Got a cold should I see Doc?

[Ross]

So I've got a cold at the moment, had it for a couple of days. Feel generally crap, aches and pains, temp, runny nose. Been popping Codral Cold & Flu tabs which help a lot but only fix the symptoms not the disease. I don't normally get colds so this is a bit new to me. Should I go to the doctor about this? AFAIK there is still no cure for a cold so what is the doc going to do that Codral isn't going to do a lot cheaper?

I went for a ~30km recovery ride yesterday morning, felt good during the ride but later on (when the Codral wore off) I felt like I'd just done Paris-Roubaix.

[Abby]

When I'm unwell, I always eat a punnet of blueberries/day. It doesn't help with the symptoms per se, but my perception is it helps with the recovery process...

Plus they are yummy.

Cheers,
Abby

[McGoo]

If you are well enough to do a 30km ride, you don't need to see a doctor.

You are dead right in that cold tablets treat the symptoms only. The flu is a virus, nothing can treat them. Fever is a body's natural defence against a virus, by raising the temperature of the body the virus cells are able to replicate less easily, allowing your body to fight the virus. Everything else is normal.

The only thing a doctor can give you is Tamiflu, which is only effective in the first 24 hours I believe. After that it does lots of very little.

[twizzle]

Hey Ross, you can go to the Doctor when you start coughing up crap or the runny nose starts to hurt (sinusitis).

Other than that - keep it to yourself. I've been sick since Christmas, after finishing the third course of antibiotics on Sunday... fingers crossed I'm finally over it.

[trailgumby]

The conventioal wisdom is, if the symptoms appear below the neck, no training whatsoever. Above the neck only, very light recovery type sessions only.

So in your case, with aches and pains, that means no training.

Training in the short term makes you less fit and depresses your immune system, either slightly or a lot depending on how hard you've trained and for how long in the session.

So continuing to train while your body is fending off an attacker will not help speed your recovery. It will in fact delay it. This has been my experience and I've disregarded it to my cost.

For colds I find that megadoses of Vitamin C, Echinacea Forte, and Blackmores' garlic and horseradish tablets help shorten the duration from 10 to 3 days if you get it just at the start when you can feel it coming on, and there is some peer reviewed evidence to suggest that Vitamin C and Echinacea is of assistance.

The last item is for turning off the tap without keeping me wide awake all night, as the pseudoephedrine in Codral gives me membership of the League of Ceiling Starers. The other non-ephedrine based decongestants don't work for me.

If you're getting aches and pains, it is suggestive of a flu rather than a vanilla headcold. The above protocol will still help, but is not as effective with flus and if you start to get restricted breathing a trip to the doctor for broncho-dilators and possibly anti-biotics to deal with secondary infections might be in order.

Don't try to train through this. Bed rest and lots of sleep.

Disclosure: a family member is an employee of Blackmores... and I give them lots of stick about the rubbish pseudo-scientific "theory" much of their "professional" alternative healthcare lines is based on. So my discovery that their echinacea and garlic + horseradish products work was against my initial scepticism. I think we own some small shareholding. This family member gives me stick back that we should have bought more, the way the share price has gone.

[waramatt]

Hi Ross

+1 what Oxford said. I had a week like that last June. Just couldn't shake it. So I took a week off cycling (and any other strenuous activity).

[Ross]

The conventioal wisdom is, if the symptoms appear below the neck, no training whatsoever. Above the neck only, very light recovery type sessions only.

So in your case, with aches and pains, that means no training.

Training in the short term makes you less fit and depresses your immune system, either slightly or a lot depending on how hard you've trained and for how long in the session.

So continuing to train while your body is fending off an attacker will not help speed your recovery. It will in fact delay it. This has been my experience and I've disregarded it to my cost.

For colds I find that megadoses of Vitamin C, Echinacea Forte, and Blackmores' garlic and horseradish tablets help shorten the duration from 10 to 3 days if you get it just at the start when you can feel it coming on, and there is some peer reviewed evidence to suggest that Vitamin C and Echinacea is of assistance.

