General
Cold & Allergies
February 29, 2024
in General
What do you do when you have a cold or when you feel one coming on? I use a eucalyptus chest rub, echinacea, elderberry, and drink lots of tea with honey!
Do you take any medications for allergies? How about for a cold?
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Transplant Patient
Echinacea is one I avoid because of its herbal properties as an immune booster (which feels counterintuitive while on immune suppression), but I love herbal teas, hot water with lemon and honey… I try to schedule in extra rest, take baths with Epsom salts and eucalyptus, use a humidifier or diffuser
i also feel no hesitation towards grabbing over the counter meds if i feel I need them. If it ever feels like it’s dragging on too long/getting worse/ I feel out of my depths, I’ll also call my coordinator and let him know.
I had asked my transplant team and a chinese medicine doctor about the occasional use of herbs with immune boosting properties and they gave me the go! I also base it off my lab work. I tend to feel a lot of hesitation to grab over the counter meds; most likely due to the fact that while on dialysis, I was heavily informed not to take decongestants.
I found that Fluticasone nose spray is my new go to and Claritin 12 hour allergy meds. I get the best relief along with an antibiotic my pcp gives me.
Transplant Patient
@fern22 oh cool! I would also be more concerned about regular use than occasional, but I think that goes for most things. I love that you’re basing it off your labs - I tend to do that too. I take everything on an individual level and watch how my body responds
Hello my name is Terry walker wow just this past week I asked the question what can I use for allergies. Was told by kidney transplant team I can use fluticasone, or any over the counter medicine for allergies.love ❤️the feedback. Thanks 🙏
Hi, my name is Inka. I had a combined lung and liver transplant in 2002. When I feel a cold coming on, or if everyone around me starts sneezing, I love to drink ginger tea with honey. Made with the ginger roots, cut into pieces, hot water on top, perfect. I always use the organic ginger just to make sure I don't drink other chemicals as well.
Hi Inka. welcome. I just want to say wow 2002 Lung/Liver that is so amazing. Sounds like u r doing well. I have been wanting to try ginger I hear so many good things about it. I have been able to escape the bugs so far.
Thank you and hey, as long as you are able to escape the bugs - keep it up :).
I sure am going to keep trying😊💚
@Inka, you’re story is amazing. Utmost respect.
Thank you so much <3
I have been fighting a virus for about a month... it started with my husband bringing home a "stuffy nose". He was sort of down and out for about two days, and then recovered. We thought we were in the clear. Then, I got Pink Eye! PINK EYE, at almost 40 years old. I got antibiotic eye drops, and it started to clear up. Then, I developed a slight cough, sore throat, ear pain, and nasal drainage. It was not miserable so I stayed home, isolated, maintained my eye drops, used the humidifier, drank lots of tea and warm beverages. One day, my throat hurt so bad I went to urgent care convinced that I had strep throat. Honestly, I was so disappointed in the provider at Urgent Care. They totally dismissed me, and told me to take Sudafed and some Emergen-C (which are both considered a no-no from my center). Needless to say, I am still kind of fighting a low-laying cold and feeling frustrated about it. Its been about a month.
Have you reached out to your transplant center yet? From my experience, the sooner you call them the better. Anyways, I hope you will feel better soon <3.
Or your PCP a month is to long for u to be 😷 sick.