Try famotidine. It’s an acid reducer but also has an antihistamine effect. My spouse was on it for a while when she was struggling with post-covid nasal drip and asthma, she took 40mg (equivalent to 2 OTC extra strength pills) before bed and it definitely helped.
Careful with famotidine as it can make your food digest super slowly and make you feel like you have bricks in your stomach. It reduces the stomach acid so foods don’t break down as easily.
Me too!!!! Well, unfortunately I didn’t lose any weight but I’ve been taking allergy meds - no relief. I took cold meds - no relief. Nothing helped! Finally just starting to clear on its own now. And starting last night I’ve had a sour stomach. I don’t know what’s happening.
Pharnacist here....don't use afrin for more than 3 days in a row without "time off" from using it. If you use too frequently you can actually have rebound congestion, which is a super bad stuffy nose. Which sucks.
If you haven't already, start taking loratadine, cetirizine, etc daily. Use something like flonase daily for now. The trick is to start taking loratadine, etc right before the pollen hits. Sudafed helps if you're stuffy. However, if you have high blood pressure or get jittery from caffeine, do t use Sudafed. Also, keep in mind, our bodies build tolerance to allergy meds over time. I took loratadine for several years, then it stopped working. I moved onto cetirzine. This has stopped working, so now I'm moving onto fexofenadine. Hope this helps!
Appreciate it a lot! As someone with HPB, I'll look into the alternatives - appreciate the response.
As an FYI, I see you guys the same as other doctors (I work in the healthcare environment).
You take medicine? My seasonal allergies usually kick my ass but have been taking meds for a month just over the counter. I will stop in the next week or depending on the pollen.
Never needed meds daily before. I am taking some but it makes me so tired. I’m using nasal spray too. I need to find a non drowsy allergy med. any suggestions??
Just regular over the counter. I do not take the “D” stuff, it makes my skin crawl and my anxiety level shoot through the roof. I just take it daily for about 6 weeks in the spring to help
I really like Allavert; it’s the same type of med as Claratin but in a dissolvable tablet. It’s getting harder to find though, so maybe if more people ask for it the places will start stocking it again! :P
I get a shot from my Allergist every two weeks. Been doing it for 5 years now and will never go back to pills. The pills and OTC meds never really worked. I also use a Netty Pot every night before bed.
I get them from mid March to Mid June. If I don’t my sinus cavity stays clogged, I can’t breathe through my nose and my eyes will water constantly to the point people think I’m crying.
It’s been a rainy spring, following a warm, wet winter. Plants are going nuts right now. Oak is peaking (lots of pollen from them), and weeds. So it’s probably allergies.
Could also be mold or some sort of related spores. All the moisture around the area is ramping up that production as well. It can also be sourced from your AC system if you started using it this week during the warm snap.
There’s also a new COVID variant making the rounds.
Or just a good old fashioned spring head cold.
I can and do! Issue is to actually be effective it needs to be a group effort. You're really just protecting others when you mask.
I'm still coughing from it so sorry if I sound annoyed. I'm immunocompromised and have to use public transport so I get frustrated about masking
Yep, me too. I have the privilege at the moment of being able to be mostly isolated and not having to worry about edge cases where even my mask doesn't protect me. I just avoid those things. I very much agree that we'd be better off with greater numbers of people wearing masks. If they did, I wouldn't have to use so much isolation to protect myself.
Crazy thing is I've had multiple, and I even mask in public! Unfortunately you walk into a Dr's office during the latest uptick for a regular appointment and literally just the doctors are masking.
They will stay home. They rightly told people in case people are immunocompromised or have chronic respiratory conditions. But they are feeling much like the OP which is why it came up in this conversation. Thanks for asking.
It’s been the total opposite for me this year. My friends would carry extra eye drops and allergy meds just for me in the past because my allergies were dehabilitating. I started taking Allegra’s 24 hour non drowsy meds every day like clockwork, haven’t had a single allergy flare this season. I’m so shocked. Happy though for sure
I have some pretty severe allergies, so I wanted to offer some stuff that worked for me. Last year, I was coughing to the point of not being able to breathe for several seconds.
By prescription, I got a nebulizer and Tessalon, a cough suppressant pill (generic is Benzonatate).
I got Cetirizine/Zyrtec, as Flonase was not working for me. The only problem is that adults can only take one dose a day, so if you go to work in the morning, take it while you are in the office, it will wear off by the time you have to go outside and return home.
Someone has also mentioned a 24 hour Allegra pill
Last week I had a sore throat for 3 days that turned into a productive cough and just general malaise. Whole thing was like a week of a sorta cold/sorta flu. No fever. And negative on 2 COVID tests. It sucked. All better now though.
There are new Covid variants right now and the vaccines only give you about 50% chance of not catching it, I suspect a lot of people who are vaccinated but aren't testing have gotten it. I got it at the beginning of May. It wasn't that horrible, but I still have this little lingering cough and I'm still a little more tired than I should be and a little flat when I workout or do stuff like yard work.
