Our summer colds are now well into their second week, and show no signs of going away.
Both Sue and I have found these colds rather debilitating, and everything seems to require more effort than usual as well as being very tiring.
Yesterday morning we tried doing some gardening in the hope that a bit of physical exercise might help to sweat the colds out of us, but although we actually managed to complete the tasks we set out to do, the only real consequence was that we got dirty and tired, and both needed a long rest after we had finished.
Today, I am even finding reading and writing difficult, as I just cannot seem to concentrate, and find myself having to reread passages because they don’t seem to make sense. I was supposed to be fighting an online battle with Gary Sheffield tomorrow, but I have had to cry off as I had not managed to put a scenario together, and doubt that I’d be able to concentrate well enough to be even a reasonable opponent.
At least we do not seem to have contracted COVID-19, although the infection rate in our part of London does seem to be rising.
Both Sue and I have found these colds rather debilitating, and everything seems to require more effort than usual as well as being very tiring.
Yesterday morning we tried doing some gardening in the hope that a bit of physical exercise might help to sweat the colds out of us, but although we actually managed to complete the tasks we set out to do, the only real consequence was that we got dirty and tired, and both needed a long rest after we had finished.
Today, I am even finding reading and writing difficult, as I just cannot seem to concentrate, and find myself having to reread passages because they don’t seem to make sense. I was supposed to be fighting an online battle with Gary Sheffield tomorrow, but I have had to cry off as I had not managed to put a scenario together, and doubt that I’d be able to concentrate well enough to be even a reasonable opponent.
At least we do not seem to have contracted COVID-19, although the infection rate in our part of London does seem to be rising.
I used to suffer from what I thought were Summer colds until my wife suggested treating it as hay fever. She was right! Gone was the lethargy, bad coughing etc. Might be worth a try if you haven’t already ruled it out.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed 🤞 it works.
DeletePollution is a trigger for me. I used to suffer terrible itchy eyes as well as other symptoms (starting in February!). When we moved house 5 years ago the itching reduced. I then drove to Heathrow once and as soon as I got to the car park my eyes started itching again. The old house was 5 miles closer to Heathrow. It could just be a coincidence.
Nundanket,
DeleteI live at the top of Shooters Hill, one of the highest points around London, and as the air cools during the evening, the pollution rises. That’s why we bought the ioniser filter ... and I think that we will switch it on tonight to see if it helps.
All the best,
Bob
Nundanket,
DeleteThat may well be a cause, as we were both free of this problem during the lockdown, and it has only returned since things began to return to ‘normal’.
We live in part of London where pollution can be very high at times, and we notice the effects it has on us when it is. We usually have an ionising filter on in our bedroom, but stopped using it during lockdown. It might be a good idea for us to switch it on again at night whilst we sleep.
All the best,
Bob
Hi BOB,
ReplyDeleteYour Colds seem to be very persistent- I have been tested twice for Covid 19 whilst I was in Liverpool Cardiac Hospital - in these times it is good to know that you test 'negative'to the virus and can carry on normally. However, I'm very careful when out wearing a Face Mask and keeping my distance from others at all times. I hope your Colds get better soon. Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteAs has been suggested by Nundanket, the ‘cold’ may well be a result of the increase in pollution since the return to ‘normal’ life in a London.
I’m part of a COVID-19 monitoring scheme, and register my symptoms with them daily. If the ‘cold’ symptoms begin to match the COVID symptoms, they will arrange for me to be tested.
Sue and I wear face masks whenever we are in public places, and have tried to minimise the level of contact we have with other people. Better safe than sorry!
All the best,
Bob
Hope all sorts itself out very soon. Hay fever can give you these miserable effects indeed.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteCheers! My inability to concentrate that is getting me down, and the sooner we can find a solution, the happier I will be!
All the best,
Bob
Sorry to hear that you are both still suffering. I used to work in the most polluted part of Bristol and since retirement, my asthma has been so much better! Thank God we live on the outskirts by open country over which the prevailing winds travel.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteCheers! I am hoping that switching on our ioniser tonight will help reduce the effect of the hay fever/pollution.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I think this stain must be particularly virulent as both Sharon and myself are still suffering symptoms over a week on. We have both noticed how tired we are feeling through the day too. Sharon has developed a particularly nasty cough which is just starting to ease but neither of us have shown covid symptoms which of course we checked. I know you are a little bit older than me (I'm nearly 63) so I guess the recovery period is a little longer. Hope you both feel better soon.
