Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

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V2rocketeer
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Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby V2rocketeer » Sun Feb 11, 2018 9:58 pm

:oops:

I've been pretty crook the last couple of days. I haven't ridden since Thursday and been sick as. Not feeling much better yet so going off to see the doctor but curious if you start riding again when you are 100% or when you make the turn and start to feel slightly human again?

Bear

sammutd88
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby sammutd88 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 10:22 pm

In my opinion, I tend to say if you have a clear chest and you feel up to a ride, go for it but keep it easy and fairly short. That just me though, if your body is saying stay in bed though, then stay in bed.

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g-boaf
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby g-boaf » Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:59 am

V2rocketeer wrote::oops:

I've been pretty crook the last couple of days. I haven't ridden since Thursday and been sick as. Not feeling much better yet so going off to see the doctor but curious if you start riding again when you are 100% or when you make the turn and start to feel slightly human again?

Bear
You start riding when you are 100% again. No earlier than that - meaning no riding at all. Rest up (plenty of sleep), stay well hydrated and eat properly.
Last edited by g-boaf on Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby trailgumby » Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:47 am

If it's above the neck, short recovery pace rides only. That means 30 minutes or less, and so easy that you will think it's not worth bothering with.

Anything harder will depress/stress your immune system further and just open the door wider to whatever your body is fighting off. If any symptoms are showing up below the neck (eg, cough), no riding at all.

Rest, sleep, good nutrition, and don't eat too much are my suggestions.

It's too late now, but I find Vitamin C megadoses combined with echinacea, zinc, and lots of sleep shorten the duration from 10 to 7 days, sometimes less if you get it early enough. You need to do this while it's still a twitch in the back of your nose or throat. Once the full runny nose or sore throat develops you've missed the window.

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g-boaf
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby g-boaf » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:43 am

trailgumby wrote:If it's above the neck, short recovery pace rides only. That means 30 minutes or less, and so easy that you will think it's not worth bothering with.

Anything harder will depress/stress your immune system further and just open the door wider to whatever your body is fighting off. If any symptoms are showing up below the neck (eg, cough), no riding at all.

Rest, sleep, good nutrition, and don't eat too much are my suggestions.

It's too late now, but I find Vitamin C megadoses combined with echinacea, zinc, and lots of sleep shorten the duration from 10 to 7 days, sometimes less if you get it early enough. You need to do this while it's still a twitch in the back of your nose or throat. Once the full runny nose or sore throat develops you've missed the window.
I think those mega-doses of Vitaman C and the other things might help if you get it quickly enough, but I'm pretty sure you'll get told here that it's all rubbish and just in your head. ;)

What did seem to work was that Vicks First Defense product which is no longer sold in Australia:

https://www.vicks.co.uk/en-gb/shop-prod ... asal-spray

As long as you got it quickly, it would pretty much get rid of the cold in a day or two (instead of it being a whole week).

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby caneye » Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:23 am

g-boaf wrote: ...
What did seem to work was that Vicks First Defense product which is no longer sold in Australia:

https://www.vicks.co.uk/en-gb/shop-prod ... asal-spray

As long as you got it quickly, it would pretty much get rid of the cold in a day or two (instead of it being a whole week).

funny you mentioned that. I used to use the same product when it was on sale many years back.
I'm not sure why they stopped selling it in Aust.
Have you tried similar products by other companies?


I personally prefer to stop riding entirely until i'm fully recovered from the cold.
It's just not worth the hassle of balancing and struggling riding with work, and run the risk of spreading it to my kids too. simply not worth it.

If it's bad enough that I'm on sickie, then I try to make sure I get as much sleep as possible throughout the day. The benefit of sleep is often underrated.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby g-boaf » Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:25 am

caneye wrote:
g-boaf wrote: ...
What did seem to work was that Vicks First Defense product which is no longer sold in Australia:

https://www.vicks.co.uk/en-gb/shop-prod ... asal-spray

As long as you got it quickly, it would pretty much get rid of the cold in a day or two (instead of it being a whole week).

funny you mentioned that. I used to use the same product when it was on sale many years back.
I'm not sure why they stopped selling it in Aust.
Have you tried similar products by other companies?


