On vacation with a wicked cold/flu?

I don’t really know what is that has worked for me because I’ve tried so many things but here it goes:
honey with lime
vitamins
echinacea
antibiotics
aspirin
and the usual pharmacy’s drugs
Good Luck

Be kind to yourself- maybe you can’t do all the things you wanted, but you can do a little sightseeing, just don’t go far from the hotel in case you really crash. You can’t help it, so just tell yourself you owe yourself another shot at it- I went back to the same places I got sick at and it made up for it.

I had a sinus and ear infection for the 10 days I was on vacation!! I couldn’t get rid of it. sudafed helped a little. claritin did too. I just had to suck it up in the end.

If none the above works try alcohol, you won’t know if you’re feeling like that because you’re sick or drunk.

Lorelei,
Sadly, what you describe (and others have confirmed) is that it is very common to get sick on vacation. Typically, people are studying or working hard right before a big vacation. Stress levels are high, as are stress hormones, which have a tendency to weaken the immune system. So, then you hit the vacation and relax, but in the meantime you caught something right beforehand, which then leaves you sick for the next week. My wife was terribly sick on our honeymoon for the same “reason”. Big build-up, then crash! I hope you feel better.

Send someone to the bar and try a shot of bitters. (An herbalist gave me this travel tip.)

Call your Dr and lie to get him to call you in a Z pack. Tell him you’ve had fever/chills for more than 8 days as well as a sinus headache and you need a Z pack. Have the number of a local pharmacy handy when you call. If you don’t have a regular md and you are in the states then look for a little clinic in walgresns or publix. There is no wait there. Tell them the same thing. Its a shame that we have to scam a little to get a dose of medicine, but so be it. I hope you feel better.

@Cherryberry. NO! Lorelei clearly identified that she has a viral cold/flu like illness. Viruses are NOT treated with antibiotics, period. It is the profligate use of antibiotics (for just this type of non-bacterial disease) that has significantly contributed to the development of antibiotic resistance. Not only is this a public health issue, but it is also a direct, personal issue for Lorelei. By eliminated her normal flora, she puts herself at risk for other illnesses, in addition to initiating the process of harboring antibiotic resistant bugs herself.

I wanted to add that a a Zpack is an antibiotic and will only fix your problem if it is bacterial. Worth a shot though.

I’m sick on vacation in Hawaii and nothing has really worked. I’ve tried medicine, hot tea, soup, liquids, lots of rest and nothing really working. I have a terrible cough, aches & pains, runny nose, and occaisional vomiting from coughing. I feel horrible but I still try to suck it up and go out. The plane ride was torture tho….

Her problem is not ness viral. It could very well be a sinus or ear infection. While on vacation, I err on the side of not being miserable. I don’t consider that a public health issue. I assure you her flora will be fine

@Cherry. Considering the probability that her illness is much more likely to be viral, I would disagree. A sinus or ear infection doesn’t generally cause people to be “stuck in bed”. She clearly hasn’t described her symptoms, but most people are able to say “my ear hurts a lot” or “I have facial pain and thick yellow mucous”.

You may not consider this to be a public health issue, but as an Infectious Diseases doctor, I do. I don’t believe you can assure me her flora will be fine. Azithromycin often causes diarrhea on its own, but could also lead to C. difficile diarrhea. Likewise, it can lead to vaginal yeast infections due to loss of vaginal flora. These are quite common side effects.

@all; Listen to Shilolo; the Dr. is in, and aren’t we, as usual, lucky? Medical guesses by untrained laymen is usually a very bad idea.

Lying to a doctor or any professional and then expecting to receive valid counsel is idiotic beyond belief!

@cherryberry Overuse and misuse of antibiotics IS a public health issue. Even a single use adds to the bacteria’s developing resistance.

Good point Marina. You know, I am able to catch a lot of manipulative behavior, but then again, maybe I just don’t know when I am being conned.

I’m still in a bit of a tizzy over the nonchalant attitude that one person’s successful completion of a vacation by lying to their doctor in order to take an (likely unnecessary) antibiotic somehow trumps the greater issue of society as a whole slowly but surely losing the ability to use one antibiotic after another. So many people fail to see the problem until it is them or their loved ones who succumb to a resistant organism, such as Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus, MRSA or Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase producing bacteria.