Lots of people have bad colds. In my reality.

My neighbor had RSV. Last week on Tuesday night at 3:30 in the morning my doorbell rang, rang and rang. I thought I was dreaming. I finally got out of bed and answered the door. There she was down on her knees because she was too weak to stand. I got her up and back into her apartment. Her mouth area was bluish in color and I checked her temp with a thermometer that was sitting nearby. It read 104 degrees.

I wasn’t sure whether to rush her to the hospital or call 91I, so I did both. I got her in my car and headed towards the hospital, which is about 15 miles away and I called 911. I told the 911 operator that I thought she needed oxygen now. She said she would start an EMS towards me on route 44 and I should keep blinking my lights so the ambulance driver could ID me. Once they saw my headlights flashing, they would flash their headlights and I should pullover off the road, which I did.

The one girl in the ambulance started her on oxygen until they got her into the ambulance and off they went. She is coming home tomorrow, maybe. At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed her with RSV. I thought she had pneumonia. She coughed and coughed really loud.
 
chic said:
Whoa. You haven't had a cold in 7 years? That's awesome.

This is the first one I've had in three years maybe? It turned cold here suddenly and according to local meteorologists the temp has been 20 degrees below normal for this time of year so that's how I got sick. Maybe it's why many around here are getting sick with bad colds. It's just too cold! Simple answer. :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Hate to disagree, but being cold will not give you a cold or the flu.
Snippet from GoodRx: "A cold is an upper respiratory tract infection that spreads when you come into contact with a cold-causing virus.
You can’t catch a cold from cold weather."
However, if your immune system is not very strong, you may be more vulnerable to the viruses that cause colds and flu.
 

caroln said:
Hate to disagree, but being cold will not give you a cold or the flu.
Snippet from GoodRx: "A cold is an upper respiratory tract infection that spreads when you come into contact with a cold-causing virus.
You can’t catch a cold from cold weather."
However, if your immune system is not very strong, you may be more vulnerable to the viruses that cause colds and flu.
Click to expand...

Well @caroln, that indeed was a dominant "old wives tale" narrative for decades but considerable research has since somewhat corrected that.

Cold air by itself indeed won't cause a cold. But cold ambient air plus fresh cold viruses in one's upper respiratory track will more likely cause a cold versus warm ambient air plus viruses because virus multiply at a higher rate when such air is able to cool one's upper respiratory tract well below normal internal body temperatures.

If one say was in an office during a day with others sneezing, coughing, blowing their noses, there are likely plenty of viruses in everyone's upper respiratory tracks trying to make little beach heads of virus colonies, that everyone's immune systems have been mostly taking care of all day. But then when one is home at night, in cooler temperatures, if one's throat is brought down by cool air breathing to 92F from the normal nominal 98.6F, it viruses hijacking cells may possibly overcome one's immune cells.

Snippet from what I posted on a web 18 site years ago:

"Several studies demonstrate the incidence of the common cold to be highest in preschool and elementary school-aged children. An average of 3-8 colds per year is observed in this age group, with an even higher incidence in children who attend daycare and preschool. Because of the numerous viral agents involved and the many serotypes of several viruses (especially RV), younger children having new colds each month during the winter season is not unusual. Adults and adolescents typically have 2-4 colds per year...

The optimal temperature for RV replication is 33-35C. ( 91F > 95F degrees peaking at 92F) RV does not efficiently replicate at body temperature. This may explain why RV replicates well in the nasal passages and upper tracheobronchial tree but less well in the lower respiratory tract. The incubation period is approximately 2-3 days..."

The optimal temperature for RV replication is 33-35C. ( 91F > 95F"The cause of these symptoms is the immune response. Cells under attack by rhinoviruses release chemical signals called cytokines to attract immune cells and warn neighboring cells that they are infected. These cytokines attract immune cells and stimulate a cytokine cascade, which further amplifies the immune response. More chemical messages are sent that result in the dilation of blood vessels in the area surrounding infection. They also increase blood vessel leakiness, glandular secretion, and stimulate nerve fibers. The end result is symptoms of the common cold: sore throat, runny nose, watering eyes, sneezing, coughing, congestion and headache."