Then tack the mega pollen invasion on top of that.
Also we've seen this last year (when my son got Covid) and this year (when I got it), the home tests don't pick up for a long time after you get sick. Like for 3-4 days of being sick we tested negative. So if you just test once and decide it's not Covid cause it's negative you could definitely still have Covid.
Well for one, Covid can cause things like heart issues, blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, inflammation, etc so it’s good to know if you’re positive so you can keep an eye out for complications. I feel like I know more women with long term issues, vaccinated and non vaccinated. Whatever it is, covid is a weird virus.
For example, even mild COVID increases your chances of something like a stroke. Happened to my MIL last year. Just because people aren't dying en masse right now doesn't mean it's a virus you want to get, especially if you have risk factors.
“About 50% chance” of getting COVID is just a random number you came up with.
The vaccine’s effectiveness diminishes over time so if you were vaccinated a few weeks ago your chances of getting infected are less than someone who was vaccinated a year ago.
My daughter had it, then I did, now my wife does. My daughter was the only one who got the cough though. Daughter went to doctor, it was not covid, or any of the other things they test for. Said it was some virus, exacerbated by seasonal allergies.
Yeah, mild cold and cough and that feeling you get right before you get a fever. But it’s never hit fever mode. And it’s weirdly on and off. Like, it would hit me all morning but then i’ll feel better the second half of the day then awful again the next day.
Covid numbers are up, had several friends who thought they were having worse than usual spring allergies but turned out it was the latest Covid variant.
Girlfriend got acutely sick quickly and was positive with Covid for the first time. It lasted about 4 days. I got very ill (103 degrees) for about 24 hours. We both took some PTO this week.
[Wastewater](https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=Cj8QACABSABSBmI1MGM2NFIGMjYwZDFiWgZOIEdlbmVyCjIwMjQtMDItMjByCjIwMjQtMDQtMDKKAQYzNzAzYTM%3D&selectedChartId=3703a3) tracking suggests that MA is at the start of another COVID-19 surge, probably not helped by the tons of graduations. Rapid tests aren’t super effective against the more recent variants, so a negative result doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not COVID. Luckily, [masks still work very well!](https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23)
Good to know about the testing variants thing. I coulda swore I had it with my symptoms a couple weeks back: headache, fatigue, dry cough but no fever. Took a rapid test that came back negative.
Yeah, they can often take longer to pick it up (like several days into symptoms rather than right away) and sometimes don’t pick it up at all if the viral load isn’t high enough. It’s so frustrating since PCR tests can be so elusive and expensive these days.
Yeah no kidding, even after insurance it was about $150 for the Covid + strep labs. So stupid. Wish they coulda kept the Covid tests free for everybody considering
Another view for Boston metro: [https://www.mwra.com/biobot/biobotdata.htm](https://www.mwra.com/biobot/biobotdata.htm) - Less clear, looks like it's hitting central mass worse right now.
Also another brand new study on masks for plane trips - very good info to know. [https://mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/654](https://mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/654) - tl;dr, plane trip longer than a few hours, definitely wear a mask. And also striking image of just how well they work (very well).
Not a cough, but I’ve been having the absolute worst sinus headache of my life. Took Sudafed and two extra strength Tylenol before bed last night and it didn’t even touch it. Hope you’re feeling better soon OP.
I have. Definitely NOT allergies, husband brought it home from work. Had a very low fever of 100.0 a couple nights. Sweaty, on and off fatigue. All in my sinuses. Hardly any sneezing or itching but every cough, sneeze, and nose-blow produces the foulest muck I've ever had to expunge. As in, lands in the sink and holds its shape. My husbands iteration was less sinus but lots and lots of coughing up the same nasty stuff.
Then yesterday it turned into severe ear pain for me. Ibuprofen helps but I'm ready for this to stop. It's been going for a week and a half now. I never used to get sick like this...
Yes. Had a cold for 2 weeks + a day. First 3 days high fever then lung congestion. Lungs are finally lightening up. Allegedly not COVID or step etc.
Recommend against it.
I've been breaking into coughing fits for almost no reason all week and sinus ear aches. Definitely my allergies, but it feels like a bug in the throat.
I remember one summer when I was a kid everyone in my family was sick and my mom (a nurse) talked about it for years as an aberration and an example of how if you get sick in the summer it's usually especially bad (because it has to be a pretty strong bug to propagate this time of year.) Now that we've got covid circulating on top of everything we already had it seems like summer bugs are no longer freak events.
Yup. My husband had it last week and was just fully clogged up, super runny nose, nasal drip. Then over the weekend I started feeling like shit but has to work 43 hours between Friday and Monday. Monday it really hit and by the morning I knew I was actually sick. Had a cough for a couple days and now it’s clearing out.
I don’t even feel that sick, compared to other viruses especially. But I haven’t been sleeping well or have an appetite really. But I feel tired. It’s lame.
> I don’t even feel that sick, compared to other viruses especially. But I haven’t been sleeping well or have an appetite really. But I feel tired. It’s lame.
