[leerypolyp]

Following: a self-pity-laden rant.

Here I am at 37w4d, and I canNOT shake the series of colds I've had since a week before Thanksgiving. There have been at least two and possibly three distinct colds (one was actually a sinus infection), with no breaks in between. I thought I was starting to get better from this last one (which features sore throat, painful ears, serious congestion, and PINKEYE) but today I feel totally crappy and wiped out.

I'd been soldiering on through the cold, doing my normal routine of preschool dropoff for my 3yo, come home and clean/run errands, pick up at lunchtime, afternoon outing, make dinner -- but my midwife finally said, um, no, you have to STOP that and rest. Last visit my blood pressure was really low (for me), and my pulse is all fast, and I'm lightheaded and not interested in food much and can't sleep at night. I've tried taking Sudafed and Afrin, maybe one of them about a half-dose every other day (to avoid rebound and decrease any effects on babe), and neither even works at all any more. I've even been taking Tylenol, which is something I never do. Not that it helps much.

We run humidifiers constantly, I use BreatheRight strips at night, I take steamy showers; tons of Vitamin C/SA and zinc, and I was using our neti pot until I figured out that it backs up into my ears so badly that it's actually making things worse. Boric acid wash for the pinkeye. Husband is AWESOME and doing as much as he possibly can, but man, I am just so frickin' SICK and I cannot seem to get better!

I'm so bummed. I'd been feeling so great all this pregnancy, and was looking forward to entering labor feeling pretty good. And pregnancy-wise, I do feel pretty good still! But...bleah. This sick. I just can't shake it. And I do NOT know what to do!

 

[katmann]

Well, it's one more pill to take, but you might try a probiotic supplement. I've just gotten my first touch of something, cold or flu, I'm not sure which, and I think it's running its course quickly. My throat felt very tight and sore last night, but it sort of peaked around 3 am and now it's passing. I think it's helped that I've been taking probiotics religiously during my pregnancy.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[sarahlynne]

I hate being sick while pregnant. You have me beat - I thought it was bad when I was picking up a cold once a month last time. Have you ever tried black elderberry syrup? Since we have tried it, I will now get some at the first sign of a cold/flu for anyone in the fam. A few days of roastd garlic can help too and is quite tasty on some olive oil and nice crispy french bread

I eat the whole bulb myself when I am sick.

 

[leerypolyp]

Yeah, we take probiotics every day -- we were using elderberry syrup for the first couple weeks but ran out! I should get some more.

You think they'd give me general anesthesia until it goes away?

 

[rockportmidwife]

It's only been a week for me. I have been way overdoing things. When I first started getting sick, I took a day off. Then overdid it the next day. Took two days off and then overdid it the third. I have not done anything for two days and am starting to feel bored. But I want to kick this thing. I am taking vitamin C and echinachea (sp?).

 

[leerypolyp]

Well, I finally went to the doctor, who was extremely sympathetic (and winced as she looked in my ears), and got me some amoxicillin. So I guess we'll be upping the probiotics!

Frankly, at this point, I'd take tincture of dog poop if I thought it would help. Bleh.

 

[Moonprysm]

I'm kind of in the same situation, as is DS. I actually had a horrible stomach virus that lasted 5 days over Thanksgiving. Now I've got sinus-y stuff going on. DS has had one thing after another - he threw up for a day, spiked a random fever one day, has a runny nose/congestion now, and spiked a random fever the other day.