mecfs

Jamison Hill Has a Cold Part 2

by JamisonWrites.com

Lately I’ve been posting more infrequently because, guess what? I have cold. Another one. Now, I know there’s just about nothing worse than someone complaining about being sick, so I’ll try to keep the whining to a minimum. 

This is the second time I’ve been sick in three months. And by “sick,” I mean sick on top of being sick, because technically, I haven’t been healthy for six years. Ah, damn, am I whining? My bad. 

Anyway. This cold may not be entirely alarming given I recovered from the last one in about a week, but it’s still discouraging, especially considering that my exposure to people and germs is very limited. As I said in Part 1, I’m having a big “mucous party,” and as most people know, “There ain’t no party like a mucous party, cuz a mucous party don’t stop.” Sorry if that grossed you out. Okay, moving on….

The difference between my current cold and the one I had back in October, is this time I’m prepared. I’ve been taking Zicam, liposomal vitamin-c, elderberry extract, and an obscene amount of other remedies. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, I prefer the “hippie” stuff. It was, after all, too much generic cough medicine (and a nasty flu) in 2015 that made me too weak to lift my head. So now I stick to the natural stuff. But it feels, in many ways, as if I’m still recovering from that cold, just as it feels like I’m still recovering from the gnarly case of mononucleosis I got in 2010. 

And this is why I’m often paranoid about catching a secondary sickness. But my paranoia does no good. I see maybe three people most days, and they are usually the same people — my mom, a caregiver, and on a good day, maybe a friend. I’ll admit, even as a self-proclaimed misanthrope, it bums me out not to be out in the world sharing germs — having people breathe on me, being coughed and sneezed on, using public restrooms, all the good stuff! 

So you may have figured out by now: I’m kind of germaphobic, but for good reason. I’ll explain that in another post. My caregivers often wear masks (because the medications I take weaken my immune system) and I frequently wash my hands, which you may be able to imagine, is incredibly difficult when stuck in bed without running water. 

But when you’ve had two colds in three months and none in the year and a half before that, it’s anybody’s guess why and how you’re getting sick. It’s like the pathogens are conspiring against me. Damn pathogens! So this is why, for once, I’m actually going to solicit advice. How do you avoid getting sick? And when you do get sick, what remedies do you use? Tell me your secrets … Please?

*Oh, and please subscribe to this blog, I’m getting close to 5,000 followers and damn if I don’t love a good milestone. 

28 thoughts on “Jamison Hill Has a Cold Part 2”

  1. I recently saw Forgotten Plague, and as a 20 year fibro sufferer it brought me to the verge of tears more than once; I could relate to almost every story of the pain & fatigue you’ve all been through. My case has never been as severe as yours, but I felt I had to contact you to at least have you check out Dr William Pridgen in Tuscaloosa Alabama. He’s located at Tuscaloosa Surgical Associates & also Innovative Technologies. I live in MN and flew to see him last year because he’s on the cutting edge of a new fibro treatment protocol that has made a huge impact on my energy & decreased my pain more than anything I’ve ever tried. I hope you’ll google him and see if there’s anything there that you think might help you. I wish you nothing but the best & I hope you are able to find a road to recovery. You are in my family’s prayers.

    Like

      1. Yes, it’s been more effective than anything else I’ve tried over almost 20 years of dealing with fibro. I know some patients that deal with CFS have also been helped with his protocol. It’s been about a year and a half since I started and it still continues to work. All the best to you, hope you’ve found some answers along the way!

