Last weekend, I got really sick and came down with the flu. Then, on Tuesday, I started to feel well enough to go back to work at the office, but I still wasn’t feeling 100%.
It must be a sign that I’m getting older because my body isn’t bouncing back to good health as quickly as it used to.
While I’m definitely not feverish or coughing anymore, I still have a weird light-headedness and crippling headache plus a lot of mucus in my nose and throat. Nasty, I know! (When I spoke to my mom on the phone, she said that I sounded like a duck!)
The weather really took a dip, and it’s been absolutely freezing, so I think that’s also a contributing factor to me not being able to shake this illness.
Usually at the first sign that I may be coming down with something, I pop some Vitamin Cs, and that has always prevented me from actually catching a cold. However, this time, I got the symptoms but ran out of my vitamins. Then, I foolishly decided to let the illness ride out because I didn’t think it was going to be this bad. I’ll try to remember not to make that mistake again next time!
Whenever I get sick, I don’t take Tylenol. But this time, I felt so bad, so I took the one that’s specially formulated to help with the cold, cough, and flu. I have to say that I didn’t notice any improvement when I took it for a few days. Vitamin Cs have more of an effect on my body than Tylenol.
After noticing that it wasn’t doing much, I just stopped taking Tylenol, and that’s when I started to feel a bit better.
I have no idea if this is true, but my suspicion is that Tylenol may actually prolong your flu. When you get the flu, the fever you experience raises the temperature in your body to kill the flu. But Tylenol lowers your fever. So I think that’s why my sickness lasted longer.
Anyway, so if you’ve noticed that I’ve been slower to reply to comments on here and Twitter, that’s the reason. I’m feeling better than before, but still not great. Only today did I finally get a new bottle of Vitamin C, so I plan to put it to work.
The one I use is by a company called Shaklee, which actually isn’t available in stores. You can only buy it online. This company does a lot of clinical testing on their nutritional supplements, so I trust them. Plus the Shaklee Vitamin C has a sustained-release formula, which makes it more effective.
One of my co-workers suggested that I try Cold FX, which is supposed to boost your immune system. I almost bought it, but decided to do some online research on it before blindly just trying anything. (I do a lot of research prior to using beauty products, and when it comes to health products, I do even more extensive research because consuming something can really affect you.)
I read that the company once claimed that Cold FX provided immediate relief when that wasn’t scientifically proven. But so many people rely on it because they believe it works, so I’m curious if it’s worthwhile to make the investment and buy it.
Have you tried Cold FX? If so, what are your thoughts on it? When you’re feeling ill, what’s the remedy you turn to most often?
Aww I hope you get over this soon! My math teacher last year got me using vitamin C drops and I really feel like it helps. On a camping trip one time, I drank a crazy amount of tang so I wouldn’t be sick and I felt like it work, so now whenever I start to feel sick I just start drinking tang. I hate using tylenol and stuff, I feel like it doesn’t work that well, I’m going to look into Shaklee. I hope you get better soon Mary!
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Hey Brianna!
After taking the Vitamin Cs, I felt so much better even after just one hour. My body responds way better to vitamins than to medication. And I’m glad it’s like that. But now I know not to be foolish and run out of my precious Cs!
Which vitamin C drops did you use? Was it Ester-C? I heard about that, but never tried it.
Shaklee is a great for vitamins. They even have supplied vitamins to Olympic athletes. The only downside is that their vitamins tend to be more expensive than the typical ones you’d find in the drugstore. However, because Shaklee does a lot of clinical studies on their products, I think it’s worth to pay extra. (I’ve been using their Vita-C 500 for many years, and I’ve always had great results, so I stick with what works unless I find something better.)
I’m glad you’re starting to feel better! Hopefully, you’ll be back to 100% soon. 🙂 When I got the plague just after the new year, it took a bit over two weeks before I was better, so I can definitely commiserate. I survived on Saltine crackers, apple juice, and a combination of Mucinex and Tylenol for a couple days. Most of the time, though, when I get sick, I’ll only take Mucinex to make it easier to blow my nose or cough. Other than that, I’m one of those people who won’t take anything so my body doesn’t get used to the medicine and render it ineffective when I *really* need it.
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Hey Erin M.!
Thank you so much! My headache went away – finally! And after taking Vitamin C, I feel like my body used it and really needed it. Just wish that I took it sooner because I could’ve prevented getting so sick in the first place! (I’m really big on prevention over treatment.)
Wow, being ill for over 2 weeks sounds terrible! 🙁 Sorry that you had to deal with that.
Because I take prescription meds for my back problems and for high blood pressure, I have to be really careful of anything over-the-counter. There is only one cold med specifically made for those with high blood pressure and it can be crazy expensive. My hubby and I use an old ‘cold remedy’ that was handed down from his grandmother that actually works well for us. It doesn’t taste all that great (it’s made with onions) but it usually only takes 2 maybe 3 doses and I’m feeling so much better. The best thing is it’s all natural and I can make it as strong or weak as I need it and don’t have to worry about if it’s going to cause a reaction with my prescription meds.
