I’m full of cold or flu. Taken some paraceptamol to reduce the fever. What do you like to do to feel better even for a short period of time. Need some tips! Feeling so crap
I sit on the couch with a comfy blanket, a giant thing of water nearby, and play video games. Usually some Zelda game, but always something gentle where it doesn’t matter if I fall asleep while playing.
Also, I have some form of chicken soup (see my other reply for a delicious recipe)
Water + rest. Take off work!
Your body is fighting hard
A hot, spicy, citrus-laden soup loaded down with potatoes, chayote, spinach, onions, cilantro, and a protein source of your choice. Flavor with stock. Broccoli and/or carrots added in late in the cooking to preserve their crunch.
The psychological effects of a hearty meal and the nutritional benefits are great. Make it in a big enough pot and you can keep coming back to it over 2 days, leaving you free from cooking and limiting additional dishes to mess with while sick.
Spend that time practicing self-care instead. The mental boost is considerable and lessens the awful feeling of being sick.
Also, make sure to take in sunlight, but also spend some time cozy in a dark setting. Falling into a hard habit can adversely affect your mood.
Don’t neglect grooming. A hot shower and a clean, head of hair/scalp is something people may take for granted, but I’ve had to go days without a shower sometimes and the feeling of a freshly washed head is revitalizing.
There’s a delicious recipe for chicken/tortilla/lime soup somewhere on imgur… Lemme find it rq… Here we go:
Mostly, I sleep. When I’m not sleeping, I play relaxing video games or watch older TV shows/movies. So it’s like Stardew Valley and Better Off Ted/Airplane all day.
And, of course, chicken soup or your regional equivalent sick people food.
If you’ve been ill for just a few days and it’s available to you, get a COVID-19 test and seek Paxlovid. The new variants are about so many are sick with it and Paxlovid is effective at reducing illness severity. Same is true of Tamiflu for the flu but it’s likely to be COVID-19 at this time.
Paxlovid
In the UK I bet it’s hard to get this unless you’re in a high risk group with severe symptoms. I am up to date on all my jabs though.
Ah, yea the UK is very strict on Paxlovid eligibility. Glad you’re up to date on the vaccines, if it is COVID that should help with initial illness and resting as much as possible can help with reducing Long COVID development. I may have missed others make this suggestion but a good heat pad or similar for aches can be wonderful. Hope you feel better soon.
If you’re on psych meds, you may not be able to get the antiviral. I couldn’t get it. I got Prednisone and it’s barely doing anything
The prednisone makes sense, its generally not recommended to start it while sick at least (or any cortico-steroids). I’m not in the medical science field enough to be able to explain why, but I’ve had to be on prednisone quite often in the past and remember my doctors bringing this up.
If you can stand it and the temperature isn’t life threatening, let the fever go without fever reducers. It may shorten the duration of your convelesece.
I agree with what everyone else is saying. Keep your electrolytes up, eat healthy foods, eggs, liver, if you can. Stay hydrated. Rest. And sleep.
It is important to drink enough. If your nose is swollen and shut, xylometazoline does handle that. Paracetamol (1000 mg for adults) or Ibuprofene (400 mg for adults) will help against pain and fever.
Far out. 400 ibuprofen is more than enough for most people. Always try the smallest recommended dose first.
You’re right, I updated my comment.I tend to take 600 mg when I have severe pain, but I’m 203cm/110kg.
My mother always made chicken soup when I was sick with a cold/flu. I always felt worse afterwards and she would be upset when I told her because “that’s so unkind to say”, like it was a criticism of her cooking. It took me so many years to figure out that I am slightly allergic to celery which I was only fed when I was already sick …
“There’s been a rumor that – you know, a very nice rumor – that you go outside in the sun or you have heat and it does have an effect on other viruses,”
“I’m going to speak to the medical doctors to see if there’s any way that you can apply light and heat to cure, you know, if you could.”
Standing in the shower can provide temporary relief.
Not sure what’s going around - but also super sick during summer!!
I was recommended Oregano Concentrate (a natural anti-viral / bacterial) which really helped reduce the respiratory side of the sickness completely.
I was recommended Oregano Concentrate (a natural anti-viral / bacterial) which really helped reduce the respiratory side of the sickness completely.
What’s that? I.e a juice based on the herb? Not heard of it before.
Last time I was down with the Plague™, I was in bed, chugging jugs of thyme tea (helps a lot with wet cough), and taking ibuprofen/pseudoephedrine for the fever and stuffy nose. Also I watched the entire history of the Earth documentary series while sorting out my mystery embroidery floss. That helped a lot to keep me busy. Sleeping is good but I feel like I lose track of time and that triggers my depression. But I usually recommend it a lot to my patients.
Drink a lot. I personally always like tea brewed with a few thin slices of ginger. It’s refreshing and makes me feel better.
I got people calling it “the undead-turning lamen”:
Get some chicken (thighs? breast? whatever, include the bones but take them afterwards). Dice it, season with ginger, red pepper, black pepper, brown sugar. Brown it in a pot large enough to make some soup out of it. Then add wasabi, vinegar, minced garlic, soy sauce and water or chicken stock, fix the seasoning as necessary. (It’s fine to add a bit of salt to avoid making it too soy saucy.) Then add sliced cabbage, carrot, onion, leek, whatever you have in your fridge (see note on order), plus instant noodles (no packet seasoning). Let it cook all together and serve it.
It won’t cure your cold or flu. But it’s comforting, and nutritive. Make it spicy, but not uncomfortably so. If you’re struggling to chew it’s fine to just sip the liquid itself, as plenty nutrients from the vegs will leak into it.
NOTE: vegs and noodles take different cooking times, so plan accordingly. If using the ones that I’ve listed I’d probably add the carrots and cabbage, wait a bit, then onion and leek, wait a bit more, then the lamen. I usually go by texture but I guess five minutes between steps is reasonable?
