I am sooooo fed up!!

Try iced water or suck an ice cube. That was the advice of a voice therapist I used to see. Tea and coffee can dehydrate the throat. Hope it feels better soon.

I find an infusion of grated fresh ginger and honey, sipped slowly, helps with a sore throat. Ginger has antibacterial properties and the honey is soothing. Sorry you have this inflicted on you, Katek. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for tip anno-as they say, this is doing my head in!

X'd posts greyduster, will also try ginger infusion. I don't know if you'll know what I mean , but it's the kind of sore throat that's just asking for Heinz tomato soup because it nips. Does that make any sense?!!

Don't talk [even whispering]. My doctor told me that when I had a sore throat for a long time. On the other hand, he might have just been trying to shut me up [I worked for him at the time].

Gargling with soluble aspirin is supposed to be a good local anaesthetic plus if you swallow any it brings your temperature down. But it sounds as is you have had to cope with one infection too far.
A quiet couple of days NOT meeting commitments or worrying about others is prescribed by doctor Daphne, duvet, DVD, hot drinks of choice, ready meals or take always if anybody is hungry and book yourself a doctor's appointment in a day or two just to make sure your chest is clear and your asthma medication doesn't need adjusting.
Stay indoors, don't fight it, but take care of YOURSELF

Lol Tegan! Have rehearsal to take tonight unfortunately, will maybe take a whistle!!

Thanks daphne-you sound just like my GP! Her parting shot last visit was " now for god's sake will you just go home and REST! " I do try but I feel so guilty if I let people down and always have to be doing something. Currently, whilst sitting with a hot drink, I am writing panto songs, that way I still feel productive. I will remain fixed to this sofa for the rest of the day though, I promise. Thanks for the flowers.

Katek Heinz tomato soup is wonderful when you've got a certain sort of poorly isn't it It always helps me get back on my feet anyway. For sore throats we always have a spoonful of honey with sliced lemon (or pure lemon juice) mixed with half a cop of hot water. Slip it slowly and go back to sleep (I won't send flowers as your asthma might not like them!)

Heinz tomato soup sounds just the job! Always a winner. Go for it!

Kate's hope you are taking advice and resting up your immune system as taken a bashing take care of yourself ??

Right, I shall tell you all about what I did two Mondays ago whilst in the throes of the virus and see what you all think. To me this was a situation which required a solution and I enjoy the logistical challenge. Problem comes when I push myself to the limit. I think I may have given the outline of this on another thread (but not the detail) so forgive me if this seems vaguely familiar...and lengthy!
On that Monday I was committed to stage managing in local theatre at 6pm for adults with additional learning needs. I have to do this. My best friend's mother's funeral service was also 100 miles away on same day at 2pm. I have to attend this.
I ended up driving to nearest station (28 miles) on the Sunday with DH following in his car. I left mine at the station and we drove to DS's where DH was staying anyway as he was filming(!) nearby next day and it was also.closer to funeral. The following day I got a taxi to the station and then a half hour train journey to next town. I then got a taxi to the church which was out in the country for the funeral. Scrounged a lift to the cemetery and then my friend had space in his car to take me back to the town for the funeral tea. I managed half an hour there for tea and sandwiches (my food for the day) and then crossed the road back to station. Got a train back to station I started off from and where my car was, an hour's journey,nearly precipitated an asthma attack crossing the footbridge, then drove 36 miles to theatre arriving at theatre for 6.30 (bit late but doable) for 7pm start.

Am I mad or just very loyal?

Well.....I think you might be seriously mad!!!

I run a singing group and when I am not well enough to take a practice, then we do not have one - end of!

I know that you want to do all the things you feel you should, but you will be no use to yourself or others if you do not give your poor body the time and space to fight this lot off!

We are just about to enter autumn and winter - the prime bug seasons and I really do think you need to take care of yourself and get in fine fettle to face the barrage of bugs that will be honing in on you over the next few months - rest, rest and more rest are what you need.

Thus spake Dr Luckygirl!

Katek you say you had to do this and you had to do that you didn't have to at all sometimes we chose to listen to our guilty side sooner than our sensible side just sometimes you have to say I m sorry but I can't You will not be any use to anyone if your body cracks up. 100 miles for a funeral when you're ill is silly I m sure your friend would have not want to know you were journeying all that way when you were feeling so poorly The end result is you will have taken twice as long to shrug it off and your immune system will be very open to the next infection flying around Of course we all want to show loyalty and not want to let people down but there is also a more sensible solution that says listen to your body.

