What are your tips on avoiding colds or flu?

[edmeshscot]

Bit too late for me, as I've aleady got one or the other.

Does anyone get the flu jab? There are arguments for and against when you have ME. I don't think it's having ME is considered to be in a high risk group so I think we'd have to pay for it anyway.

[Tearsofaclown]

I have the annual flu-jab, but I have multiple health problems, which includes ME. I have COPD, which is one very good reason to have the Jab. My arthritis is crippling, so mobility is poor, and so my immune system isn't terrific, either. The list is endless, but besides that, I find the flu-jab also prevents me from spreading it to others, and they might need to avoid it, more than me! My doctors provide the Jab free to the at-risk-groups, and I am included on that programme.

[Hidden]

this topic was discussed in the EDMESH facebook group this week. It seems like ME is not among the "qualifying" conditions for a free flu jab but I suspect if you have a sympathetic Dr and can get to see them on some other pretext you might be lucky and get the jab. Failing that you can get it at Boots for £12.99. As for what to do to prevent colds in the first place, I use a cold defence nasal spray (Boots/ Vicks) before I leave the house at this time of year, or at the first sign of symptoms. Taking high dose Vitamin C and/or echinacea can also help bolster the immune system against cold viruses.

[Jeannie in reply to Hidden]

Hi I live West Midlands and called in for the jab. So worth asking u doc. If I get flu I'm snookered

[Maggie-mae]

hi

having had really bad flu twice I would always have the jab - my doctor gives me it free too - whether because I have ME I don't know but I am over 65 so that's probably it - I think

you should get it free with having ME and I would ask

I don't have any adverse effects at all from the jab - my understanding is that if you have a

cold or something when you have it, it can make that a bit worse, but the jab itself does not

make you ill - the practice nurse told me that

I have heard that some people with ME can't take the jab but I would get advice from your

doctor

as colds and flu are spread by touch mostly I think, wash your hands a lot - I'm not sure

how effective the hand gels are but I use one too - use gloves to open doors etc when

you're out - wash your hands before eating anything

the other question re attitudes to ME - sadly we are still waiting for definitive biomedical

research which unravels the puzzle - and there's no doubt that disbelief in ME being a 'real

illness' has held up that research - doctors usually prefer the term chronic fatigue which as

we know only too well, doesn't describe ME at all and carries with it the fact that term is used to cover a whole multitude of conditions

try not to feel down as regards these attitudes - biomedical research will eventually show

what's happened to us - research into the brain is probably going to reveal it

we have to work out what works best for us, try to get at least a sympathetic doctor and stick to friends and family who support you

it's the nature of ME to be fluctuating and episodic, so at times if we are lucky we feel a fair

bit better (and usually overdo it) but that doesn't mean we should feel we are not really ill - enjoy the good times !

[Abundance]

I do not have the flu jab as I do not qualify and was advised against inoculations by a GP. I do find Vitamin C and Echinacea help, also surprisingly Gingko Biloba , which I take regularly anyway for mental clarity.

I do not think there is any question of "you should get it free with having ME", because peoples symptoms and reactions differ. The GP who advised me thought it might make me worse at that time.

[tranquility]

Black Elderberry capsules is how I boost my immunity. I take 2 every day but if I feel like I'm getting a cold or flu, I double to dose. I have sometimes stopped a cold from developing or, at the very least, had milder symptoms. I strongly recommend this.

[ALKT in reply to tranquility]

a part of having me is the high frequency of fevers these do not actively signify a new infection but act as a warning to take things more easily for a time i seem to feel like i am coming down with a new bug every few days .i think that is because i dont rest enough. but twelve hours out of every twenty four laying down and doing absolutely nothing is far more difficult than many healthy people would think. unfortunately thinking is also a problem with m. e .

[ALKT]

i have had the flu vaccine every year for 24 years. i had to pay for my first one but after my gp realised my immune system was compromised i received the rest on the nhs .i have not had a bad flu virus in that time but a lot of other infections. from my own experience i would recommend it. unless you have allergies to eggs.