I personally prefer to stop riding entirely until i'm fully recovered from the cold.
It's just not worth the hassle of balancing and struggling riding with work, and run the risk of spreading it to my kids too. simply not worth it.

If it's bad enough that I'm on sickie, then I try to make sure I get as much sleep as possible throughout the day. The benefit of sleep is often underrated.

They discontinued it in many countries so it seems. But still in the UK. I know that one worked quite well. Perhaps it threatened the sales of cold and flu tablets and other remedies. :P Seriously, if someone comes up with a cure for the common cold, companies around the world will go out of business!

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby P!N20 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:01 pm

trailgumby wrote:Vitamin C megadoses
I subscribe to this, find it lessens the impact considerably.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Thoglette » Mon Feb 12, 2018 2:03 pm

V2rocketeer wrote:curious if you start riding again when you are 100% or when you make the turn and start to feel slightly human again?
If I'm not well enough to ride, (albeit slowly), I'm not well enough to be at work.

I'll bus home (or taxi) if I fall ill at work and can't face riding.
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby V2rocketeer » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:39 pm

Thank you for all the replies

Still crook as. Went to the Doctor and was told I probably have bronchitis. I've been prescribed some antibiotics. I have no motivation for riding at the moment. With a Headache Aches and Pains and a horrible cough. Nasty bug this one.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Philistine » Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:04 pm

I need to ride almost every day. It has taken me a long time to develop the little bit of fitness that I have got, and I know from bitter experience how quickly that little bit of fitness can disappear if I stop riding for any length of time.

If I get a cold or influenza, I take 2 Aspirins and a Sudafed* three or four times per day, and this usually makes me feel human again. I will go for a ride, slowly and gently. If I feel worse, I turn around and go home, but, most of the time, a gentle ride has me feeling better - possibly something to do with the improved circulation!

*By "sudafed" I mean the original pseudoephedrine, for which you might have to get a prescription. The new pseudoephedrine-free sudafed (phenylephrine) is useless.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby trailgumby » Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:02 pm

Philistine wrote:The new pseudoephedrine-free sudafed (phenylephrine) is useless.
Amen to that. However, pseudoephedrine has me twitchy and jumping about like a mexican jumping bean. I also tend to bust out PRs everywhere despite being sick. If I'm silly enough to take some after noon that's it for me for sleep until tomorrow evening.

I have found that Blackmores' Horseradish, Garlic and C tabsules help dry the mucous secretions without the hyperstimulatory side effects. Not quite as brutally effective as pseudoephedrine, but not useless like phenylephrine. However, there are some colds where it doesn't matter what I take nothing will stop the nose running.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Philistine » Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:51 pm

trailgumby wrote: I also tend to bust out PRs everywhere despite being sick.
Mentioning PRs on this forum is catnip to a cat. You might be starting a run on pseudoephedrine. :lol:

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby g-boaf » Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:43 pm

Philistine wrote:I need to ride almost every day. It has taken me a long time to develop the little bit of fitness that I have got, and I know from bitter experience how quickly that little bit of fitness can disappear if I stop riding for any length of time.

If I get a cold or influenza, I take 2 Aspirins and a Sudafed* three or four times per day, and this usually makes me feel human again. I will go for a ride, slowly and gently. If I feel worse, I turn around and go home, but, most of the time, a gentle ride has me feeling better - possibly something to do with the improved circulation!

*By "sudafed" I mean the original pseudoephedrine, for which you might have to get a prescription. The new pseudoephedrine-free sudafed (phenylephrine) is useless.
Agreed about that, the classic codral/sudafed worked properly and really let me at least function somewhat around the home, and I at least get reasonable sleep at night.

