lookitmychicken
When you catch a cold, which of the following experiences is most typical for you?
soldier thru with meds
29.4%
need to rest 1 or 2 days
49%
in bed for a week or so
21.6%
Poll ended at .
Jun 15, 2023 at 2:16amWeb
Show threadlookitmychickenJun 15, 2023

I'm in bed with a cold, first one I've had in a while. I used to get several colds every year, and most would put me out of action for a week or so.

But I see other people just taking over-the-counter cold meds & mostly carrying on as normal.

It's only just occurred to me that maybe people experience colds differently, depending on whether they have other underlying conditions.

Show threadunderstandable armpit holdingJun 15, 2023

@lookitmychicken i get colds as an ear infection first. huge earache that builds and develops over 2 weeks before exploding into massive running nose, coughing, sore throat, that would become me coughing for 6 weeks like my entire lung wants to abandon my body.

i would usually only take sick leave when it exploded. but during covid i was made to take sick leave when my ear started hurting since it was an ARI symptom. and lo and behold, all it took was 2-5 days in bed. not 6 weeks...

Show threadunderstandable armpit holdingJun 15, 2023
@lookitmychicken which told me, personally - i CAN continue on. but should i?
Show threadEnk-1 (no hugs)Jun 15, 2023

@lookitmychicken

Not every cold is a cold either, there are loads of viruses out there which can be more severe than a cold but start like one.

Underlying conditions definitely play a role too (for example covid depletes T cells in the body and can make it more difficult to fight infections), but even a 'healthy' person should take time to rest for a couple of days when sick even if it's 'just' a cold (ofc capitalism prevents that but alas in an ideal world)

Show threadlookitmychickenJun 16, 2023

@enk_dash_one
Huh, that's a good point about the t cells. Mine have been fucked up since I got glandular fever 30 years ago.

I agree 100% that people should take time to rest when they get a cold!

The thing that has always bothered me is that I don't have a choice -- taking cold meds doesn't do enough for me to be able to continue working, I can barely get out of bed to go to the toilet. I used to beat myself up for not being able to "soldier on" when other people can.

Show threadEnk-1 (no hugs)Jun 16, 2023

@lookitmychicken oh yeah, mono is ridiculous in how it messes up the immune system forever. I had it thrice and ended up with MS in my 30s.

We definitely shouldn't live in a world where soldiering on is acceptable. Someone who soldiered on probably passed that cold to you.

I do hope it passes quickly hang in there

Show threadmishaJun 15, 2023

@lookitmychicken I toggled 'in bed for a week or so', which is accurate, but often it ends up being 'taking so many meds to do the bare minimum essential job/household things and spending every other minute sleeping, often for several weeks (presumably because it's not really rest)'.

It feels like it's somewhere between soldiering through with meds and in bed for a week?

Show threadPamJun 15, 2023
@lookitmychicken usually when I attempt the first one I eventually end up with the third (or longer because I catch one thing after another)
Show threadlirazelJun 15, 2023

@lookitmychicken
If I have a job with a decent sick day policy, I'll stay at home for a day or two when I'm at most gross and contagious and I'll probably sleep more than I usually do, but I wouldn't spend all day in bed. I'm staying home more to keep from passing it to someone else than because I need to.

But in the past I haven't always had that option.

Show threadCinnamonJun 16, 2023
@lookitmychicken I know it will always last longer if I do option 1 so I always try for 2, but I get a lot of stress related symptoms that look like cold symptoms so I have to also evaluate how stressed I am before I take a day off because it might just be I've got too much on at work
Show threadkittyclimpoJun 16, 2023
@cinnamonandpancakes @lookitmychicken but… wouldn’t being too stressed also merit taking a day or two off?
Show threadCinnamonJun 16, 2023
@kittyc @lookitmychicken I mean, it's a balancing act. sometimes it's stuff that I need to sit down and organise myself about so not going to work would actually make it worse, and sometimes it is 'I need a day off' stuff and going to work will make it worse and sometimes it's not either of those things but in fact stress in some other part of my life, which is why I need to evaluate before I make a decision
Show threadJamJun 17, 2023
@lookitmychicken Soldier through, but no meds. Tbh because I grew up hearing the common cold was incurable, for years I didn’t even know medicine to treat it existed. I just went about my days feeling awful. The only time I stayed home due to a cold was if I also got a fever. Tbh I still don’t know what meds people take for a cold, because I haven’t gotten one since finding out the medicine exists lol