I hope you stay on the road to recovery and don’t come down with the nasty tummy bug that is going around out there. I’ve had that one twice already and it’s no fun at all. Take care of yourself!
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Hey Angela S!
What is the cold remedy with onions that you make? I’m really curious because I’ve never heard of this, and maybe I’d try it next time I fall victim to the common cold.
So far I’m feeling much better than even on Saturday. Thanks to the Vitamin Cs I took, I feel much healthier. Just hope that the road to recovery continues. Being sick really puts a damper on everything, even if you try to keep a positive attitude.
It’s not just you and you’re absolutely right. That’s exactly why I try to avoid medications for cold and flu. They don’t cure anything, but supress the symptoms so you “feel better”, but you’re not getting better. The crummy symptoms are your way to fight it so you get better faster not doing anything; even faster by boosting your body’s defenses with things like Vitamin C. It’s a total scam because people are more concerned with feeling better than being better. If you feel better you can get back to work feeding the machine. 😉 Shame you picked such a bad year to try and ride it out. Everyone I know that got sick got REALLY sick this year. Fortunately I think things are clearing up all around. Hope you get better soon!
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Hey Lizzy!
Those are good points you raise. People definitely want to ‘feel better’ and tend to put the ‘getting better’ as a secondary thing. Very strange. And my body didn’t even feel better after taking Tylenol. I just wish that I went with my usual Vitamin-C ‘trick’ instead of trying something new (Tylenol). I probably would’ve recovered faster.
Today I feel much better, and I hope that it continues because when I was feeling sick for so long, it was really zapping my energy and I felt like I was falling behind on the blog, too…
Aww, feel better Mary! My son woke up sick Saturday and as of tonight (Sunday), he’s still running a fever and not feeling good 🙁
Hey Barb!
Aww…hope that your son feels much better! Having a fever is one of the worst feelings, but thankfully he has you to care for him and nurse him back to health! 🙂
Thank you – I’m feeling better after taking some Vitamin Cs. Those work like miracles for my body. Just wish I took them at the onset of the illness like I normally do. (I’ll have to be extra careful to never run out of them again. I learned my lesson!)
Awww, I hope you feel better soon Mary and can finally kick this sickness in the butt! My mom swears by Cold FX and makes me take it whenever I might be getting sick, but I’m not a believer quite yet (I can’t tell if it works or not!) I like to stick with plain Vitamin C! 😀 Take care and get better <3
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Hey Jenn!
With the help of Vitamin C, I think I’m kicking this annoying illness’ butt! I’m a little annoyed that I allowed myself to run out of the vitamins, especially when I could’ve used them the most. But, that’s life. Lesson learned!
When I looked into what’s actually in Cold FX, it was so scientific, I couldn’t really understand what it was. Whereas, with Vitamin C, it’s natural, so for me, I like using that type of remedy better.
I hope you feel better soon, it seems like everyone is getting the flu/cold! It’s managed to make the rounds in my family (it like a vicious cycle, we keep catching it from one another). When we’re sick, we usually stock up on the Manischewitz Matzoh Ball soup, and my mom makes everyone hot toddies (boiled water, brandy, honey, lemon, and a cinnamon stick)!
Hey Michaela Jacobson!
I’m starting to feel better after taking Vitamin C. Seriously, that’s like a miracle remedy for me. My body just loves it!
Oh, I’ve heard of hot toddies, but I’ve never tried it. Sounds delicious and very soothing!
Hi Mary,
Just discovered your awesome blog not long ago and I enjoy reading it on google reader daily. Love the graphic design by the way. I just had to put my two cents about Vit C’s. I started taking them a couple of years ago (Ester C) and discovered that it also prevented seasonal allergies for me (which I absolutely hate…itchy nose, ears etc), so needless to say it’s part of my daily regimen nowadays. And like you said I strongly believe that if something works for you stick to it. Take care and feel better.
Hey Rianne!
I’m glad that you found your way here! 🙂 WELCOME! And thank you so much for spending a part of each day here. That means a lot to me. I hope that you’ll leave future comments. I love reading and replying to comments left by readers. It’s interesting to find out what you think. And, although I sometimes am not able to reply the same day, I do try to reply ASAP.
Good to know that Ester C is working well for you. I’ve been curious about that. I’ve only ever taken the pill form of Vitamin C, but I imagine that the liquid form is easier for the body to absorb. (Just a guess.)
Thank you! 🙂 I’m feeling much better now – no longer sick! Woo hoo! It feels good just to be ‘normal’ again. (Hope that you’re also in good health!)
Late catching up on my emails Mary! People also swear by zinc lozenges, which I have never tried. Feel better!
Hey Barbara!
Oh yes, I remember trying zinc lozenges when I was a kid. They were especially great when I had a sore throat!
Thank you so much! I’m feeling 100% again – FINALLY! 🙂 I was so tired of feeling sick.