Struggles with colds or flu?

Does anyone else struggle with a regular feeling of illness? I spoke with my doctor about the fact that I catch every cold, flu, sniffle, cough and bug that comes around and she is very confused as to why this occurs. I expressed my thought that if I have RA, then my body is fighting 2 things at once, my joints and the illness. She is unaware of that being a complication of RA. This was weeks ago, and here I go again with another bug. I seem to get them all the time!

So who else gets colds or flu easily here? I am allergic to so much and with my medications I do not get to take anything except for Mucinex (guafenisen?) and lots of fluids. I am open to any suggestions for cold and flu remedies. Please help.

I have stuffy nose, sore throat, chest tightness, cough, fever and body aches/chills. Even my bones hurt. I have tried a cool bath, steamy shower room, a cloth drape over a bowl of steaming water with Vicks in it, a humidifier, chamomile tea with honey, salt water gargle, and sleep. I am always the one to make homemade chicken soup with homemade noodles, so no luck with that until I feel less like I have been hit by a tractor-trailer! My fiance is going to try it when he comes home with canned chicken broth, leftover chicken and frozen veggies, I just have to instruct him on noodle making, rolling and cutting! The boys will help also.

I feel guilty for being sick which is silly! My fiance has the same bug, but no where near as severe as mine. So even while sick he seems to always be stuck caring for me. The doctor's office didn't have any additional suggestions beyond what I have already tried. So I came to my extended family for help.

Anyone have any suggestions past what I have tried? Thank you!

I used to be EXACTLY the same way when I was working. It was the environment and I was exposed to so many germs in my "field" of expertise. When I stopped working, the constant cold/stomach bug/pneumonia/other infections seem to stop almost immediately. It was great being able to stop taking antibiotics constantly. It felt like I was at the PCP almost every month for something I caught at work. I always keep hand sanitizer with me and use it a great deal when I have to go shopping for any reason. Apparently I just wasn't getting over one thing before something else jumped on.

For the serious congestion, my PCP had me sipping on Tussin (like plain mucinex) but in liquid form. I had to keep a bottle with me all the time and sip it when I started the congestion to keep things from backing up and causing a severe sinus infection or lung infection. It helped a great deal and there is no alcohol or anything else in it to create problems.

Good luck!!

the answer is yes, very many. trying to find supplements that help both the RA and enhance your immunity to pathogens is the trick. just to ramble on some: coenzyme Q10 alone or with coenzyme A which is pricey, for anti-oxidant free radical scavenger effects, beta-1,3-glucan for immune-stimulating effects, very important for you with RA; omega3-essential fatty-acid and omega6-essential fatty-acid. the omega3 you caan get in good fish oil supplements and you want at least 600mg per day of the EFA or EPA, the omega6 is best gotten from evening primrose seed oil, the omega6 in it is gamma-linoelic acid and you want 1000mg-2000mg per day. the antioxidants: pycnogenol, melatonin, and quercetin are very potent. the calcium ascorbate form of vitamin C instead of ascorbic acid at 3000-10000mg per day, use the products that combine bioflavanoids with the vitamin C. oregano oil is a powerful anti-biotic and anti-viral, also olive leaf-extract. this is just the beginning, if you have a Vitamin Shoppe in your area they are a good health food store with salespeople that can help you.

I also was wondering about your environment-- work or home. Check around to see if something is amiss there.