Cold, flu and illness tips!! :-)
I AM NOT A DOCTOR, THESE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE /HELPED/ ME- NOT CURED ME.
**CHECK FOR POTENTIAL REACTIONS WITH WHATEVER YOU’RE TAKING TOGETHER OR WITH WHATEVER PRESCRIPTION YOU’RE ALREADY TAKING.
• stay hydrated, if you can’t tolerate water make it 100% juice or tea! Dye, refined sugar and corn syrup can make the sickness feel worse so avoid Gatorade, Powerade, Snapple, ect.
• Keep a medicine log: what you took & when. Mucus busters, decongestants, painkillers ect all have a certain amount of time in between each dose when you can take them, it says it on the bottle. Check to make sure you can take the two or more over the counter medications at the same time, also check for reactions with prescription meds online!!**
• Start taking multi vitamins, they’re good for you and support your natural immune defense. Vitamin c & d, zinc, echinacea and many more are super helpful right now**
• Netti Pots!! Tips: NO plastic ones, lead free and food safe glaze!! Hand wash them with HOT water and boil them for extra disinfecting. Make sure the water you are using for the flush has cooled to warm, not hot or cold! Bend over at a 90 degree angle, turn your head as far to the right as you comfortably can (emphasis on comfortable, don’t strain yourself) and put the Netti Pot in your RIGHT nostril so the water starts pouring out of your left nostril. Open your mouth and breathe, you’re not drowning. Adjust the posture of your head or the angle, again, you’re not drowning. Use about half of the water on the right, take the Netti Pot OFF and switch to the left side, repeating the steps but for the left. Blow your nose in between switching sides and use the rest of the water.
• Get anti snoring nose strips, they help a lot to help you fucking breathe when you’re congested as FUCK or your sinuses are irritated and inflamed.
• Keep a garbage bag by your bed so any trash can be thrown out or if you’re throwing up, welp, there you go!
• If you have a SEVERELY sore throat or strep: Numbing cough drops and throat spray will make it so you can at least get something down and have a little relief. Obviously, in this case if you can’t even breathe without it hurting go to the doctor or urgent care.
• Get a nebulizer/steam inhaler/vicks steamer or humidifier to keep things moist in your sinuses and even help break it up. There are cooling misters and warming misters, they also have options to put essential oils as well. Look at your options and see what YOU want.
• Cooling gel spa masks?? Singular circle ones, under eye, a full mask that goes over your eyes or has eye holes?? They’re SO good for irritated and painful sinuses, holy shit. Warm compresses are good for loosening up the gunk but sometimes your sinuses are so inflamed, you need the OPPOSITE.
• If you’re really bed ridden, don’t do this, but if you can, keep your meds in a nearby room or across your room so you get up and circulate blood flow and open up your sinuses. It sucks, but it is much better to stand for those 5-10 minutes while taking your meds and let shit drain and flow properly again.
• Yoga can actually be beneficial. There are plenty of “yoga when sick” tutorials and videos online that will help you relieve pressure, drain shit and just generally stretch you out after sitting Orr laying down for so long. Some yoga you can do entirely laying down.
• Get fresh air, ask for help getting bundled up or open a window and suck in that fresh air. It feels so much better and getting some sun and going outside will help, trust me.
• Change your bedding, wash it, clean it, get the funk off once you’re not sick. Trust me there is drool, snot, sweat.. maybe puke?? Just wash it.
• Use paper plates, plastic utensils, disposable shit if you’re alone. Washing dishes can be hard as fuck when you’re sick, there is also germs on the things you used so just toss it out. I wouldn’t say “make a specific spot in the sink” or “Fill the dishwasher” Because what if you forgot and now you’re sick? Or you couldn’t cause your sick?
• Take a shower about 2-3 days in, you’ll feel a little more refreshed, again, drainage!! And then again when you feel like you’re over the brunt of it and you’re on the up!
• Fruit and veggies really are going to give you more energy and be extremely helpful here. I am not saying avoid every other food, but a fresh fruit or veggie platter of your choice?? It’s hydrating, it tastes good (especially with dip) and it has a ton of great nutrients!! :-)
• Try to avoid any medicine with dye, corn syrup and refined sugar… please. I have tried both on SEVERAL occasions and I got sick a LOT as a child, the basically candy with some Tylenol in it will make you feel worse, make you flemmy, hurt your throat, give you a sugar high that does not pair well with fevers- just don’t do it.
• Last but not least: Rest, wherever that may be most comfortable for you. If you have any questions, suggestions or are curious about anything lmk!