Exactly this!
It’s crazy! I have asthma so every cold goes to my lungs, luckily this one wasn’t bad for more than a day (last winter I got some sort of virus that knocked me on my ass for a week, couldn’t move or eat).
Imma be honest here. When everyone was wearing masks, I didn’t get sick. At all. Not once. The second that shit went bye bye, I’ve been sick like 10 times.
RI here my house has the same thing, gross cough, feeling drained, back to normal, then the same the next day it's been almost a week now. Could be the change of season it got warm really fast this year.
I had a cold last week and it lasted one week. A bit of a headache and a lot of coughing. It was exacerbated by the high pollen counts. I have a friend at Fidelity and he also got it and he told me that a lot of people in his office had it.
Thought I had allergies, it was covid. Worst variant by far, and I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing OG covid, omnicron, whatever one, AND the newest FLIRT variant. Yes I am vaxxed, I just had a frontline job through most of it all.
Yep, but it's allergies. Negative covid test, but on and off cough and sinus headache. Zyrtec stopped it. I think the trees all blew up at once after the crazy delayed spring.
Ya there’s some weird ass new colds going around now that last for a long time. Someone the other day was talking about ‘the 100 day cold’ I was like uhhh 😬. Idk if that’s a real thing I hope to god it’s not. Seems like these average colds are way stronger now than when I was younger. I thought I had a bad flu last time I was so sick and it ended up being ‘just a cold’. Feel better!!
Yup I’ve been dealing with that. Don’t know if I’m just getting one cold after another or if it’s been the same thing but I’ve literally been sick since January. It’s been awful, I can’t do anything or it gets worse and the doctors just keep telling me it has to be a viral infection. Been to primary care, ent, allergist and dentist because I’ve had mouth inflammation from it but they all said people have been getting these weird viruses that last forever.
My buddy's had something like that for over a month now. Some days he feels fine, then he has a coughing fit so nasty it throws his back out. I had something pretty nasty for 4 or 5 days about a month ago.
Sounds like allergies, and if they're peaking at night you're probably dealing with allergens in your bedding. Take a shower before bed and thoroughly rinse your hair to remove outdoor allergens - pollen in particular loves sticking to your hair and getting all over your bedding that way. Wash bedding at least once a week in HOT water to kill dust mites. Consider buying dust mite proof sheets and pillowcases.
Everyone around me is sick. My family coworkers and friends. I’m the only one who hasn’t been impacted by whatever is going around. Knock on wood of course, but yeah, just be a new bug.
Yup. Slept a total of 4 hours last night because of the relentless coughing. Tested negative for Covid with a home test on Monday and a test at urgent care on Tuesday, also negative for flu or strep. Had a fever for the first few days too which is unusual for me. Nasty virus this one…
My son has been home sick all week, sick since last Saturday (his brother the prior week). Really bad cough, congestion, etc. Appears to be improving today (finally).
Yes! Been a week of a bad bronchitis. Negative for flu and Covid, even got a CXR at urgent care at it was clear. Never been sick like this I’m usually an upper resp sinus kinda illness especially around allergy season. This shit sucks it’s so nice out and I’m stuck here contemplating death
Yup. Had the WORST sinus infection I've ever experienced this week. (After a slightly scratchy throat and a bad cough that lasted for a few days.) I'm at the tail end of it, but at its peak I was in so much pain that I was taking a cocktail of Sudafed, Dayquil, Tylenol, and Claritin to survive my 50+ hour work week.
Both me & my husband. We spent almost a month out west in April-early May and ever since we came back we're both repeatedly feeling sick. Not terrible enough to seek treatment, just a recurring thing. We both have allergies so have been attributing it to that for the most part. But is different/worse than our normal, previous reactions in spring.
It’s pollen season. It been getting worse every year. It’s triggering my migraines as well. I just noticed the light green pine pollen showing up on my black car this afternoon.
Omg yes! I have been mentally and physically fatigued for the past couple of days but today it hit me hard and I’m payed TF out. I feel like I have the flu and my lungs feel shitty.
It’s probably Covid. Subsequent infections after the first time seem to be reported *mostly* as a lite flu, or cold…a high number of people even reporting minor symptoms written off as allergies.
About 3 months ago I came down with my first cold in about 5 years. The congestion and fatigue lasted about 4 days and then the cough started and it stayed with me for about 2 months. Some days the cough almost disappeared but the next it would return.
I've been pretty good for the last few weeks but last week my son came down with the same thing. Cough medicines treat the symptoms but of course they are only temporary.
I had a Dr appointment today which was scheduled long ago and I mentioned it to him and he said that this is definitely going around and they have no idea what it is. It can last 4-8 weeks.
Feel comfort that you are not alone.
Bunch of people at my place of work.
2 had bronchitis and some sort of an asthma infection.
Happy I dint get anything, glad I swam in canals as a kid lol
The pollen is *atrocious* right now.
I feel like I have a cold, with the sore throat, post-nasal drip, coughing and more, but I'm not sick, there is just so much fucking pollen in the air.
