chicken soup.
Feel better!
What lousy timing!
The only thing I can add to the excellent advice here is to breathe steam as often as you can- the steam destroys the germs.
Good luck and feel better soon!
I agree with the poster above. You have 5 days so you will feel a lot better before you leave.
Drink plenty of water and rest as much as you can.
The excitement will get you going right before you leave.
Have a great trip.
Fluids, Fluids and more Fluids.
You need to flush it through your system. It doesn't matter whether you drink water, juice, tea or soft drinks. Just keep drinking liquids until you're better.
This may be good news, better to be sick five days before than to get sick on your trip.
What rotten luck! I especially sympathize, as I once had a sinus infection nearly derail a trip.
The single most important thing you can do is to treat the symptoms the day of your flight. You might want to talk to your doctor about this.
Get a 12-hour version of whatever decongestant works best for you and take it before boarding, and use a nasal decongestant spray to clear your head before takeoff and landing.
The good news is your bodies are healing themselves and you'll probably be over it for your time on the ground over there.
Good luck!
If you are not better before you leave, you might see a Dr. to make sure there isn't a secondary sinus infection. I have Rx for steroid nasal spray which greatly helps with sinus issues. Drink lots and lots of water.
Laura,
The measures you're taking now should certanly help, as they'll boost the immune system and allow your body to recover more quickly.
The only other thing I could suggest would be a product called Cold FX. It's best taken when a cold is just starting, but apparently helps a bit if taken later. It's not a "miracle cure" but from what I've seen so far it's definitely a clinically proven product.
If you check their web site, you'll find the information slightly different between the Canadian and U.S. sites. The difference in the presentation between countries is interesting.
Good luck and happy travels!
What rotten luck, I always worrry about staying well just before a trip, with three kids it was often tough.
I hand wash like crazy. I try to get enough rest.
And, as Ken suggested, I take COLD FX.. my hubby and I do consider it a miracle product. You are supposed to start taking it at first hint of cold, and we do, and it has definately warded off some colds. We now take one a day just to keep immune system up.
Good luck, and as noted, with another 5 days you could start to improve, just really take it easy, drink lots of fluids and rest.
I recommend Airborne that stuff is great. Take it a precautionary measure. It is a little expensive but works. Especially if you are flying and you have been sick. The air is re-circulated on flights so you may get sick again. Take the Airborne and you should be good.
Hi Laura,
It sounds like you're doing everything right. Like the others have said, you can't accelerate the time it takes for the bug to run its course in your body. I think that the rest is key so that you can be ready for your trip.
Earlier this year I caught a bug from one of my employees and had a fever the day we left for a three week Europe vacation. I took airborne and loads of vitamin C. I was sick for the first week we were in England, but to be honest I didn't even notice because I was so excited to be on vacation. The rest is what helped me. Between the fever and the jet lag I was tired for the first couple of days, but then I was over it. Vacation is a state of mind!
You will have fun no matter what!
Is "Cold FX" sold only in Canada? I looked for it yesterday, and couldn't find it.
Lisa,
I checked Their web site and apparently Cold FX is sold in the U.S. as well. Click on the "Where to Buy" tab on the left side. It looks like the product is carried at most of the large pharmacy chains.
Thank you Ken for checking that out!
I looked for it in a big supermarket, and didn't carry it, but I'll check CVS Drugs. I'm getting over a terrible cold, and it sure will be nice to have a product like this for my next first sign of a cold!
Just a quick thought about Cold F/X. No miracle product, it's basically just high-quality ginseng. Which is why it's expensive. But ginseng does have immune boosting powers. And I do find it helps colds pass quicker or wards them off if I start taking it in time.
At least you have 5 days. I know people who routinely get sick the day before they go, or at the beginning of their trip, probably from the pre-trip stress. This is pretty common I think.
