how can I stop getting cold viruses?

[Athene]

Hi Alex,
Interesting info about a hyperactive immune system, but I I am sure it is not the case for me. My neutrophils and lymphocytes are usually well below the normal minumum, or at the minimum, even when I have a raging cold and they should be really high. Colds last me about 6 to 8 weeks usually, and have sometimes gone on for 5 months! I admit that some of these could be flu instead of a cold, my immune system is incapable of mounting a fever so it is hard to tell the difference.
I suppose the way to tell the difference between those of us with overactive and underactive immune systems would be to have frequent blood tests. I have my white blood cells tested every week these days as my doctor wants to keep a close watch on my suppressed immune situation.
I'd be curious to know if anyone else has had their blood tested during a cold to see what the white blood cells are up to?

 

[alex3619]

Hi Alex,
Interesting info about a hyperactive immune system, but I I am sure it is not the case for me. My neutrophils and lymphocytes are usually well below the normal minumum, or at the minimum, even when I have a raging cold and they should be really high.

Hi Athene, You could be right but then again ... this would be a correct conclusion for anything but ME or CFS. Our immune systems are different, and the issue is cytokines and other immune hormones, not the usual immune cells. The only way to be sure would be to have a complete cytokine profile, but I don't think the science is advanced enough to do that, at least commercially.

As an alternate view, it is entirely possible that the initial cold triggers a different virus, such as a coxsackie virus. This has similar symptoms and can last for a very long time. Which brings me back to this: if you have the cold for months, do you have frequent sneezing for that whole time? If the answer is no, its not a cold, its something else - the question is what?

Bye
Alex

 

[Athene]

Hi Alex,
I have all the standard cold symptoms- sneezing, runny nose, burning up my nose, sore throat etc etc.
But I think you are right that it stirs up other viruses too. I get flares of EBV, which colds can provoke. That tends to give me sore throat and swollen lymph nodes in the neck, above all, whereas the colds make me very sore up my nose.

 

[alex3619]

Hi Athene, From what you said I guess it might be a cold, it certainly sounds like it - sneezing doesn't happen with a lot of the other causes. I wish I knew more virology and immunology. Bye, Alex

 

[ahimsa]

I almost never have sneezing colds, probably because I eat very little dairy.

I'm lacto-vegetarian, almost vegan (very little dairy), and I usually get sneezing when I get a cold. In fact, I just got over a cold that had lots of sneezing. So, I'm not sure that "no dairy" = "no sneezing" in most people (although maybe it is true in you?).

@Anne, I've never heard of a cold virus lasting 12 weeks. But, hey, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV! :mask: It sounds pretty horrible to be getting these things that last so long. So sorry to hear it...

My cold symptoms include: sinus pain and pressure, chills, some post nasal drip, and of course the dreaded mental and physical exhaustion.

That sounds more like a sinus infection but without a fever. I'm pretty sure that you can develop an infection without showing any fever (despite what so many doctors insist). The problem would be convincing the doctor that it is an infection so you could get some medications (perhaps anti-biotics) that would help clear up the infection. My sister gets sinus infections all the time but also has a low grade fever along with the symptoms you mention. She always takes a heavy duty decongestant at the very first sign of infection. That and she does regular salt water irrigation of her sinuses (e.g., a neti pot) to try to prevent the infections from happening.

But she's also IgA deficient and that is a big factor. You might want to have your doctor measure your IgA. It's a simple blood test. If you have IgA deficiency then doctors will be much better about aggressively treating viruses with anti-virals and trying to prevent/treat sinus infections. FYI, my sister does not have ME/CFS but I think that some people with ME/CFS might also be IgA deficient.

RE: the original question for general ways to prevent colds, I don't have anything to add to that one. I find that more exposure to people makes me more likely to get a cold/flu/whatever. And I am a lot more likely to catch something after I have been to the doctor's office even though I try so hard to wash my hands and be careful to avoid touching my face. When I have down periods where I'm in the house all the time, little contact with people, I don't catch anything. I've been at the doctor more often recently and, guess what? Even though I decided to get a flu shot in Sept, I caught some kind of flu in mid-Oct and a cold this month. Ugh.

Sending everyone who has cold or flu symptoms some hugs...

 

[alex3619]

Hi, Just another thought - following on from ahimsa, many CFS patients have staph infections in their sinuses. I wonder if that could produce cold symptoms? It is treatable with antibiotics, so if it is staph you can get rid of it. Bye, Alex