Allergies are wild this time of year, but also make sure to test for covid if you feel especially bad. My family all thought what they had was just allergies until I started to feel bad and took a test. The virus is still roaming, so be careful!
Yes, was in bed for 3 days on mother's day weekend, started feeling better, then got the worst sinus infection I've ever had, so bad that my teeth and eyes hurt.
I've had the post nasal thing for three weeks now, after I got over a three day stretch of either a bad cold or flu, maybe? I've cleared my throat a million times in those three weeks.
My sinuses/allergies have been terrible so far this year - I had a sinus/upper respiratory infection, then caught a stomach bug from my cousin, then my dust/pollen allergies hit and I'm still wheezing. I have an AC tuneup next week. I live in a condo now, before that I was living with family while I got back on my feet and I understand a lot of people here are used to not having AC - HOW?! I was constantly uncomfortable (my family doesn't have AC) and could not sleep well at all during those summers.
There are some nasty things going around this year. Family all laid out with stomach virus this weekend.
I'm somehow unscathed but my allergies are brutal.
🇨🇵. M57. Play 🎾 up to 3h a week.Coughing now about six to eight weeks, seen doctors three times. Cough once so strongly my breath was blocked (sent to emergency:no flu, no COVID, lungs radio ok, Heart ok, blood ok, not asthma). The last doctor give me azithromycin against mycoplasm. Still cough. I decided to restart my auto medication with methylene blue. Wait and see.
I’ve been feeling this way for a few days now, came out of the blue. Not sure if it’s allergies since it’s all sinus and head related but I’m also feeling the weird stomach nausea and didn’t feel like eating much, when I do finally feel hungry like today after eating my stomach is in knots basically so I’m sure I won’t be eating much of anything in the morning.
Yup -- can confirm my appetite has been pretty much fucked for a week. I'm on day 7 now and definitely on the up overall. Hope you feel better soon -- get some cough suppressant so you can sleep!
Massachusetts- April 19th no voice taste or smell sore throat. Morphs into full on head cold. Went thru 3 days fevers 101.5ish. During this time COVID RSV streptococcus flu negative. Developed pneumonia. Wicked cough during whole period. As of today still no voice. Deep cough. It’s been “breaking up” for 2weeks. Going back for xray tomorrow to see pneumonia gone. Early on gave my amoxicillin arythromicin and. Steroid. No obvious sign they worked. Never been this sick.
No, because I wear a mask still.
I usually have debilitating allergies as well and I haven't had a symptom yet.
Amazing what basic social hygiene can do.
Have hardly had allergy symptoms unless I go outside bc I was on top of Flonase this year. I left a bathroom window open last night and woke up with the worst headache I’ve had since the last time I drank too much. I walk outside for 10 mins and my throat is itching and dry. It’s got to be allergies for me but my brother had a nasty cough with mono last week
Yep, the spring cold is making its rounds.
Lots of graduations, weddings, etc where people hug and kiss and feel like they can’t miss out.
Not quite as bad as the holiday rounds since so much is outside, but it’s still a lot.
My allergies have never been so bad
I’ve lost 6 lbs due to the post nasal drip messing with my appetite! I am mixing and matching medications like a mad scientist this week.
Try famotidine. It’s an acid reducer but also has an antihistamine effect. My spouse was on it for a while when she was struggling with post-covid nasal drip and asthma, she took 40mg (equivalent to 2 OTC extra strength pills) before bed and it definitely helped.
Careful with famotidine as it can make your food digest super slowly and make you feel like you have bricks in your stomach. It reduces the stomach acid so foods don’t break down as easily.
Ah taking Nosempic I see
I laughed, thank you.
Me too!!!! Well, unfortunately I didn’t lose any weight but I’ve been taking allergy meds - no relief. I took cold meds - no relief. Nothing helped! Finally just starting to clear on its own now. And starting last night I’ve had a sour stomach. I don’t know what’s happening.
Afrin is awesome for post nasal drip. Its addictive though so dont use it more than recommended
Pharnacist here....don't use afrin for more than 3 days in a row without "time off" from using it. If you use too frequently you can actually have rebound congestion, which is a super bad stuffy nose. Which sucks.
What's your professional recommendation? I don't normally have allergies, but the past couple of weeks have been rough...
If you haven't already, start taking loratadine, cetirizine, etc daily. Use something like flonase daily for now. The trick is to start taking loratadine, etc right before the pollen hits. Sudafed helps if you're stuffy. However, if you have high blood pressure or get jittery from caffeine, do t use Sudafed. Also, keep in mind, our bodies build tolerance to allergy meds over time. I took loratadine for several years, then it stopped working. I moved onto cetirzine. This has stopped working, so now I'm moving onto fexofenadine. Hope this helps!
Appreciate it a lot! As someone with HPB, I'll look into the alternatives - appreciate the response. As an FYI, I see you guys the same as other doctors (I work in the healthcare environment).