The last item is for turning off the tap without keeping me wide awake all night, as the pseudoephedrine in Codral gives me membership of the League of Ceiling Starers. The other non-ephedrine based decongestants don't work for me.

If you're getting aches and pains, it is suggestive of a flu rather than a vanilla headcold. The above protocol will still help, but is not as effective with flus and if you start to get restricted breathing a trip to the doctor for broncho-dilators and possibly anti-biotics to deal with secondary infections might be in order.

Don't try to train through this. Bed rest and lots of sleep.

Disclosure: a family member is an employee of Blackmores... and I give them lots of stick about the rubbish pseudo-scientific "theory" much of their "professional" alternative healthcare lines is based on. So my discovery that their echinacea and garlic + horseradish products work was against my initial scepticism. I think we own some small shareholding. This family member gives me stick back that we should have bought more, the way the share price has gone.

Thanks for your helpful advice Trailogumby and others. I do already take a Multivitamin, Echinacea, Garlic, Zinc & C as well as Magnesium tabs daily. Have done for a few years. I think this is a main reason I rarely get colds.

I do have a bit of a cough, it started out just a dry cough but now I seem to be coughing up green stuff.

Feeling a bit better today, aches and pains have mostly gone, still got a slight temp I think. Don't think I'm ready to get back on the bike yet. I might go to the doc today and see if he reccommend me some other potion.

[giwi2]

its not the beginning of whooping cough is it????????...............

[twizzle]

Green stuff = bad. Bacteria in places you don't want them.

I started off on Christmas day with a sore throat, finished off the third course of antibiotics one week ago for the chest infection it triggered that wouldn't go away.

[iMad]

Green stuff = bad. Bacteria in places you don't want them.

I started off on Christmas day with a sore throat, finished off the third course of antibiotics one week ago for the chest infection it triggered that wouldn't go away.

Did you continue cycling through this?
I'm developing what I think is a chest infection at the moment and really don't have a lot of energy.
After my efforts and hard earned rewards on the bike over the past 3 months I'm reluctant to stop and watch my fitness level drop.

[hotfoot]

As twizzle said..if its gone green go to the doc, nose juice or sputum. The fact you had muscle aches and pains, and fever may show its actually a flu, no probs but if you exert yourself while having flu there is a chnace the virus may go to your heart muscle...not good. May I suggest you knock off the cycling, rest drink fluids...etc and only go back to riding when the aches stop and the fever goes. A doc isn't needed till you go green or some other "evil" symptom developes. (I am a semi retired nurse..not a doc)

[twizzle]

Green stuff = bad. Bacteria in places you don't want them.

I started off on Christmas day with a sore throat, finished off the third course of antibiotics one week ago for the chest infection it triggered that wouldn't go away.

Did you continue cycling through this?
I'm developing what I think is a chest infection at the moment and really don't have a lot of energy.
After my efforts and hard earned rewards on the bike over the past 3 months I'm reluctant to stop and watch my fitness level drop.

First few weeks, doing 300+km a week at < 50% FTP, but in the end the asthma that was triggered by the infection pretty much stopped me. Five days on steroids to stop the cough/wheeze. I've dropped CTL from mid 80's to low 70's. Given up racing ATM, aiming to be fit again for the end of March.

[trailgumby]

@iMad, remember we were talking about overtraining a few weeks ago via PM? Getting sick can be an indicator.

After a hard training ride (like today, 70km home-Akuna Bay-West Head-home) I tend to stay away from large groups of people if I possibly can for the rest of the day.

Persevering when sick can dig you deeper into illness and delay your recovery.

[iMad]

@iMad, remember we were talking about overtraining a few weeks ago via PM? Getting sick can be an indicator.

After a hard training ride (like today, 70km home-Akuna Bay-West Head-home) I tend to stay away from large groups of people if I possibly can for the rest of the day.

Persevering when sick can dig you deeper into illness and delay your recovery.

I remember. BTW, what defines overtraining? Nobody I talk to seems to think 4 or so, 27km rides per week is too much.
The reason I asked is that I'm not too sure what is brewing. I've felt off colour for the past few days and now I've got a slight raspy cough.
I'm definitely going to take some time off to see what develops.
Cheers mate
Tony