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feeling under the weather for a while

1K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  geronimango 
#1 ·
I've felt kinda sick for almost two weeks now...

it started as a dry throat/irritation two weekends ago, but now it has gotten worse.

I wake up in the middle of the night/morning with a really dry/kinda sore throat and my nasal passages are all clogged up.

today it has turned into me being drained of energy and coughing a lot.

I kind of just ignored it for a while, because I hadn't gotten sick since going vegetarian almost two years ago...I guess I had it coming.

I'm vegan and my diet has been pretty consistent for a while.

I guess I just caught something, but does it sound familiar or are any of you having similar symptoms? what should I do?

as I eat/drink, the throat problems tend to clear up for a while, but everything else pretty much bothers me throughout the day.
 
#4 ·
i think after two weeks you probably should see a doctor. it might just be a plain old cold thats hanging around a bit, in which case you can treat it yourself, but if its getting worse or just not budging, you might have got yourself a sinus or chest infection, bronchitis, or even pneumonia- and you'll need a doctor to tell you which it is.

a young and healthy friend of mine got pneumonia a year or so ago, and ended up really ill, and she just thought she had a bad cold. you can't judge for yourself, and you seriously don't want to take the risk, so off to the doctor you should go.

as for the dry sore throat thats horrible in the night/morning- i get this when i get a cold, and with me, its directly related to the blocked nose (if your nose is blocked, you'll breathe through your mouth when you sleep, and you're not drinking water to keep it lubricated (unless you sleep-drink!), so it'll get dry and sore).

you might want to try sleeping with your head higher (use a few extra pillows) a humidifier in your room to keep the air moist (or a bowl of water on a windowledge near a radiator), and/or using something like vicks on your chest (mmm... sexy, lol!), or a few drops of albas oil on a tissue/your pillow, to help your nose stay unblocked.

i sometimes use throat numbing sprays and losenges to at least stop my throat from hurting so much, if i get really desperate for a bit of decent un-interupted sleep- probably not vegan though. if i'm feeling cheap, i'll gargle boiled, cooled, salty water, which alledgedly helps with the pain (not that i've noticed!) as well as killing bacteria.

other than that, i'd say keep drinking lots of warm liquids to help your airways and soothe your throat, and try and take it easy, and eat as healthy as you can (lots of veggies and soups won't hurt!).

you could also try vitamin c, zinc, and echinacea, to help boost your immune system- ask your pharmacist, and alopathic doctor, or a knowledgeable healthfood store person for advice on this.
 
#7 ·
There is a bad cold/sinus virus going around (I just had it, with very sore throat and popping ears & all) that sounds like what you describe. I'd get checked out to make sure it's not lower respiratory infection (bronchitis/lungs) but I bet this is what you have. For myself & people around me it is taking 2-3 weeks before it even starts to clear up but my doc said it was viral and not to take anything but decongestants unless I got additional infection in throat or ears (which did not happen).

Hang in there !
 
#9 ·
You might try some of hoodedclawjen's suggestions, but the problem is, they work best as soon as the problem starts. If it doesn't get better, see a specialist to rule out bacterial infection. There's another problem that ENT specialists often prescribe antibiotics without any test as karenlovessnow pointed out. If you have some prescribing antiobiotics without any microbiology or even blood tests like ESR and complete blood count, you might ask for a reason why you should take these antibiotics.

Anyway, hope you'll get better soon.
 
#10 ·
I have been feeling pretty lousy since last week (tightness in chest, coughing, congestion that otc meds didn't help). Went to dr on Wednesday and I have bronchitis. He gave me a real strong cough suppresant/expectorant and I got a steroid shot. I am feeling better still still pretty fatigued. I have scoliosis and a 60 degree curve in my spine. The reduced lung capacity puts pressure on my heart and my lung volume is even more reduced since being sick. I get fatigued now with minimal physical activity so I am taking it slowly.

Go see a doctor!
 
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