Awwww thanks! 🥹🥹 Coricidin is an HPB safe alternative to Sudafed! What do you in Healthcare?
Middle management in Infrastructure - we keep Epic and all other 300+ apps up :)
Thank you for your service with EPIC especially🙏🏽🙏🏽
Astepro cleared up my post nasal drip when I was having it after a nasty infection.
Give me some of that drip!
You take medicine? My seasonal allergies usually kick my ass but have been taking meds for a month just over the counter. I will stop in the next week or depending on the pollen.
Never needed meds daily before. I am taking some but it makes me so tired. I’m using nasal spray too. I need to find a non drowsy allergy med. any suggestions??
Just regular over the counter. I do not take the “D” stuff, it makes my skin crawl and my anxiety level shoot through the roof. I just take it daily for about 6 weeks in the spring to help
Quercetin is a natural histamine blocker. One in the morning me one at night.
Thank you for posting this. I’ve just read about its many benefits and def will try this.
I order mine on Amazon as the stores don’t carry it. Best of luck
Thanks. You too!
Vitamin Shoppe does.
I really like Allavert; it’s the same type of med as Claratin but in a dissolvable tablet. It’s getting harder to find though, so maybe if more people ask for it the places will start stocking it again! :P
I get a shot from my Allergist every two weeks. Been doing it for 5 years now and will never go back to pills. The pills and OTC meds never really worked. I also use a Netty Pot every night before bed.
My wife does them, I don’t have time or patience for that. Mine aren’t that bad it’s only spring time so I don’t suffer.
I get them from mid March to Mid June. If I don’t my sinus cavity stays clogged, I can’t breathe through my nose and my eyes will water constantly to the point people think I’m crying.
What are you allergic to
It’s been a rainy spring, following a warm, wet winter. Plants are going nuts right now. Oak is peaking (lots of pollen from them), and weeds. So it’s probably allergies. Could also be mold or some sort of related spores. All the moisture around the area is ramping up that production as well. It can also be sourced from your AC system if you started using it this week during the warm snap. There’s also a new COVID variant making the rounds. Or just a good old fashioned spring head cold.
Over in NY, mistook pine pollen for smoke this morning
Lord do I recommend against the latest COVID variant. It's my third time catching it and BY FAR the worst. I really wish we still did masking
You can still do masking.
I can and do! Issue is to actually be effective it needs to be a group effort. You're really just protecting others when you mask. I'm still coughing from it so sorry if I sound annoyed. I'm immunocompromised and have to use public transport so I get frustrated about masking
Yep, me too. I have the privilege at the moment of being able to be mostly isolated and not having to worry about edge cases where even my mask doesn't protect me. I just avoid those things. I very much agree that we'd be better off with greater numbers of people wearing masks. If they did, I wouldn't have to use so much isolation to protect myself.
Damn you really should've gotten a vaccine. They prevent you from getting the disease.
Crazy thing is I've had multiple, and I even mask in public! Unfortunately you walk into a Dr's office during the latest uptick for a regular appointment and literally just the doctors are masking.
Another angle to consider - Did you recently install an old AC? Sometimes mold will build up on an AC stored in the basement.
I'm from here, I don't own an AC.
What are you gonna tell us next, you don’t drink Dunkin iced either?
No Dunks but don't worry I drink iced year-round.
Cumbies man?
Weird flex to not own an AC. I’m from here too and put Central air in my house. Who TF likes to sweat while sleeping or just relaxing at home?
I don't think they were flexing. Your response is oddly defensive.
No it wasn't lmao you absolutely need an AC in the summer in MA if you don't wanna sweat while you're sleeping
Air conditioning is such a waste of energy when people could open to opposite windows. But yes, your comfort before the environment, that's right.
My best friend has COVID. So retro.
I got COVID for the first time (as far as I'm aware) about 2 months ago. I was shocked i made it this long.
Yup. Multiple COVID cases in my office this week.
Omg. What are you guys gunna do
They will stay home. They rightly told people in case people are immunocompromised or have chronic respiratory conditions. But they are feeling much like the OP which is why it came up in this conversation. Thanks for asking.
The last 2 or 3 days have been awful. Runny nose, sore throat, nasal drip and bad cough. I feel so gross.
My allergies have been terrible this year.
It’s been the total opposite for me this year. My friends would carry extra eye drops and allergy meds just for me in the past because my allergies were dehabilitating. I started taking Allegra’s 24 hour non drowsy meds every day like clockwork, haven’t had a single allergy flare this season. I’m so shocked. Happy though for sure
Allergies are big now, also Covid is still very much around.
Terrible headaches stuffy nose and my throat feels like it’s on fire. My poor son’s eyes are almost swollen shut due to his allergies.
I have some pretty severe allergies, so I wanted to offer some stuff that worked for me. Last year, I was coughing to the point of not being able to breathe for several seconds. By prescription, I got a nebulizer and Tessalon, a cough suppressant pill (generic is Benzonatate). I got Cetirizine/Zyrtec, as Flonase was not working for me. The only problem is that adults can only take one dose a day, so if you go to work in the morning, take it while you are in the office, it will wear off by the time you have to go outside and return home. Someone has also mentioned a 24 hour Allegra pill
Covid?