See my youtube immune system animation links in this recent SF thread:

Wicked hellish sore throat
 
David777 said:
Well @caroln, that indeed was a dominant "old wives tale" narrative for decades but considerable research has since somewhat corrected that.

Cold air by itself indeed won't cause a cold. But cold ambient air plus fresh cold viruses in one's upper respiratory track will more likely cause a cold versus warm ambient air plus viruses because virus multiply at a higher rate when such air is able to cool one's upper respiratory tract well below normal internal body temperatures.

If one say was in an office during a day with others sneezing, coughing, blowing their noses, there are likely plenty of viruses in everyone's upper respiratory tracks trying to make little beach heads of virus colonies, that everyone's immune systems have been mostly taking care of all day. But then when one is home at night, in cooler temperatures, if one's throat is brought down by cool air breathing to 92F from the normal nominal 98.6F, it viruses hijacking cells may possibly overcome one's immune cells.

Snippet from what I posted on a web 18 site years ago:

"Several studies demonstrate the incidence of the common cold to be highest in preschool and elementary school-aged children. An average of 3-8 colds per year is observed in this age group, with an even higher incidence in children who attend daycare and preschool. Because of the numerous viral agents involved and the many serotypes of several viruses (especially RV), younger children having new colds each month during the winter season is not unusual. Adults and adolescents typically have 2-4 colds per year...

The optimal temperature for RV replication is 33-35C. ( 91F > 95F degrees peaking at 92F) RV does not efficiently replicate at body temperature. This may explain why RV replicates well in the nasal passages and upper tracheobronchial tree but less well in the lower respiratory tract. The incubation period is approximately 2-3 days..."

The optimal temperature for RV replication is 33-35C. ( 91F > 95F"The cause of these symptoms is the immune response. Cells under attack by rhinoviruses release chemical signals called cytokines to attract immune cells and warn neighboring cells that they are infected. These cytokines attract immune cells and stimulate a cytokine cascade, which further amplifies the immune response. More chemical messages are sent that result in the dilation of blood vessels in the area surrounding infection. They also increase blood vessel leakiness, glandular secretion, and stimulate nerve fibers. The end result is symptoms of the common cold: sore throat, runny nose, watering eyes, sneezing, coughing, congestion and headache."

See my youtube immune system animation links in this recent SF thread:

Wicked hellish sore throat
Click to expand...
Like I said, cold air or warm air, the virus has to be present in order to get a cold. At least that's the way I read it.
 
I agree with what Pepper said about masks.

I have only had two bad colds in many years and got one Last week from someone waiting for a car appointment-as I waited for new brakes on my car. The waiting area is glass enclosed but no apparent ventilation.
I had masks in my glove compartment but none in my purse and me and another woman there were very uncomfortable with the way the woman was sneezing and coughing.

Then I learned that a few other people have had bad colds recently in my neck of the woods. And a few wear masks at the local supermarket.

I feel better but stayed home from church today as I realized I need more rest.
An elderly friend of mine is still coughing from a cold she and her adult kids had 2 weeks ago.
 
Born_To_Lose said:
My neighbor had RSV. Last week on Tuesday night at 3:30 in the morning my doorbell rang, rang and rang. I thought I was dreaming. I finally got out of bed and answered the door. There she was down on her knees because she was too weak to stand. I got her up and back into her apartment. Her mouth area was bluish in color and I checked her temp with a thermometer that was sitting nearby. It read 104 degrees.

I wasn’t sure whether to rush her to the hospital or call 91I, so I did both. I got her in my car and headed towards the hospital, which is about 15 miles away and I called 911. I told the 911 operator that I thought she needed oxygen now. She said she would start an EMS towards me on route 44 and I should keep blinking my lights so the ambulance driver could ID me. Once they saw my headlights flashing, they would flash their headlights and I should pullover off the road, which I did.

The one girl in the ambulance started her on oxygen until they got her into the ambulance and off they went. She is coming home tomorrow, maybe. At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed her with RSV. I thought she had pneumonia. She coughed and coughed really loud.
Click to expand...
Just thought I would let everyone that read my post a few weeks back know that my neighbor did have RSV and pneumonia on one side. She is doing much better and has started eating solid food again. She was taking 4 different pills twice a day, but now only 3 pills because she no longer has a fever. I was a little surprised that I didn't catch a cold or something being so close to her.
 
