The blasted cold/flu thread

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Milzy

Guru
So I learned at school that after a cold virus your body documents that bug so it can never be let in again. How come since just before Christmas I've had the same symptoms 3 times at least now. Exact sore throat which leads to chest infection then head cold & no energy. Don't tell me it's different strains of the same thing & theres millions of different types!? For a month it's been a struggle to do anything productive training wise, just scraping through work. I wouldn't mind but I eat loads of fruit & veg. My colleague Dave blames the migrant workers for bringing in their viral infections. Is this scientifically true or is he just another racist bigot?
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
 

classic33

Leg End Member
So I learned at school that after a cold virus your body documents that bug so it can never be let in again. How come since just before Christmas I've had the same symptoms 3 times at least now. Exact sore throat which leads to chest infection then head cold & no energy. Don't tell me it's different strains of the same thing & theres millions of different types!? For a month it's been a struggle to do anything productive training wise, just scraping through work. I wouldn't mind but I eat loads of fruit & veg. My colleague Dave blames the migrant workers for bringing in their viral infections. Is this scientifically true or is he just another racist bigot?
Virus mutates, that's why you'll end up catching the "same cold" over & over.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
So I learned at school that after a cold virus your body documents that bug so it can never be let in again. How come since just before Christmas I've had the same symptoms 3 times at least now. Exact sore throat which leads to chest infection then head cold & no energy. Don't tell me it's different strains of the same thing & theres millions of different types!? For a month it's been a struggle to do anything productive training wise, just scraping through work. I wouldn't mind but I eat loads of fruit & veg. My colleague Dave blames the migrant workers for bringing in their viral infections. Is this scientifically true or is he just another racist bigot?
Christmas 2012 was a bad year for viral infections IIRC.
I work among possibly a minimum of 100 predominantly East European workers on a daily basis. It seemed then that everyone was struggling, you were surrounded by people coughing if you went into the factory itself (which luckily, I dont have to spend all day in there.)
My cough continued for a few weeks, progressed into night sweats, lethargy...like a fool, I soldiered on.
Eventually went to the docs....who referred me to xray, who diagnosed pneumonia and pleurisy. Two other guys at work I know of had similar. Bronchioscopy, fluid taken off the lung by needles, several scans and xrays, etc etc.
Several months later after a few cases of tuberculosis, we had a screening van at work and anyone who wanted it could have a check up.
Nurse took one look at my Xray and asked...you had TB ?:huh:
Another round of tests, innumerable bloods, scans, 6 months of heavy duty antibiotics, regular eye tests, orange urine, 12 tablets a day etc etc..funnily enough, I go to hospital tomorrow for what is hopefully my last TB apppointment...TWO YEARS LATER :whistle:
15 people had TB, all barring three were East European. Nurse told me (informally) many east europeans are repeat 'offenders'..they get treated...a year or so later, theyre back with it.
Scientific..no. Born out of experience..yes. Racist...certainly not.

If your symptoms persist...get to the docs without doubt. Failure to do so for me has resulted in permanent lung damage.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-26696629
Working on the principle a virus is obviously far more prevalent than TB, you can see how easy it is to catch when there are hundreds of workers in a relatively small area.
I like the line toward the end of the article...not easily spread unless you have prolonged contact with an infected individual...
My experience shows that to be a load of c##p.

Simply being East European doesnt expose yout to, or make you more likely to get a virus per se...but I suspect many work in close quarters to hundreds of others, and travelling in agency buses, like ours, full up where there is no escape from every cough and sneeze.
To give you an idea of the numbers, in a few weeks, there will be circa 500 agency workers daily, spread over two adjacent sites.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
OP not 3 times, just the first one has not gone away. My resting HR is still up from normal after 33 days, dropping daily though so I am back on the mend. No cycling yet and only 60 minutes gentle swimming day.
 
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