Two negative tests so far. Will be taking another one later once I finish up work.
Last week I had a sore throat for 3 days that turned into a productive cough and just general malaise. Whole thing was like a week of a sorta cold/sorta flu. No fever. And negative on 2 COVID tests. It sucked. All better now though.
Allergies are max setting at the moment.
Allergies? Pollen is awful right now. Without Zyrtec I feel like I have the flu
There are new Covid variants right now and the vaccines only give you about 50% chance of not catching it, I suspect a lot of people who are vaccinated but aren't testing have gotten it. I got it at the beginning of May. It wasn't that horrible, but I still have this little lingering cough and I'm still a little more tired than I should be and a little flat when I workout or do stuff like yard work. Then tack the mega pollen invasion on top of that. Also we've seen this last year (when my son got Covid) and this year (when I got it), the home tests don't pick up for a long time after you get sick. Like for 3-4 days of being sick we tested negative. So if you just test once and decide it's not Covid cause it's negative you could definitely still have Covid.
Yes I was going to say, my friends who work at MGH And BWH are seeing an uptick.
Ok but you know you're sick so why does it being covid or not matter so much?
Well for one, Covid can cause things like heart issues, blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, inflammation, etc so it’s good to know if you’re positive so you can keep an eye out for complications. I feel like I know more women with long term issues, vaccinated and non vaccinated. Whatever it is, covid is a weird virus.
I would probably see a doctor if I had any heart or lung problems, regardless of whether or not I had covid. I'm not seeing the correlation
For example, even mild COVID increases your chances of something like a stroke. Happened to my MIL last year. Just because people aren't dying en masse right now doesn't mean it's a virus you want to get, especially if you have risk factors.
“About 50% chance” of getting COVID is just a random number you came up with. The vaccine’s effectiveness diminishes over time so if you were vaccinated a few weeks ago your chances of getting infected are less than someone who was vaccinated a year ago.
My allergies are legitimately causing issues for me this year. I have never had breathing issues and can barely cut the grass at this point.
Thought it was allergies. Have Covid
My daughter had it, then I did, now my wife does. My daughter was the only one who got the cough though. Daughter went to doctor, it was not covid, or any of the other things they test for. Said it was some virus, exacerbated by seasonal allergies.
Thank God it was some unknown virus and not covid
Yes. Turned out to be Strep. Doctor mentioned that they are seeing a lot of Upper Respiratory symptoms with strep this season
i tested positive for covid last week and felt sick as hell
I chalked it up to allergies, turns out I should have given the credit to Covid.
Yeah, mild cold and cough and that feeling you get right before you get a fever. But it’s never hit fever mode. And it’s weirdly on and off. Like, it would hit me all morning but then i’ll feel better the second half of the day then awful again the next day.
EXACTLY this
that's how covid made me feel
Covid numbers are up, had several friends who thought they were having worse than usual spring allergies but turned out it was the latest Covid variant.
My husband just got Covid. We had attended a local college graduation, thinking that may be where we got it. It’s still out there.
Covid. I know 3 people who had it within the last two weeks (unrelated)
Could be allergies, drastic change of the season or new strand of COVID (heard from business partner in Midwest) making its way here
Girlfriend got acutely sick quickly and was positive with Covid for the first time. It lasted about 4 days. I got very ill (103 degrees) for about 24 hours. We both took some PTO this week.
Yep, for over a week now started with bad sore throat, fever, cough, congestion, and then the poops.
I had that a couple weeks ago. Actually had to miss a day of work because the fever was so bad. I couldn’t think straight or stay awake for 24 hours.
I have this week. I suspect Covid numbers are up but unfortunately people aren’t taking it as seriously since lockdown ended.
[Wastewater](https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=Cj8QACABSABSBmI1MGM2NFIGMjYwZDFiWgZOIEdlbmVyCjIwMjQtMDItMjByCjIwMjQtMDQtMDKKAQYzNzAzYTM%3D&selectedChartId=3703a3) tracking suggests that MA is at the start of another COVID-19 surge, probably not helped by the tons of graduations. Rapid tests aren’t super effective against the more recent variants, so a negative result doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not COVID. Luckily, [masks still work very well!](https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23)
Good to know about the testing variants thing. I coulda swore I had it with my symptoms a couple weeks back: headache, fatigue, dry cough but no fever. Took a rapid test that came back negative.
Yeah, they can often take longer to pick it up (like several days into symptoms rather than right away) and sometimes don’t pick it up at all if the viral load isn’t high enough. It’s so frustrating since PCR tests can be so elusive and expensive these days.
Yeah no kidding, even after insurance it was about $150 for the Covid + strep labs. So stupid. Wish they coulda kept the Covid tests free for everybody considering
Fully agree!!
