I'm sick so often - any ideas?

04-11-2011, 07:11 PM

I get sick so often I don't know what to do! I seem to catch a bad cold/flu at least 3-4 times a year with lots of problems in between. Every time I am sick, it lasts between 2 to 4+ weeks. I get sick way more often than anyone I know and people that seem to get over colds that last 2-3 days takes me 3 weeks to over a month to recover. It is so frustrating!

I carry around this lingering cough as I am always trying to clear my throat. I often have to use nasal decongestants to breathe out of my nose comfortably. I periodically get addicted to Afrin (nasal spray decongestant) and have to wean myself off of it. My lymph nodes in my neck/throat often get swollen too.

I don't know if it is allergies, bacterial, or viral infection. I recently had blood work done and they said everything looked fine. I also had chest x-ray and they said there was nothing to be of concern even though I seem to get upper respiratory problems often (congestion in chest, wheezing, coughing).

My ENT suggested that my cough is due to PND (post nasal drip) so I started using a saline spray to keep my nasal passasges/sinuses clean. I'm not sure if it helps because my problems keep coming back. My brother and my girlfriend are always around me and they never seem to catch my colds.

Do I have some type of immune deficiency?

I am a 24 year old male, weigh 135 pounds and am 5'7". I exercise plenty and take multi-vitamins and vitamin c tablets. My diet is not terrible but could use some improvements.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

04-11-2011, 07:45 PM

Have you ever been tested for allergies? Scratch test or blood test? That would be my first guess.

Did your ENT suggest a steroid or antihistamine nasal spray? They are prescription-only, but not addictive the way Afrin is.

04-11-2011, 09:22 PM

is your multi vitamin a pill or a liquid or a powder. Might not be absorbing into your system if its a pill form.It could be just passing through you. Chronic colds could be yeast in your sinus. Netti pot..easy to use and would clear out whatever is trapped in there, even very helpful with allergies.

04-12-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janewhite1

Have you ever been tested for allergies? Scratch test or blood test? That would be my first guess.

Did your ENT suggest a steroid or antihistamine nasal spray? They are prescription-only, but not addictive the way Afrin is.

No I have not. I have been meaning to get an allergy test. Thanks for reminding me, I will do this.

My ENT did suggest Flonase nasal spray. I've been told it can take a long time to build up in the body to become effective and that the body can also become immune to it. I've used this in the past. I don't remember how effective it was. Must not have worked that good if I'm not still on it, or maybe I should try again with different brand?

04-12-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itburns2004

is your multi vitamin a pill or a liquid or a powder. Might not be absorbing into your system if its a pill form.It could be just passing through you. Chronic colds could be yeast in your sinus. Netti pot..easy to use and would clear out whatever is trapped in there, even very helpful with allergies.

Both multi-vitamin and vitamin c tablets are in pill form. This is not effective? I used to drink Emergen-C but some people suggested that the body can't absorb the crazy amounts of vitamin c that they boast are in the drink.

I use a nasal rinse similar to the netti pot.

I've had that rinse help in the past when I was feeling sick and it seemed to help within a week or two, but I've been using it about twice a day for the past 3 weeks without any relief

04-12-2011, 10:59 AM

It has been prooven that alot of people can not and do not yield result from hard pills. There is some test that you can do. You place your chosen vitamin in water and see if it dissolves rapidly. I am a firm believer of powders and liquids. Makes more sense on all levels to me at least. Energen-c is an example and easily acquired. While i have heard your body can not absorb tons of vitamin c as well it will take what it can absorb, which would be better then nothing from a pill that just passes through you. In terms of your sinus it can be yeast related and easily corrected. xclear nasal spray is good. netti pot is said to be great, maybe you do it wrong, i could not use it cause i have a deviated septum. I use the xclear and powder vitamins. In reality if you have a good stomach you can buy a juicer and make your own heathy, vitamin filled drinks. Use veggies and fruits. the steriod sprays will mask your symptoms and only cause or feed a yeast situation in your sinuses. Maybe also add vitamin d3 gel caps to your mix.Maybe about 2000iu a day (make sure gel cap only ones effective).D3 is the building blocks to your immune system.Good luck.

04-12-2011, 05:05 PM

Definitely ask for allergy testing! In the meanwhile:

1) Wash your hands whenever you are in public. If a person with a virus touches and doorknob, and you touch it and then touch your nose, mouth or eyes, you could catch the virus.

2) Try to eliminate dust from your bedroom. Wash your sheets and pillowcases every week in hot water, remove clutter and wipe up dust with a damp rag, not a dry one. Ideally, floors should be bare.

3) Eat fresh fruits and veggies.

04-12-2011, 05:28 PM

Hi there is something going around but sometimes it can be averted. A person is more likely to get flu or colds within a few hours even to 30 days or more after having something sweet. Bacteria eat sweets and also the body is inhibited in eating the bacteria because the white blood cells cannot eat them or the viruses as fast. If a nose throat irrigation is done with warm saline using 1/2 a teaspoon of salt to 8 ounces of water with an ear irrigation bulb within a few minutes of the scratchy irritations that sore throats start with and then go to bed for an hour, afterward often the sore throat can be averted.

04-12-2011, 10:41 PM

I would get checked for allergies. Allergies can make you feel like you have the flu or a cold. This could be causing the cough and possibly even ear infections. I would also take an antioxidant, such as Vitamin E.

04-12-2011, 11:14 PM

Try not eating dairy for a moth or so. I know it's hard, but dairy causes tons of mucus in the chest and head area.
I had to cut dairy because of my sinuses.

04-13-2011, 11:14 AM

Hi I would agree about the dairy causing mucous. Milk also often has bacteria or pathogens that are not helpful in healing upper respiratory symptoms.

06-06-2011, 10:16 AM

Has anybody heard of GoodBelly
juice drinks that contain the pro-biotic lactobacillus planatarum? They claim it creates a protective coating in your intestine which boosts your immune system.

Anybody know about pro-biotics and their effects on the immune system?

I took their "12 day challenge" and drank the product for about two weeks. I can't really say that it made me feel "better" but strangely enough, when I stopped taking the product, I caught a cold immediately after.

I am considering looking for pro-biotic powders/pills as an alternative to making my own immune boosting cocktails.

06-06-2011, 11:04 AM

Never tried that brand but I also started taking a Probiotic last year and it really did help. My Dr. and Cardio Dr. told me to get one that said Probiotic Acidophilus so I got the Schiff brand. It's inexpensive and you don't need to put it in the fridge. I take one pill about 2 hrs. after dinner as they say they work better on an empty stomach.

Hope this helps and good luck...JJ..

06-08-2011, 10:28 PM

I think you have weakness you need some vitamins and healthy food to have, your resistance power is very low you need to increase it

I'm sick so often - any ideas?

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