Haven't had a cold since my husband stopped teaching in 2020. Every September we'd get whatever cold the kids were spreading around the school. We've never gotten Covid, so haven't been any kind of sick since September 2019. Kids are germy creatures.
 
Lots of respiratory viruses are going around where I live. This morning, a notice went out that a stage production by our local theatre club has to be cancelled due to an outbreak of covid among the cast. Fortunately, they all had the good sense to get vaccinated, so it's like an ordinary cold, but they still have to quarantine, and hope to put on their show about a month from now.
 
A key strategy for preventing mucous from entering one's lower respiratory tract is to unnaturally orient one's head/throat so mucous can not easily gravity flow into the larynx and then into bronchial tubes to lungs that may then cause bronchitis and deathly pneumonia. Respiratory viruses evolved mechanisms to transport virus contained in mucous drainage past the epiglottis into the larynx that acts like a lid valve instead of harmlessly down the esophagus into the stomach. Watch this short video:


First a bit of basic throat anatomy. When one develops viral head colds or influenza, viruses develop microscopic beach heads within one's upper respiratory tract, especially the sinuses. That causes normal immune system responses that produce cytokine proteins that within infected mucous flowing down via gravity flow, cause healthy epithelial throat cell walls to disintegrate allowing virions to then enter those damaged cells and hijack cellular RNA machinery that instead produces more virions. That is what happens when we experience swollen red sore throats.

Each day our bodies produce a lot of mucous aka phlegm, that should harmlessly flow down into the esophagus. Phlegm produced during viral diseases evolved viral protein mechanisms to be more viscous and sticky so it could get stuck on the epiglottis lid and adjacent vocal cords so that the epiglottis doesn't close mechanically as effectively, allowing post nasal drip mucous with virions to dangerously enter the pharynx. Thus another key strategy after developing head colds is to keep that lid free of sticky thick mucous by constantly drinking fluids to break up and wash mucous away or gargling in that area.

Due to evaporative air cooling, the upper respiratory tract is the only place inside the body where temperatures are low enough that such viruses can multiple at rates fast enough that healthy immune systems cannot gobble up viruses faster than they can multiply. When we are around other humans due to aspirated aerosols, those tracts via white blood cells and other immune system features, are always removing small numbers of such viruses. Normal human body temperature is about 98F. Head cold viruses multiple at highest rates at a cooler 92F and is one reason due to those diseases our bodies evolved fever.

By keeping one's head/throat warmer than normal, viruses cannot easily multiply fast enough I've mentioned in past threads. That is my unique strategy for inhibiting multiplication that one will not hear from doctors.

Back to the mechanical mucous flow issue, a key mechanical strategy in preventing drainage into lower respiratory tracts is orient one's head/throat so mucous can not easily gravity flow into the larynx. Comfortably laying on one's back prone or standing is what viruses want. Instead lay face down using say pillows on forehead to maintain breathing space in front of one's face/nose. If one's head is slightly lower than one's throat, mucous will just get stuck in the upper throat where it can then be swallowed. Also rotating one's head to either side regularly will also help.

Note there is also, always some mucous in the larynx/bronchial tubes being transported upward due to epithelial ciliary action. One can feel such mucous when it reaches the top that causes us to cough it out so we can then swallow it down the esophagus.

File:Post nasal drip en.png - Wikipedia

Lots of people have bad colds. In my reality.

Lots of people have bad colds. In my reality.
 
From "Adelaide's Lament" in Guys and Dolls:

It says here
The female remaining single
Just in the legal sense
Shows a neurotic tendency
See note, see note
Note
Chronic organic syndromes
Toxic and hypertense
Involving the eye
The ear and the nose and throat
In other words
Just from worrying
Whether the wedding is on or off
A person
Can develop a cough
 
No cold here but the flu. I checked myself into the hospital the beginning of March to get diagnosed. They gave me Tamaflu but I'm still not right three weeks later. I emailed my doctor to whine but have not heard back yet. Sick sucks.
 
I've got my annual sneezing thing from the spring pollen. This year it's worse than usual; everyone is complaining about it. It's not a cold and I don't feel sick, it's just a very annoying sneezing/running nose thing. Not much I can do about it.
 

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