Always Ill

Whaaaaaaat? Bullshit. Show me the research!

Just sayin' what she was sayin'.

But found this: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1835907,00.html

OK, it's Time but there's some research out there.

Just sayin' what she was sayin'.

But found this: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1835907,00.html

OK, it's Time but there's some research out there.

Thanks for the link! If that's what she's basing it on, then she's completely misunderstood how antibodies and the flu jabs actually work, which is even more worrying. What that article is saying is that when you get the seasonal flu jab, your body creates antibodies for those very specific strains included in that jab. That's true. But that won't help you against the millions upon millions of other strains out there, for the same reason that science hasn't made a cure for the common cold - there are way freaking too many, and they keep mutating and changing anyway.

So, say a person gets the flu jab every year for ten years, and each flu jab contains inactivated viruses for the predicted 6 most popular strains that year. So at the most, that person may have gained extra immunity for 60 viruses ("at the most" because some strains may have been included in more than one year) at the end of a decade, out of the MILLIONS out there. It's not even a drop in the bucket.

Sorry, I don't mean to be arguing at you, BostonDiner, but your nurse is spewing some seriously Bad Science at you.

Well, I used to ride the bus to work. It went past two schools (kids), a hospital (sick people) and a meth clinic. 

I was sick all the time and YES to the ear infections.  Every time I got a cold it went into my ears. 

But, like everyone else, it has mellowed out over the years.  I now miss about 2 days of work a year, usually a week after an international flight.  Although this year I had the flu and had five days off, but then so did everyone in my office.

I was sick constantly when I moved to London.  Remember, you're also being exposed to strains of the cold that you maybe haven't come across before so you're contracting everything.  Like squirrellypoo said, wear gloves, wash your hands, wipe down your mobile, don't touch your face. 

Hang in there!  Being sick is the worst.  Since I stopped teaching, I've been sick maybe once or twice (since 2009) and the last cold I had was in summer of 2011.  London made my immune system kick ass because I was exposed to everything!

The first time I visited England, I got a really bad cold within two weeks (this was the middle of summer).

When I moved here, I got a worse cold within a few days.

I get one probably once or twice a year now, which is not dissimilar to when I lived in the US.

I use public transport and keep on top of washing my hands, especially anytime I handle/eat food.

This is pretty typical for expats in any location. You become exposed to viruses you're not used to, or variants of ones you've been exposed to already, so you get sick constantly. Add to that the typical expat stress, and you're a walking breeding colony for illness! As many said here, it does pass soon.

I'm in 2 minds about flu shots- I'm sure they help against some flu that goes around- but it's not a guarantee. I usually get one every year, but I honestly can't tell the difference either way.

I look forward to the day when my immunity is up. I feel like it will be on par to super powers! "London Germ Survival Girl!" Until then, I hope I don't get fired over number of days out for illness

I am asthmatic and have bad allergies and respiratory problems. In the States, all that I was really affected by was allergies (damn you, Spring!) and occasional respiratory illness like strep throat or bronchitis. I never used my inhaler, and they usually expired without being used. But since I've moved to London 6 years ago, I've had to go on a preventative steroid inhaler (that I have to use twice a day or I stop being able to breathe properly) as well as my normal inhaler. My allergies have also worsened and I get respiratory illnesses at least once or twice a year, along with other general illnesses. A lot of it (for London at least) is due to the terrible air quality. But I also think that being in very densely populated areas increases the probability of getting ill. I always wear gloves during the winter when I'm out, and try to clean my hands frequently.

Also, I make sure that my house is mould free. My asthma went out of control years ago because there was black mould in my closet due to damp walls. In old houses, dampness is a problem and it's best to check once and a while/heat and dehumidify the house to prevent sickness, especially with this weather.

I have been in the UK for almost five years. The first year over I was so sick, all the time like I've never experienced before. My children (14 and 8 at the time) were sick all of the time as well and actually caught pneumonia twice their first year over here. Last year, four years into our adventure, I even caught the chicken pox in spite of having it as a child! It was insane and the doctors couldn't believe it!

I attribute this to the fact that we're in a new country with different strains of everything we've ever had. I can finally say five years into our life over here things have finally calmed down. When we catch a cold, we're feeling better within a matter of days and not weeks and weeks like 5 years ago.

Just hang tough and carry hand sanitizer with you everywhere and use it often. This too shall pass ...

I know this is now a dead thread... but in case anybody stumbled on it and wants to know how it all turned out- The constant sickness did indeed pass!

It took about a year after my moving date. But since that time I've been as healthy as I ever was back home.

I know this is now a dead thread... but in case anybody stumbled on it and wants to know how it all turned out- The constant sickness did indeed pass!

It took about a year after my moving date. But since that time I've been as healthy as I ever was back home.

Well thanks for the update....we were discussing sending out a search party!

/glad you feel better

I have fallen ill about 4 times already in the 6 months I've been in London. Generally colds and coughs.

Short and simple, my tips:

• get plenty of sleep. when i was only sleeping 5-6 hrs a night I was always round the corner from another illness. 7.5-9hrs should be your target.  of course we cant all get that (even I cant) so I said it should be a target.  then obtaining 7 hrs will be a minimum.
• get plenty of natural good stuff in your system: loads of fruits and vegetables, green tea and other helpful tea (british tea probably not the best in terms of immune system boost), OJ, nuts and berries, leafy greens
• working out, going to the gym, staying active, being fit.  activities like going to the gym 3 times a week can give you not only a psychological boost in the fight to stay healthy but can also give your body a real boost as well. if you're in need of exercises and/or are looking to mix it up, just browse sites like mens health .com or womens health .com.  Plenty of freebies there, and lots of circuits and routines you can do in your living room.

.. and of course all the other stuff people are saying: wash hands often, avoid touching public surfaces, etc

good luck

I've lived here for 8 years and I'm always ill. I have the winning combination of being an asthmatic with bad allergies. I would get respiratory illnesses in the states (strep, bronchitis, etc), but it became really bad once I moved here. I'm on two inhalers, one which I have to take twice a day, forever and I'm always catching something. My gp said that it's the bad air quality in London which causes mine, not to mention the damp (and the mould which comes with it). When I go back to the US I'm completely fine minus the hayfever. I've learned to live with my small arsenal of medication and hayfever tablets, and my husband's learned to mock me.