Immune system not working as it should

[Iwant2bhealthy]

Hi guys,

I used to visit this forum a lot a few years ago. As my anxiety and depression got better with therapy and medication I stopped coming here. Unfortunately I recently noticed that my health anxiety is trying to get to me again...

In the last 6 months I had multiple health issues which led me to question if my immune system is working properly.

I got treated with antibiotics for bronchitis, as a result of long antibiotics therapy I developed a fungal skin infection which took 8 weeks to cure. Afterwards I got a serious sinus infection which, again could only be treated with antibiotics. This means that my skin problems came back. 5-6 weeks ago, I was still not finished with the skin treatment when I got a serious case of flu. I had a fever of 39,7, shivers and muscule/bone pain and I was suffocating despite using Ventolin 3 times a day (I have allergic asthma, so I use the puffer 2 times a year, when my allergies get triggered). I ended going to weekend-emergency-GP (I don't know if the english speakers know what I mean but it's something we have in NL), she prescribed prednisolone and told me to come back if I still cant breathe. I absolutely hate this medication as it makes my heart race and increases my anxiety, but I took it anyway. It didn't help, so on Monday, barely breathing I went to my GP, which concluded that the viral infection became bacterial and prescribed me antibiotics. Luckily they helped, and after a few days I started to breathe better.

Now, almost 4 weeks after finishing the antibiotic, I still feel fatigued when I go hiking, and I need to adjust the distance and speed of my walks.
That's not the worst part though. Yesterday I started to feel a little sick, and today I woke up with a sore throat. I feel the slime dripping at the back of my throat, and I worry that it will go to my lungs, and get me another bronchitis...

I think my fears are also partially related to the fact that I travelled with public transport on Thursday, and I spent some time with people who travelled from one of the EU regions where coronavirus was found. This fear certainly plays on my head, even though I realise that the risks of me getting sick with a coronavirus are almost non existent.

My biggest problem is that I no longer know what's normal... Is my immune system compromised? Is it normal to be that sick all the time? Why does this happen to me all the time? :-(

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[ankietyjoe]

Something to consider is that if your immune system is already under stress (anxiety does this) and you combine it with antibiotics, it can make you feel like crap for a long time. Antibiotics are indiscriminate and destroys all bacteria in your gut, good and bad. Most of your immune system is located in the gut, about 70%.

There are a few things you can do. The first thing to do immediately is start taking a course of good quality pro-biotics. This will help re-build your stomach bacteria as quickly as possible. I would also highly, highly recommend to start eating as much raw veg (mainly) and fruit. Good gut bacteria live off the fibre in whole food. This will promote the good bacteria in your gut to build up more quickly. Furthermore, that kind of diet will also provide you with a lot of the vitamins and minerals you need to re-build the immune system as well.

I would try and avoid all processed food, as much as possible.

About 3-4 years ago I was a bit like you. My family would get ill and it would knock them out for a couple of days, but I would get ill and be out for sometimes weeks. My body just couldn't cope with it. Since I changed my diet I haven't been 'sick' for nearly 3 years now. I do get infections, but they rarely hit me more than 24-36 hours. I'm never knocked out.

I would also suggest NOT going hiking while you're re-building. Go for short walks maybe, but don't stress the system too much. Obviously being sedentary is bad, but over exercising when you're not 100% is actually just as bad. Let your body heal.

If you can cope with it, try a bit of intermittent fasting too, giving the digestion a rest can help it recover faster too.

There is plenty of information available online about fasting, gut bacteria and the immune system.

[Iwant2bhealthy]

Thank you for your answer ankietyjoe! I see you have a pretty good idea of what I'm going through. Thise weeks ago, my husband got sick 2 days before me, and he got better after only a few days! In the meantime it took me weeks to get more or less well.

I think you are right. My diet does not contain any fruits or dairy at the moment just because I don't like them.
I thought I'm ok since I love vegetables but my diet is hardly varied enough, and anyway it contains way too much bread and fats. This has to change! I had an apple, some sauerkraut and I will try to eat some yoghurt tomorrow.

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[ankietyjoe]

You don't necessarily need dairy, and fruit only needs to play a small role in your diet. Eating a wide variety of veg is most important, especially leafy greens (cabbage, spinach, brocolli, kale etc).

If you do eat yoghurt, try and get a good variety with plenty of live cultures in it, and absolutely do NOT eat low fat yoghurt. Leave the food you eat as natural as possible.

But yes, I have experienced exactly what you described!

[Iwant2bhealthy]

Message deleted. (I wrote here something that made me feel worse, and I want positivity in my life)

[Iwant2bhealthy]

Hi guys, a little update. I spend the evening talking to someone supportive, so I slept much better last night and I feel I am beating this cold!

