Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
So, for like the fifth time this year I'm sick. Fever of 100.3, aches and pains and chills, and a sore throat from hell with white patches on it. I'm going in for a throat culture today because it looks and sounds like strep.
I don't understand what's wrong with me. There seems to always be something wrong with my health. If it's not a cold or fever it's a yeast infection or BV. If it's not a stomach bug where I'm puking it's a rash from an allergic reaction to something. I'm constantly downing Advil because it's the only thing that makes me feel better most of the time.
I don't get it. I'm not that unhealthy. Sure, I could eat better but I'm a college student, I can't afford fully-balanced, nutritious meals, nor do I know how to cook them. I get as much sleep as I can. I take vitamins...sometimes.
I don't know. It seems to me that my body is finally catching up to me or something. I never got sick as a kid. Now it's always something.
Does anyone have some insight? I'm so sick of being sick! :'(
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
your immune system might be jacked up. stress and a poor diet is usually the cause. try mega doses of vitamin c and drinking green tea daily, along with eating a healthy diet.
i said that like i'm an expert or some junk. i'm not. i'm just someone who rarely gets sick, and i attribute that to a healthy diet and regular vitamin and herbal tea intake.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
There are some things you can do to prevent illness. Frequent hand washing and using purell anti-bacterial gel will help a lot.
Also, try avoiding refined sugar and corn syrup (I know, it's in just about everything). Sugars will paralyze your immune system up to 6 hours after eating. If you like sweeteners in beverages like coffee or tea try using honey instead (honey has natural anti microbials).
Try to eat more protein. That is the foundation for healing. You don't have to spend a lot of money, beans and rice are a very balanced meal and a complete protein.
Take advantage of fresh or frozen fruits and veggies whenever you can. The canning process destroys the vital nutrients in canned fruits and veggies.
Avoid white carbs like bread, noodles, skinless potatoes and sugar. These have lots of calories but not much nutrition. It is entirely possible to be malnourished while over eating on junk food.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
Haven't you been to the student health center like 99477050 times since I've known you? I'm not trying to scare you, but I'm starting to worry that maybe you have some kind of autoimmune disorder. I think you should go to a regular doctor and tell him or her how often you have been sick.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
I'm a college student too, so I hear ya about the budget and simultaneous inconvenience of balancing meals.
I eat vitamins like candy, I drink a shitload of water, I wash my hands/use Purrell religiously, and I still get sick all of the time. I feel like I get a cold every month or two.
Stress can lower immune capabilities...and being a stripper exposes you to a hell of a lot more germs than is normal. Those are my only explanations (aside from genetically low immune response) for why I get sick so often.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
When I was in school, I'd take a cheap herbal capsule, dump it out, and refill it with liquid echinacia (sp?) extract and a few drops of oil of oregano. One in the morning, one at night. I'd follow it with a multivitamin. It helped me survive the winters in saint louis.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
Money is filthy, period- you're probably picking it up from that at work, unless you have kids, also known as God's way of telling you you're not covered with enough fecal bacteria.
Here's some suggestions:
1) If you smoke, stop it. You're killing the cells that line your respiratory tract that sweep away bacteria and viruses. (The impaired sweeping is the cause of smoker's cough)
2) Wash your hands frequently for 15 seconds a shot, and if you have the habit of touching your mouth, eyes, or nose, knock it off.
3) If you're not already taking folate because you're of child bearing age, start doing so- don't take the megadose stuff, it's hard on your liver and kidneys, especially ones that have high levels of A, C, and E. The cheapest multivitamin with 50-100% RDA of all the B-Vitamins plus iron is probably your best shot. All vitamins come from the same two or three chemical companies (Hoechst, Bayer, BASF), they just differ in packaging.
Women with especially heavy menstrual flows, vegans, or bleeding due to ulcers, NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen) or steroids (asthma drugs) often suffer from mild (iron deficient) anemia and low folate levels- which can impair immune function, among other things.
4) If you're taking immunosupressants (e.g. anti-allergy medicine), tell your health care provider about your problem so the can adjust dosages or get you off them.
