When I was a kid and caught a cold, it would last for a day or two and be gone. Starting in college, however, it seemed like most colds I catch last about two weeks. Just yesterday, I got nailed with what feels like the same illness I had shaken a couple of weeks ago. I had it for about two weeks before it went away, and now it’s back, dammit. Why is it that illnesses last so much longer now? My theory is that, when you’re a kid, you can just sit around and do nothing while your body fights your cold. As an adult you have responsibilities, real and perceived, that keep you up and running around while you should be resting. Thus your body remains weakened and doesn’t fight the virus as well. Thoughts?
Dammit, I wanted to run the NewTimes 10K tomorrow and now it looks like I won’t be able to. :mad: Hell, today I felt drained just from taking a shower.
For my experience in college, the lengening of the cold had a fairly direct corelation to the fact that I would keep on drinking alchohol even though I was sick, something I didn’t do a whole lot when I was a little kid.
About the same, I guess, and I seem to feel even worse than when a kid. Nothing like having all of those enormous energy stores to draw on when you’re 8 or 10. You can sail through pneumonia if cartoons are on and pizza is served.
Though, I must say that since I no longer work almost around the clock, got rid of all that stress and bullcrap of the job, I rarely get sick. At the most I might feel a little ‘off’ for a day.
Though, I miss all of that enormous energy I had as a kid. Go out and play in the forest all day, ride my bike for miles, meet my friends and build a dam in the ditch, tear it down just to watch the water flow, climb a few trees, play a few rough games, drift home for supper, watch TV, get forced into the shower, read comic books and marched, protesting, into bed at 8:30, where I read more comic books under the covers by flashlight until around 9:30 and then off to sleep and up at 5:30 to go to school.
Skinny as a rail, wiry as an acrobat, unable to sit still for more than an hour and seeing the world with much different eyes.
I think a lot of that is also when you’re sick as a kid you stay in bed, while when you’re older you’re “too busy”. I keep low-grade colds running for a week or so in winter because I won’t stop.
Longest one I got was when I was about 14, went on for a month.
Anyway, there truly is no way to compare because there is no cold virus. A ‘cold’ is a big big group of hundreds of viruses, thus you never get the same one twice. But they can relapse.
They take three days to incubate. So, when you start to get it, think back three days & youll know who you got it from & then you can ask them how long it lasts. Easy.
My colds definitely last longer now. I’ve been sick off more or less since August this year. It’s driving me nuts. But I’ve also got two little kids in day care, and I think we just keep rotating the colds. My son is on prescription cough syrup and amoxicillin right now. My daughter is congested & coughing. So is my stepson, who is here now. Between all of us, we sound like a TB ward.
I also think that not being able to just kick back & relax when you’ve got a cold does contribute to how quickly it goes away. I’ve got two kids and a full time job outside my home. Sure, I can take a little time off work, but being home isn’t much more relaxing.
I think one of the worst things for adults is having to work when ill because they can’t rest. A lot of employers frown on employees taking off more than one sick day for illness. They’d rather they come in sick, produce less and spread the illness to everyone else in the vicinity.
I’ve only had a two colds that got worse than a runny nose since I’ve been an adult (10 years).
I’d say I had worse colds as a kid. I averaged one out-for-a-week-vomiting cold/flu per year fifth through tenth grades. Throw in mono and an unidentified viral infection that had me sleeping 16 hours a day in 1986 and my experiences as an adult have been much better.
What is my secret? I work on the theory that colds are just pleas for attention by some whiney virus. I ignore it and it goes away to bother someone else.
Seems to be effective and cheaper than Baglady’s herbal stuff.
Since the kid went to be with his weirdo dado I haven’t been getting the latest viruses.
Hey, why don’t cha all learn how not to get the viruses? There are some tricks to do. You can Lower your chances a lot of contracting cold type ones if you just keep your hands from your eyes, nose & mouth when in public.