Need help with head cold relief

[Ape94]

I'm an off and on lurker, rarely post....but I hope you guys can help me out with a couple of things. I am 22 weeks pregnant and I have been fighting one head cold after another for the past couple of months. Just when I get over one and bam! I get hit with another one. I have never been this "sickly" in my life...I rarely get more than two colds a year, much less one after another. So, what I am wondering is this:

1. what do you guys recommend to take during a cold to help give me some relief? So far each cold has mostly stayed in my head, but my nose is so congested it's hard to breath and I can't sleep worth a crap between all the snot running down my throat and out my nose. I've tried Sudafed, which did nothing and Actifed helped some, but these colds are dragging out for at least a week at a time and taking any medicine for that long of a time while preggo makes me uncomfortable. Is there something else more natural that might help clear my head?

2. Any suggestions on how to keep these colds from coming back? Any vitamins or anything else I can take? My immune system seems to be pretty down right now (in addition to the colds, i've had at least 2 stomach bugs).

Also, I am pretty sure it's not allergies since I have a 3 yo in school that has been fighting his own runny nose for a while (thankfully his colds don't get as bad as mine have) and because my DH is allergic to everything and hasn't been bothered by allergies at all in the past few months.

Thanks for any help!

[AdinaL]

I would make sure you are gettign some vitamin C - at least 1000mg/per day. And eating as much fresh food as you can get into your system. :)

Zinc, in moderation can help as well. I like the zinc lozenges, they do a nice job of drying everything up.

Drink as much fluid as you can. :hug

Some of it is just exacerbated by the fact that our sinuses and mucus membranes are inflamed and extra active while pregnant, so what may seem like a cold, might not be. I know I seem like I am having the worst allerrgy attacks ever, but it is just that everything is super goopy up there. :hug

I hope you feel better.

[jenny-g]

You might want to go to your doctor to make sure you don't have a sinus infection. I'm fighting one now (have been for a while), but I'm not doing too bad, so I'm holding off on antibiotics now, but am taking Rhinochort (steriod nosespray that is preg. cat. B- a lifesaver for me). There are pg safe antibiotics to take if you do have a sinus infection (I can't take most of them due to other reasons, which is why I"m trying to wait this one out).

If your nose isn't totally blocked a warm, mild nasal saltwater/baking soda wash can be pretty useful, if you don't use too high a pressure: there are many variations, here's one: http://www.natlallergy.com/allergy/products/cart/display/view_one_spread.txt/spreadid/1604/freesku//freeqty//hasqty//page/dr-hanas-nasopure-organic-hypertonic-saline-nasal-rinse-system.html

I also like the zicam no-zinc nasal moisturizer that has aloe in it.

If you're in a winter climate now, sometimes a humidifier can help too.

If you've been sick for *this long* it really sounds like it's more than just a cold/virus, especially if you're all gooped up! Yuck!