Finally, echinacea extract is strongly discouraged for people with autoimmune disorders. Moreover, most well designed studies to date indicate that echinacea does not prevent colds or other infections. The only positive studies were conducted in Europe four decades ago, and the number of people they tested was too small to be valid, among other problems.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1887065
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/echinacea/
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
As long as I'm dancing, I'm sick. As soon as I stop with the late hours and/or smoke... never sick. I hear ya!
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
I get sick a lot too. Do u suffer from anxiety? Anxiety has a negative effect on physical health and weakens the immune system.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
Stress and/or anxiety are far more serious as far as causing health problems than most doctors will let on. Diet is a big factor as well, you are what you eat quite literally, since the protein, etc. comes from food. The cells in our bodies don't suck themselves out of the air, they are built from the food we ingest.
I feel you on the getting sick and being sick of getting sick! I have gotten sick 6 times in the last 8 months which is ridiculous. Though three times was actually from the same goddamned pestilence that I posted about in March/April, that fucking bubonic plague flu that ravaged Key West, and especially me.
It kicked my fucking ass, I'll tell you--and I think that it weakened me so much that I was left vulnerable and that's why I have been sick again now a few times.
The money being dirty is also true. If I am eating anything I always wash my hands after handling that shit. But even rubbing your eyes after handling a dollar someone dropped on the street and stepped on with shoes that have stomped on trash, dead bugs, miniscule traces of dogshit, etc., can get germs in your system.
But mostly in my case it's the stress. I know because I just got an inner ear infection which I used to get constantly in my 20's and I finally figured out it was stress. As soon as I figured it out I stopped getting it as much, lol. I am still somewhat prone to it--but it's always when I am stressed!
This business can be exciting but excitement induces stress, as can sudden improvements in your life, etc. That's a fact. And of course if your life sucks it will stress you out too, lol. Not saying yours does, but there were times when mine did (like my 20's).
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
OMG, Lily, I read an article about autoimmune disease in Glamour and it freaked me out! :(
Honestly, I just don't think I take good enough care about myself. I called my mom in pain today because my throat hurt so bad and she lovingly but firmly reminded me that she wasn't around anymore to tell me to eat well and go to bed.
I also have pretty bad habits when I'm at the club. I smoke cloves, I occasionally take money with my mouth (I know, bad, bad) and even though I carry Purell around with me there, the strip club is a cesspool and I can practically see the germs.
I do have major stress and anxiety issues as well. I am easily overwhelmed and am unable to cope with the stresses of life like other people can. I easily sink into depressions because of this stress. I guess that doesn't help my immune system either.
I don't know. All of these suggestions you guys gave are fantastic and I'm going to make it a personal goal of mine to live a healthier lifestyle. That might mean taking a break from stripping for a while. I have never been as sick as I have been this year and I started dancing last October. Possibly related?
Anyway, any other advice and health tips are welcome! I'm the list-making type, I've been writing all of these suggestions and ideas down. :)
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Laylalust
Honestly, I just don't think I take good enough care about myself.
I do have major stress and anxiety issues as well. I am easily overwhelmed and am unable to cope with the stresses of life like other people can. I easily sink into depressions because of this stress. I guess that doesn't help my immune system either.
That might mean taking a break from stripping for a while. I have never been as sick as I have been this year and I started dancing last October. Possibly related?
You're not overreacting or weaker than the people around you. People act like your early 20s are the best time in your life. One big celebration and triumph. It's not. Most kids have some kind of trauma in their past. It can be things that have befallen them or their loved ones. College, the working world and the pressure of having to be self reliant are massive. It's the most abrupt and numerous amount of changes most kids have ever experienced. So I think your reactions are understandable.
Yeah, your job is a toughie. I get sick at my main club because they are filthy. They just don't clean beyond vacuuming! Maybe you need to switch. My club had throat infections and MRSA going around! So sometimes you gotta switch up.
Re: Sick, sick, always freakin' sick!!
Probiotics. I used to be sick ALL the time...I mean ALWAYS. I was around kids every day at school and they are little petrie dishes. I picked up every nasty cold and flu they had. Then I started taking probiotics and they boost your immune defenses like you cannot believe. i don't have insurance so the less I have to go to the doc the better. I haven't been sick once in two years. Try probiotics. You won't regret it.