        Like

  2. Pingback: Confessions of a Chronically ill Germaphobe  – Jamison Writes

  3. Hi, fellow CFS human here. Also suffering my second cold/ lung infection in a few weeks? Sometimes I wonder if my immune system is “pretending” it has found a virus, again. As it seems to do the same routine every time. Glad to have found you, I subbed! Thanks for writing, it feels good to relate.
    S-

    Liked by 1 person

  5. You just gained another follower! Hope you get to your milestone. I apologize in advance, but this post made me laugh. I’m new to blogging and 2 years into chronic illness, and I had a blog post rolling around in my mind about this same issue. I had strep throat 2x, followed by a sinus infection. And I get it, when you get sick when you’re already sick… yeah, I hate that. Please check out my blog too. I’m reaching for a much smaller goal of 100 followers! Thanks, I look forward to reading more of your posts 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m enjoying “meeting” people who share similar experiences. It’s a nice community for sharing support and encouragement. Thank you, I will continue to focus on my writing… That was my whole reason for starting a blog. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Hi Jamison,

    One product I used for a few years when I thought I might have an acute illness coming on is Del Immune, a company out of Boulder. It’s pretty expensive and who knows if it worked as I’m not always sure if I have an acute virus or if it’s the CFS. (In 2000 I spent about 3 weeks with pneumonia thinking I was having a bad spell with the CFS.) I’ve also bought echinachia from Dr. Schultz who seems to have quality products but then again I’ve heard various things re whether it really helps colds. Right now I’m trying the Pro Boost that Dr. Teitelbaum recommends. Stanford took no immune measurements on me which I thought was weird, but figure it’s probably lacking. I’m going to look into the lauricedin that Laura mentioned as well as other natural anti virals as recently stopped the Famvir as wasn’t doing any good. Get “well” soon! Nothing more discouraging than being sick on top of being sick!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Micky. It’s so hard to tell if the supplements do anything and they can be so expensive. I will look for Del Immune though. I’ve been trying liposomal vitamin c and Zicam. Starting to feel a bit better. I try to be in preventative mode but doesn’t really seem to be working. Maybe the weather just needs to change. Thanks for your advice!

      Like

  9. Hiya Jamison
    When I was first diagnosed with M.E (won’t say how long ago as it might depress people-if I’d known how long it would be it would have depressed me) I had colds all the time that wiped me out but interestingly I don’t often get them now even though I’m out and about more and everyone here in South Wales seems to have bad colds. I’ve gone through different stages with M.E. I take chinese herbs in tincture form-in particular myrrh and echinacea. I know most people have cupboard full of supplements and we have to find what suits us- these are anti bacterial and viral. All the very best to you.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I had a terrible cold for 4 weeks in October (it has been sweeping the UK) then got another in November so was pretty annoyed. I got some echinacea drops and stopped the cold in its tracks. Now, whenever I feel a cold coming on, I take some drops and head it off at the pass. Three weeks ago my boyfriend (he of the usually amazing immune system who has only had 2 slight colds in 7 years!!!!!) caught a cold and I didn’t. Yay!! That was a good day for me. Not so good for Tom but that’s what you get for refusing hippy treatments. 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Becky. That’s interesting. One of my caregivers just got sick and she says she hasn’t had a cold in years. She’s been out 3 weeks so something out there must be extra bad this year. Thanks for reading!

      Like

      1. Throughout the Midwest, I’ve heard of many people catching tenacious colds that last longer than normal. Sometimes it’s not just the ME club, it’s everyone. But it’s hard to sort out which when we are always looking for cause and effect so as to avoid the situation next time. Three weeks is about average.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. 1) check immunoglobulin counts to see if you even have an immune function (this is aimed more at others since you mention yours may be suppressed intentionally)

    2) consider taking maintenance doses of Lauricidin, an all purpose viral/bacterial/fungus killer. Just remember to start it really slowly, like one pellet. Unless you enjoy a good Herx like you do the mucous party.

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Have not a used colloidal silver, there was a specific reason that I cannot recall. But hear it helps many.
        The Lauricidin potential benefit outweighed all others since it could be taken on an ongoing, prophylactic basis with no prescription. Lauricidin.com

        Liked by 1 person

  12. I recently had a chest infection for several months (knocked flat, not just a lingering cough) and my average cold lasts two or more months. I usually spend four to eight months of the year sick on top of usual cfs sick. So I’m keen to learn some tips as well!!

    I’ve just had to accept it as a way of life but If you want to take tips from someone bad at recovery I drink green smoothies full of leafy greens and veg, many herbs like ashwaghanda and rhodiola as well as fresh chicken broth, tea and often five+ litres of water.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.