I also went to my (new) GP, and told her about my fears of catching another lung infection. Although I cannot do anything to prevent it from happening again, she thinks that if my current infection was supposed to go into my lungs it would have done so by now. I should continue using the steroid spray for my nose, and to take a rest.

I also mentioned my coronavirus fears, and she reassured me that I should be fine. I know my fears aren't rational but that awful flu I had 4 weeks ago really made me dread any breathing problems. This new fear of respitory sickness is something I need to discuss with my psychologist.

As for the issue with my immune system, the GP said it takes a while for it to bounce back after such a strong flu. I need to give it time, and not worry too much about it. I got some herbal supplements from my family (echinacea, aloe, etc.), and I intend to use them too. I think it will all be ok.

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[Iwant2bhealthy]

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[Iwant2bhealthy]

I deleted my last post, since it was just pure panic, but I still would like to ask for some help, and here comes the more reasonable version of it. A close friend of mine, who I visit 2 times a week for a few hours got sick 4 days ago. She is in her 60's, but very fit. She has a high fever and back/lung pain. With all the panic around, and her active lifestyle where she meets many people, including children, I immediately thought that she has THAT virus. I worried for her which gave me a near panic attack, and then I started to worry for me. I have a lump in my throat, a bit of a dry cough which happens only in the evening (coughing up white, bubbly mucus), and I am occasionally feeling like I cant draw a breath in. Now, the same symptoms are valid also for my GERD. And it is proven that anxiety agitates GERD, yet I worry it might be the symptoms of THAT virus. So it's a vicious circle... The more I worry the worse I feel. The breathlessness doesn't hold all the time, and I feel it more when I'm anxious. If I had THAT virus wouldn't I be breathless all the time? I should also add I have allergic asthma, which means that if I get in contact with the triggering allergen I need to use puffers. This happens from 0 to a few times a year. I have no daily asthma regime as I dont normally have breathing problems.
I have an online meeting with my therapist scheduled later on today, but I am freaking out now! Here is my track of thought, that I'd like to get help challenging.
1. It has to be THAT virus!
2. If my friend got the symptoms now, she had to be sick already when we met, and this means that I am infected too.
3. If I am infected, due to my allergic asthma I will not come out of it.
4. If I am infected, due to the fact that I passed the last flu so hard I will be more susceptible to the illness and I will die.
5. If I am not yet infected, my irresponsible husband will infect me.
6. There is no escape. I will be infected. I will die.

I realise this aren't uncommon worries on the forum right now, and I dont want you to post if you are going to try and confirm my fears. I am already scared to the point where my mind is searching for escapes such as "kill yourself, at least you will be able to choose how and when you go", and I don't need you to agitate me further. So if you are scared, please refrain from posting here.

[Gary A]

1. It’s highly unlikely to be THAT virus purely due to the relative rarity of it right now.
2. You don’t even know that your friend had it never mind you.
3. Again, you don’t know you are infected and it’s unlikely you are.
4. See answer 3.
5. Can’t answer for your husband but I will say that as this virus progresses, so will our knowledge and ways of tackling it.
6. Hysterical nonsense, but I do understand you’re far from aiding in thinking this.

I cannot tell you that you won’t get it, nobody can. I will reiterate, however, that even in the worst hit regions it is still relatively rare. In fact, China, where the virus originated, is now starting to see a downturn in cases due to measures taken to combat it. Warmer weather will also slow its progress, as it does with most viruses. In time, immunities will build up, treatments will become better and vaccinations will become available.

Keep calm and carry on, listen to the advice from the WHO and above all, live life.

[Iwant2bhealthy]

1. It’s highly unlikely to be THAT virus purely due to the relative rarity of it right now.
2. You don’t even know that your friend had it never mind you.
3. Again, you don’t know you are infected and it’s unlikely you are.
4. See answer 3.
5. Can’t answer for your husband but I will say that as this virus progresses, so will our knowledge and ways of tackling it.
6. Hysterical nonsense, but I do understand you’re far from aiding in thinking this.

I cannot tell you that you won’t get it, nobody can. I will reiterate, however, that even in the worst hit regions it is still relatively rare. In fact, China, where the virus originated, is now starting to see a downturn in cases due to measures taken to combat it. Warmer weather will also slow its progress, as it does with most viruses. In time, immunities will build up, treatments will become better and vaccinations will become available.

Keep calm and carry on, listen to the advice from the WHO and above all, live life.

Thank you Gary!!! I really appreciatie it!