too many colds?

[dittarco]

Hi -

I had a bad cold in October... then I had one in late February and now I have another one.

Is this too much? could something be wrong with my immune system?

I do have an 18 month old at home. Yes, she has a cold and yes, she sneezes and coughs in my face all the time. I did think I was prone to colds even before I had her... however, I have been to the doctor before for blood work, extensive too while pregnant....

Could this be anxiety / stress related? I eat right. I do exercise, but I do have an anxiety and my sleeping patterns are not great.

Anyone else get frqeuent colds? I read 2-4 per year for a healthy adult. I'm more like 4-6 :-(

[Dazza123]

If you are around the cold virus, then you are going to catch it.

I used to get around 4 a year for years.

[dittarco]

logically, with my daughter sneezing and coughing in my face, I feel confident it's because of her.. however, someone at work caused my anxiety. My co-worker said "Stop getting so many colds".. and it just triggered the "what ifs"

What if I do get too many colds? And then I started thinking my immune system is weak and I may have a disorder.

I do not want to feel this way. I have gone 4 days without a full blown panic attack and do not want to go backwards...

That's why I am here for some reassurance.

[Munchlet]

To try and give you some reassurance up until November I worked in a college and always got a cold within a week or two of returning after the summer break.

Sure enough I got one early Sept, then I swapped jobs and joined an infant school. I got a cold the first day I started so two months after the last one. I put it down to stressing about changing jobs etc.

Then in Dec I got a very mild cold and a further mild cold a few weeks later in Jan.

Then last week I started to feel I was coming down with something but I took lots of vitamins and it passed with nothing more than a couple of sneezes.

Like you I have been really worried about my immune system but I am surrounded by children ages 4-7 every day and they are constantly sneezing coughing etc and at that age their hand hygiene is not great.

So I've tried to stop worrying because I also read that stressing weakens the immune system and makes you more prone to colds and viruses.

The other thing is lots of people around me at work have had really nasty bugs and in a way I feel I've been quite lucky to escape with a mild cold.

Children spread lots and lots of germs and I'm sure you are just picking the bugs up from your little one.

I read that it's the really nasty infections you need to worry about, the ones that don't clear up easily with antibiotics and keep recurring so please try not to worry I honestly think you are fine.

Take care

[dittarco]

@munchlet - Thank you. That did help me calm down. When I sit back and think about it, I get about 4 colds a year, which isn't really awful. Maybe this year I had 5... but (and knock on wood), I haven't need antibiotics.

I am rundown. I'm a full-time working mom.. my husband works and goes to grad school. I'm not getting the best sleep. And, I KNOW I do NOT drink enough water. Some days, I barely have a glass of water.

I'm sure none of this helps the situation, especially when my toddler LITERALLY COUGHS AND SNEEZES IN MY FACE ...

my rational mind turns off in times of panic. I'm working on recovering from this episode... actually doing much better than a month ago.

[Fishmanpa]

Totally normal... and just be prepared... its even more fun when they get into school ;) I can't tell you the number of bugs my kids passed on in their youth.

Positive thoughts and gesundheit

[Munchlet]

Hi again, just a bit more reassurance, this week alone one of my co workers has developed Scarlet Fever obviously caught off one of the children as a few of them have had it and as she's in her late 50's not the sort of thing you pick up randomly. Another has come out in this horrific rash which she thought was chicken pox as that's also doing the rounds, but her doctor said it's viral and we've had loads of kids with rashes.

So definitely the kids are to blame, they are very good at sharing their bugs. In fact I've started to be grateful for my colds as some of the other stuff the teachers and office staff are getting from the kids is pretty nasty.

Take care

[anxiousjedi]

A friend of mine works in a rest home. She's literally sick at LEAST once a month. Gets almost the entire staff sick every time. If around colds, generally get colds.

[dittarco]

guys, you are so great.

I know a lot of people think it's worse to talk about the HAs and it may even spark further anxiety, but I'm in the middle on this one.

I think it's absolutely a must to take your mind off your fears, but I do also believe that if you bottle your fears up, they will eventually surface and it will not be pretty.

A little off topic, but not completely.

For me, silence is my worst enemy. It gives my mind time to chatter and veer off in 100+ directions. My office is VERY quiet. No one interacts. I try to get up and walk around, but since the weather in the NE has been awful, getting air hasn't been an option on most days. By the time the day ends, my brain has the best of me and my commute home (ferry-subway-bus) becomes almost claustrophobic.

Then I get home - have about 30 mins to prep dinner, run to daycare to pick up my toddler and then it's time to eat, give baths, prep for bed... you parents know the drill. Twice a week my husband has grad class at night...

Some nights my daughter wakes up and she only wants me. I find myself on the floor holding her hand through the crib.

SO in conclusion - no proper rest, no breaks for mom, and silence all day... it's just making me nuts.