ReplyDelete‘Lee,
DeleteI’m hoping that part of the cause is due to hay fever/pollution that has come on top of a cold. That said, it may well be a persistent cold virus that is taking time to get rid of.
I’m going to try using the ioniser overnight to see if that helps. If it doesn’t ... well, we will just have to be patient and let nature take its course.
I hope that you and your wife recover soon,
All the best,
Bob
Best wishes from New Jersey, Bob. I have found an added bonus to wearing a mask when I leave the house: my allergies don't act up as much! Whatever air filtration you can put in place may help. I hear central AC is uncommon in the UK but if you have it, a HEPA filter can do wonders as well. Even a hacked together water/air filter could help.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteI’m hoping that wearing a face mask will help prevent me passing on my cold ... and catching something worse! I hadn’t thought of it stopping me breathing in pollution, but I suppose that it must do.
Very few homes have air conditioning, and even many large buildings don’t have any. Our local shopping mall has a computerised system that uses differentials in air temperature and light sensors to angle sail-like blinds to provide shade, and to produce a natural airflow through the mall.
I’m hoping that our ionising filter will help reduce any pollution in our bedroom overnight, and will mean that we won’t wake up feeling bunged up.
All the best,
Bob
Hope you get better
ReplyDeleteMark Nichipor,
DeleteCheers! I really hope that this ‘cold’ we be gone soon!
All the best,
Bob
Get well soon!
ReplyDeleteGeordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteThanks! I’ve had enough of feeling unwell, and want to get back to what passes for ‘normal’ ASAP.
All the best,
Bob
Is it a global thing? These bally viruses seem everywhere to be more virulent and harder to shake off than usual.
ReplyDeleteI reckon you might be best lying up for the duration, with lots of fluids and keep warm.
All the best,
Archduke Piccolo.
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteI think that the 'cold' that Sue and I have is a particularly nasty one to shake off, and that the current pandemic is making things worse because the measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are not allowing the cold to spread and mutate into something less virulent. I also think that the massive reduction and then rapid increase in pollution in London, coupled with the general debilitating effect of the pandemic on 'normal' life, is making people depressed, and thus further exacerbating the effect of the 'cold'.
Last night we had our ionising filter on in our bedroom, and it certainly made breathing easier during the night ... but we both seem to be full of cold this morning. Our central heating has come on because the air temperature in the house has turned cold overnight, and both of us have hot drinks to hand to help us 'keep b*ggering on'.
All the best,
Bob
Summer colds are famously icky—bad enough by themselves. It’s an anxious time that we’re living in when we these generic cold symptoms are cause for concern that they might be something more dire. Hope you are soon able to get dirty in the garden and have energy to spare for gaming, too!
ReplyDeleteEd M,
DeleteFrom what I gather from conversations with some of our neighbours as we see them on our way in or out of our house, quite a few people in our part of London are experiencing a similar summer cold.
The problem is that some of the symptoms of COVID-19 are very similar to those of the common cold and 'flu, and I think that everyone is taking care to monitor their symptoms to see if they need a check or not. We are taking part in the KCL Monitoring scheme, and we report our symptoms every day. If they think that we need a test, they will expedite it for us.
I am determined to get better ASAP, and hope to do some wargaming sooner rather than later. I have a couple of campaign battles to fight, and I certainly want to get those done before the end of the month if I can.
All the best,
Bob
If it makes you feel better, I am now in the middle of reading our school district’s material for online teaching. I too am having problems reading things that do not make sense.
ReplyDeleteSteve8,
DeleteI sympathise with you. I’ve seen some of the ‘guidance’ that has been issued to teachers ahead of the return to school next week. Some of it was so bad that it gave gobbledegook a bad name!
All the best,
Bob
It’s interesting seeing the different attempts to meet the issue. Kelly works at another school district, Sarah at another (with slightly deeper pockets). I will let you guess which district is most on the ball. Teaching is mostly improvisation but this should not extend to the Admin and District level!
DeleteSteve8,
DeleteI understand that our government is about to do a partial u-turn on the wearing of face masks in schools. This was after a request made this morning by the leader of the headteachers’ union that the government did not make a ‘screeching u-turn’ at the last minute that would affect English schools going back next week, (Scotland and Wakes have already decided that face masks should be worn in parts of schools where large numbers of pupils are going to congregate.)
There appears to be an absence of leadership in much of the education system, and precious little effective management as well.
All the best,
Bob