More Prone To Catching Cold Or Flu Since Onset?

[Canadiangirl73]

I was wondering if others are more prone to catching viruses since they've had dysautonomia.

I will be turning 40 in a few months and can count the number of times I was sick on both hands before this POTS ordeal started 18 months ago. I do have two little ones who bring germs home from school and day care, but I seem to catch everything now and it takes me a long time to get over it when I used to bounce back very quickly.

Thanks.

[SeattleRain]

I wouldn't value my opinion much since I haven't been officially diagnosed but in the last 3 years I've been sick once - and since July when I've had POTS "symptoms" I've been sick since September 10th - definitely feel like my immune system has been weakened and takes forever to get over being sick. It's hard enough dealing with symptoms but when you're sick on top of that it's just plain scary.

I'm becoming a germaphobe now - alcohol hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes galore!

[Ashelton80]

Yes, but once I started taking a vitamin D supplement my immune system seems stronger than both my husband and daughter. They rarely get sick, but I have with stood a stomach virus and a cold that they both had and I was the only one who didn't get sick. I also eat no processed food and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables so that makes a big difference. You can do common sense things like wash your hands and clean, but the immune system works from the inside out, not the outside in.

[JenLR]

I don't think that I'm more prone to getting sick, but it does take me forever to recover when I do catch something. I caught a virus from my sister a month ago, and I am just now starting to feel better.

SeattleRain, I can totally relate to your becoming a germaphobe! I don't even like sharing pens with other people now. I used to not worry about germs at all, but now I feel like I have to be extra careful.

[HopeSprings]

Yes! I feel like I'm sick all the time. I have two little ones too though, so maybe that's why. The worst thing is that it makes the POTS symptoms so much worse, so it's a double whammy!

[EllenD]

I definitely get sick easily. I've talked to my doctor about it and he agreed that this can happen with POTS. His take was that you need energy to fight off infection and viruses, and most days all my energy goes to staying upright.

[Leigh8]

I have read that long-term use of florinef can weaken the immune system and make you more prone to getting ill. Do you take florinef by any chance? Perhaps that is part of the reason.

[corina]

That's what I find so odd, I get hardly sick at all since POTS. My family can be sick from viruses but I'm the only one in our household who doesnt. I reaeaealy like that! When I do get a virus it takes a long time to get over it. That goes for injuries as well which made my doc sigh that I'm healing quite badly.

[Rachel Cox]

Oh yes. Not just cold and flu but other viruses too... shingles again recently. hard to fight them off...

[E Soskis]

How timely! I just came across this posting......my physician has encouraged me to take all available immunizations this year (pneumonia vaccine, flu shot, and shingles vaccine) - I just took the shingles vaccine 2 days ago and within a few hours, began to feel like I was coming down with the flu. The symptoms have progressed rapidly to body aches, bone chills, fevers, congestion and now, triggering the dysautonomia with weakness, brain fog, and all the other goodies that go with dysautonomia. The pharmacist told me that this type of reaction occurs usually in less than 1% of the population that take the shingles vaccine - I think the dysautonomia sets us up for these untoward reactions and keeps us from getting well in a timely fashion........

[Chaos]

I'm like Corina in that I seem to get less "sick" since I got POTS. My whole family seems to get colds and stomach viruses and I don't get them even when everyone else in the house has it. However, when I hit allergy season, or get a cold sore or something like that it totally throws me into a massive flare of POTS symptoms.

I too have become a bit of a germ-a-phobe though and find myself always scrambling thru my purse for my own pen to use, etc so I don't have to use one shared by others.

[roxie]

I get sick easily. And like others have become a totally germ-a-phobe. It's been a real battle for me hearing about the flu this year as well as the stomach virus going around. I feel this panic everytime I hear about it and then I start praying that no one in my family will get sick this year. We all got the flu shot but I know it'snot fool proof.

Hearing that it's supposed to be a worse season I really contemplate whether I should stay in more. I don't go out a lot but do I need to be evn more careful, like only for must have reasons?

[Jacquie802]

When I get sick it seems to cause a flare up.

[Foggy01]

Yeah and even a simple cold now seems to go down into my chest and lasts a month if I don't get antibiotics. Has happened again this christmas. What a life.