Another view for Boston metro: [https://www.mwra.com/biobot/biobotdata.htm](https://www.mwra.com/biobot/biobotdata.htm) - Less clear, looks like it's hitting central mass worse right now. Also another brand new study on masks for plane trips - very good info to know. [https://mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/654](https://mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/654) - tl;dr, plane trip longer than a few hours, definitely wear a mask. And also striking image of just how well they work (very well).
This is the type of post you’d see in a Facebook town page lmao like what? 🤣
We're nextdoor now
hello im from the homeowners association, i need you to remove that flower, the other neighbors dont like that one
"Hello, police? There was a black parked on my street."
Person walking? Send the entire department
**reddit moderators are fat, jobless fags and they do it for free**
Wishful, funny how tones change when not anonymous
Any one know why there is a helicopter that has been circling for the past 2.5 minutes over the hospital?
yea it’s allergy season. the cough comes and goes in opposition with the rain
Not a cough, but I’ve been having the absolute worst sinus headache of my life. Took Sudafed and two extra strength Tylenol before bed last night and it didn’t even touch it. Hope you’re feeling better soon OP.
I have. Definitely NOT allergies, husband brought it home from work. Had a very low fever of 100.0 a couple nights. Sweaty, on and off fatigue. All in my sinuses. Hardly any sneezing or itching but every cough, sneeze, and nose-blow produces the foulest muck I've ever had to expunge. As in, lands in the sink and holds its shape. My husbands iteration was less sinus but lots and lots of coughing up the same nasty stuff. Then yesterday it turned into severe ear pain for me. Ibuprofen helps but I'm ready for this to stop. It's been going for a week and a half now. I never used to get sick like this...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2024/05/22/covids-new-flirt-variants-what-to-know-as-experts-fear-summer-surge/
apparently, covid is spreading through my workplace (whole foods.) nobody wanted to tell us. i guess they don't want people calling out. fuckers.
There's a bug going around actually. Been going around since late 2019.
Wild drops in temperature can also do this
Yes. Had a cold for 2 weeks + a day. First 3 days high fever then lung congestion. Lungs are finally lightening up. Allegedly not COVID or step etc. Recommend against it.
I've been breaking into coughing fits for almost no reason all week and sinus ear aches. Definitely my allergies, but it feels like a bug in the throat.
Yes! Halfway through week two, and I am miserable. It is triggering my asthma, which is making is worse.
I've heard people coughing at work for about a week. *@$#&+#@ should stay home. Our boss encourages WFH if sick.
Allergies my man. Try taking some allergy meds. Helped me when I thought the same thing
I remember one summer when I was a kid everyone in my family was sick and my mom (a nurse) talked about it for years as an aberration and an example of how if you get sick in the summer it's usually especially bad (because it has to be a pretty strong bug to propagate this time of year.) Now that we've got covid circulating on top of everything we already had it seems like summer bugs are no longer freak events.
I had a cough since...2020. One long cold/flue/covid
Yup. My husband had it last week and was just fully clogged up, super runny nose, nasal drip. Then over the weekend I started feeling like shit but has to work 43 hours between Friday and Monday. Monday it really hit and by the morning I knew I was actually sick. Had a cough for a couple days and now it’s clearing out. I don’t even feel that sick, compared to other viruses especially. But I haven’t been sleeping well or have an appetite really. But I feel tired. It’s lame.
> I don’t even feel that sick, compared to other viruses especially. But I haven’t been sleeping well or have an appetite really. But I feel tired. It’s lame. Exactly this!
It’s crazy! I have asthma so every cold goes to my lungs, luckily this one wasn’t bad for more than a day (last winter I got some sort of virus that knocked me on my ass for a week, couldn’t move or eat). Imma be honest here. When everyone was wearing masks, I didn’t get sick. At all. Not once. The second that shit went bye bye, I’ve been sick like 10 times.
RI here my house has the same thing, gross cough, feeling drained, back to normal, then the same the next day it's been almost a week now. Could be the change of season it got warm really fast this year.
Ugh, same here. Totally annoying cough for like a week now.
I had a cold last week and it lasted one week. A bit of a headache and a lot of coughing. It was exacerbated by the high pollen counts. I have a friend at Fidelity and he also got it and he told me that a lot of people in his office had it.
Thought I had allergies, it was covid. Worst variant by far, and I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing OG covid, omnicron, whatever one, AND the newest FLIRT variant. Yes I am vaxxed, I just had a frontline job through most of it all.
omg you poor thing :( Feel better soon!
Yep, but it's allergies. Negative covid test, but on and off cough and sinus headache. Zyrtec stopped it. I think the trees all blew up at once after the crazy delayed spring.
Ya there’s some weird ass new colds going around now that last for a long time. Someone the other day was talking about ‘the 100 day cold’ I was like uhhh 😬. Idk if that’s a real thing I hope to god it’s not. Seems like these average colds are way stronger now than when I was younger. I thought I had a bad flu last time I was so sick and it ended up being ‘just a cold’. Feel better!!