I also lose fitness quite fast, but the trick is to be methodical about your riding and let the recovery happen when it is needed and things will gradually improve.
trailgumby wrote:I have found that Blackmores' Horseradish, Garlic and C tabsules help
I've seen that, tried it too but didn't notice it to be particularly effective - though I think it was because I tend to get very heavy colds at times.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby MellerYeller » Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:52 pm

For bad colds, I take 120mg pseudoephedrine, and double shot of coffee. Completely dries up the nose, and the mouth for good measure, and has me bouncing off the walls for a few hours. :D

I've had a sore throat that's turned into a chesty cough - keeping off the road, and doing sessions on Zwift, no more than an hour.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby kb » Wed Feb 14, 2018 9:31 am

Philistine wrote:I need to ride almost every day. It has taken me a long time to develop the little bit of fitness that I have got, and I know from bitter experience how quickly that little bit of fitness can disappear if I stop riding for any length of time.

If I get a cold or influenza, I take 2 Aspirins and a Sudafed* three or four times per day, and this usually makes me feel human again. I will go for a ride, slowly and gently. If I feel worse, I turn around and go home, but, most of the time, a gentle ride has me feeling better - possibly something to do with the improved circulation!

*By "sudafed" I mean the original pseudoephedrine, for which you might have to get a prescription. The new pseudoephedrine-free sudafed (phenylephrine) is useless.
Hmm.. anyone medical know if 6-8 Aspirin a day increases risks much in case of an accident?
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby trailgumby » Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:03 pm

Given that aspirin is used as first line response to bust clots in case of a heart attack, I would not want to come off the bike. No mountain biking for you. :P

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Cardy George » Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:22 pm

As someone who has no option but to ride, it's all about energy management for me. If it takes an hour to get 15km to work then so be it. I have noticed though that when I'm on the improve, getting stuck into it helps move all the crud off my chest

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Philistine » Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:41 pm

kb wrote: Hmm.. anyone medical know if 6-8 Aspirin a day increases risks much in case of an accident?
Yes it does.

I was a bit loose in my language. I should have said "when I used to get a cold or influenza. I would...." I haven't had either for about five years. I have, however, picked up a medical condition that requires me to take a blood thinner called Xarelto, and, if I cut myself, I bleed like the Russian royal family. If I do get a cold or 'flu, I shall have to rethink my strategy.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Duck! » Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:04 pm

P!N20 wrote:
trailgumby wrote:Vitamin C megadoses
I subscribe to this, find it lessens the impact considerably.
Megadosing is no more effective than adequate dosing. The body does not store Vitamin C, and only uses what it needs. The surplus is peed out.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby ValleyForge » Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:25 pm

Duck! wrote:
P!N20 wrote:
trailgumby wrote:Vitamin C megadoses
I subscribe to this, find it lessens the impact considerably.
Megadosing is no more effective than adequate dosing. The body does not store Vitamin C, and only uses what it needs. The surplus is peed out.
And causes kidney stones.
Ha ha ha! Cookies on dowels.

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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby rpmspinman » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:06 pm

It depends on how I feel. If I feel ok enough to go for a ride then I will but reduce the pace to handle it and only go out for a short spin. Otherwise I treat it as a rest period and recover. But yeah it's a case by case situation. Some won't bother trying, others will belgian up and brave it.
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Usernoname » Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:52 pm

10 days off the bike after picking up a virus Monday last week. Keep away from the hills and thought it was supposed to blow northerly today, so headed north along the broadwater. 25k ride back into a 30k+ southerly. Must check the weather properly next time.
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby Mububban » Fri Feb 23, 2018 2:59 pm

I've learned the hard way over the years, NO. As impatient as I get to get back into riding or other exercise, if I push myself when I'm less than 100%, I'll slide backwards and extend my period of sickness. So as much as I hate being inactive (and my wife hates it too coz I go batty when stuck indoors :D I've learned to just rest and wait until I'm properly better.
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Re: Ohh Geeze I have a cold ,, do you ride when sick?

Postby V2rocketeer » Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:22 pm

Well I'm back in the saddle now 4 days,, but still not 100% back where I was. I took the advice to lay off the riding until completely better but gee whiz it set me back a bit.

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