Yes, yours truly Ms. Dawn has taken a fall… probably from that Rhinovirus going around. Do you think it might have anything to do with cuddling and one too many smooches from the grand-kids on Super Bowl Sunday? The grand-kids have been laying low with colds for the past two weeks. It did not help that my husband came down with it first and lacked the “listen and do”, advice of The Singing Nurse. Please,  “cough or sneeze in your shoulder”, “and if you forget, wash your hands”, and I’ll add another, “please, try not to breath on me”.

Sad but true, no matter how hard we try to keep ourselves healthy, stuff still flies. Actually it really does fly, the germs are airborne when we cough and sneeze and can go as far as 12 ft and that’s pretty far.

So how did I start to feel? This may help you especially if you work with children in close proximity or with fragile patients as I do.

Symptoms:

1. My neck started to ache. This is a big clue and in the nursing world, we call it malaise. You start to feel achy and just not feeling up to snuff.  This is usually the first sign of illness that begins the intrusion on your healthy space and you are probably the most contagious at that time.

So what did I do?

I started wearing a face mask at work. I made every effort to not get too close to my patient, especially his face, and of course I washed my hands frequently. Hand sanitizer is a great back-up measure to have available.  Water, soap and friction are your best bets to prevent the spread of germs. And always…..cough or sneeze in your shoulder and…you guessed it, wash your hands again.

Well, now that we have these crummy little colds:

My husband is on antibiotics because his cold developed into bronchitis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the brochioles which is part of your lungs. Many people have a tendency to develop bronchitis especially people with asthma.

So what are some home remedies to care for and help alleviate your cold and that general stuffed up feeling? Please if you are very ill or have a fever, check with your doctor to receive medical advice and treatment.

1. Drink fluids…We enjoy hot tea with honey and lemon. I put a pot of soup on which is a great way to get your fluids and take in Vit C rich veggies. The recipe is simple and it is good to have these items on hand during the cold and flu season. Of course if you are totally miserable please don’t feel guilty about opening a ready made can of soup, more power to you.

1 Knorr vegetable mix packet: this one also makes a great dip.

Cut up a handful of baby carrots, 1 medium onion, 1 red potato, fresh cilantro, 2 cloves of garlic and add a couple chicken bouillon cubes to about 5-6 cups of water in a pot.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until veggies are done. The whole process takes about 45-60 mins.

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2. I like to take vit C or one of those special fizzy packets you mix with water that has vit C in it at the first sign of a cold.

3. Rest is the best way for your body to heal. Your body is working hard to fight off the germs. I know it is very difficult to rest when you have the responsibilities of work and young children. I used to put up a gate in a safe room that the kids could play in while we watched a DVD, listened to music, read books or watched cartoons. We rested and hung out together.

4. My husband likes to breath in warm steam to help open his airways.

Below are a couple of links you may enjoy about colds.

More interesting facts about cold symptoms and germs.

Home remedies by Donna Cordillo R.N.

About the lungs from KidsHealth.org

And just in case you have not heard The Singing Nurse songs about not spreading germs and washing hands, you might want to check them out, they are great for teaching your children how to protect themselves from germs. The songs are educational and entertaining and your kids will become little “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” advocates.

Please add a comment below about your winter blues and what you are doing to stay healthy.

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 Ms. Dawn