Katek what would you say to a friend who did all that? I wouldn't be surprised if you told her she was mad and should be at home looking after herself

What if you passed on the dreaded lurgy to people on the trains, at the cemetery, at the theatre ...? Although by the sound of it you would probably visit everyone with tomato soup and tissues!! Do hope you get really well soon before panto season really starts

I know somewhere in my head that you are all correct in what you say, I just find it so hard not to 'do'. I was brought up with a sense of that old fashioned word 'duty' (thanks RAF) and to see commitments through, to not let people down. I know that I shouldn't have gone to the funeral but had quiet day at home and gone to theatre as there wouldn't have been a show if I wasn't there. ( Asst stage manager was my friend whose mother had died) I would have felt so guilty if I hadn't gone to service though. How to get rid of guilt/discomfort at 'letting people down' that is the question.

And yes Swanny you're probably right about the soup and tissues!

I used to feel like this Katek but when you do reach a stage when I truly can't do something then I do now say no to people, even an appointment at the hospital last week. It's no use feeling guilty, it gets me nowhere and I really can't help the way I am. Same with taking my son tomorrow, I can't do it, I took his sister but I was able to then, but now I can't.

You need to take reasonable care or else your body will start to tell you that you can't do much at all. I have pushed myself over the years and tried to be all to everyone and it has got me nowhere. My kids are awful to me, my mother would have had me lie down and her walk all over me (and it still wouldn't be enough) and my siblings looked down their noses at me no matter how hard I tried to be a good sister. Even friends have taken more than they have given in the past. So now it's a no and I look after me. With the exception of GN meets, those are on the calendar.

When my son goes tomorrow, my phone will go off for a while while I get my head sorted and have a few hours to myself.

Learn to say "no" into the mirror, it takes practice. And you don't need to say why neither sometimes, just no, sorry I can't do that or I won't be able to get there etc. Try it with small things first and build up. But do take care of yourself, you only have one you. X

Well that post has just made excuses for everything you did
I think it's fine that you followed your conscience but then you mustn't be surprised that your body and your immune system is in collapse mode afterwards

katek, I know that internal message! i've managed to sort out the 'should' from the 'want to' most of the time. I do try to over rule the 'should' messages as much as I can if the outcome will damage me. Don't always succeed though. . When it comes to 'want to' common sense isn't always there. Sometimes it's a case of sort of doing a deal with myself and acknowledging an over active day will have repercussions and accepting that. The day you described was quite frankly mad, especially as you were unwell. There is a huge 'but' in this case, though. I think you were dealing with both 'should' and 'want to', not a combination easy to ignore. You sound to be close to your friend who is not only newly bereaved but the assistant stage manager. Your drive to support her seems to have overridden common sense. Maybe stop giving yourself a hard time and just concentrate on getting better now. Of course you would have advised someone else to behave differently, we are all very good at that. . As bluebelle says you went with your conscience and yes now you will have to manage the outcome. So put yourself first for a bit?

As we get older I think that a bit of self nurture is a wise strategy.

Katek - you hero!

The thing with pushing yourself when you're ill and not taking any time off is people become blind to how you are feeling and you'll never get any help. I've lived with a chronic lung disease all my life. A common cold sets me back for six weeks. At the moment I've had no voice for three weeks and no viruses are showing up in tests. Drs have told me that symptoms and aftermath of a virus can last for 6-8 wks and I've found that to be true. I too keep saying Im fine and get on with stuff not wanting to let people down and like the OP I have done stupid things when ill but I now realise that sometimes you just have to give in and for me it means staying in hospital.
I wonder why no one within your family and friends don't put their foot down and tell you to rest. I think as we get older it takes us longer to recover from illness. The fact that you've put up this post means that you do realise you have to slow down and get well. No one is indispensable.

If you overdo things when you're only sort of ill, it could escalate and knock you back real bad for a longer time, so do be careful.

The Jewish Mum's panacea for this sort of thing is chicken soup. Just bung it in a saucepan with some vegetables and drink the broth until you feel up to nibbling at the meat and veg.

Just read your post about the funeral. I am impressed by your efforts to attend this, due to the logistical difficulties of it all, but I worry that you might overdo things a bit if you don't feel well. A bit of rest is the solution when you're not feeling well, or it will take longer for your poor body to recover in the long run and throw off whatever it was you had/have. You are in all senses a real trooper !