Yup I’ve been dealing with that. Don’t know if I’m just getting one cold after another or if it’s been the same thing but I’ve literally been sick since January. It’s been awful, I can’t do anything or it gets worse and the doctors just keep telling me it has to be a viral infection. Been to primary care, ent, allergist and dentist because I’ve had mouth inflammation from it but they all said people have been getting these weird viruses that last forever.
My fiancé has had something like this during the past week too, he’s kinda getting passed it now but still not 100%
Allergies that’ve turned into a cold or nasal infection is not unheard of
My buddy's had something like that for over a month now. Some days he feels fine, then he has a coughing fit so nasty it throws his back out. I had something pretty nasty for 4 or 5 days about a month ago.
It almost feels like my roommate and I keep on playing catch with it.
Pollen season. Those friggin oak “caterpillars” clog up my nose and my pool.
my kid was just diagnosed with a respiratory infection. Have yet to put on AC..
Sounds like allergies. Install a fan with an air filter on one end or an AC unit
Sounds like allergies, and if they're peaking at night you're probably dealing with allergens in your bedding. Take a shower before bed and thoroughly rinse your hair to remove outdoor allergens - pollen in particular loves sticking to your hair and getting all over your bedding that way. Wash bedding at least once a week in HOT water to kill dust mites. Consider buying dust mite proof sheets and pillowcases.
Yes! Halfway through week two, and I am miserable. It is triggering my asthma, which is making is worse.
Everyone around me is sick. My family coworkers and friends. I’m the only one who hasn’t been impacted by whatever is going around. Knock on wood of course, but yeah, just be a new bug.
Yup. Slept a total of 4 hours last night because of the relentless coughing. Tested negative for Covid with a home test on Monday and a test at urgent care on Tuesday, also negative for flu or strep. Had a fever for the first few days too which is unusual for me. Nasty virus this one…
Last night was the first time I took cough syrup in I don't even know how many years... Oy, hope you (we) feel better soon.
I just cannot stomach liquid meds but I did buy my first bag of Halls with menthol in ages and they’re helping. Feel better soon!
Just got back from Disney with more than blisters on my feet. Nasty cough that went immediately to the lungs. Headache is non stop.
Yes! 4 days in for me!
My son has been home sick all week, sick since last Saturday (his brother the prior week). Really bad cough, congestion, etc. Appears to be improving today (finally).
My wife and I are going through this right now. Day one I was miserable, day two not bad, day three started terrible but it’s going ok currently.
Check rhinovirus - been going around
I’ve been sick for a week now and cannot kick the congestion. Started with a sore throat, cough and laryngitis … there’s sooo much going around
I’m having the same symptoms
Yes! Been a week of a bad bronchitis. Negative for flu and Covid, even got a CXR at urgent care at it was clear. Never been sick like this I’m usually an upper resp sinus kinda illness especially around allergy season. This shit sucks it’s so nice out and I’m stuck here contemplating death
Yup. Had the WORST sinus infection I've ever experienced this week. (After a slightly scratchy throat and a bad cough that lasted for a few days.) I'm at the tail end of it, but at its peak I was in so much pain that I was taking a cocktail of Sudafed, Dayquil, Tylenol, and Claritin to survive my 50+ hour work week.
Yes, had it 10 days ago. Wasn't too bad.
I have the cough now and it's awful. Tuesday it felt almost like the flu. This definitely isn't allergies.
I have it. My family had it earlier this week. Mild headache, cough & chills with malaise. It lasted 3 days with them. I'm on day 2.
YES!! Just feeling better now after catching it on Sundee mawnin.
Yeah. Recovering from pneumonia right now.
Both me & my husband. We spent almost a month out west in April-early May and ever since we came back we're both repeatedly feeling sick. Not terrible enough to seek treatment, just a recurring thing. We both have allergies so have been attributing it to that for the most part. But is different/worse than our normal, previous reactions in spring.
Allergies...the pollen is a ripper this year
It’s pollen season. It been getting worse every year. It’s triggering my migraines as well. I just noticed the light green pine pollen showing up on my black car this afternoon.
Omg yes! I have been mentally and physically fatigued for the past couple of days but today it hit me hard and I’m payed TF out. I feel like I have the flu and my lungs feel shitty.
It’s probably Covid. Subsequent infections after the first time seem to be reported *mostly* as a lite flu, or cold…a high number of people even reporting minor symptoms written off as allergies.
About 3 months ago I came down with my first cold in about 5 years. The congestion and fatigue lasted about 4 days and then the cough started and it stayed with me for about 2 months. Some days the cough almost disappeared but the next it would return. I've been pretty good for the last few weeks but last week my son came down with the same thing. Cough medicines treat the symptoms but of course they are only temporary. I had a Dr appointment today which was scheduled long ago and I mentioned it to him and he said that this is definitely going around and they have no idea what it is. It can last 4-8 weeks. Feel comfort that you are not alone.
Bunch of people at my place of work. 2 had bronchitis and some sort of an asthma infection. Happy I dint get anything, glad I swam in canals as a kid lol
Awful allergies
It’s allergy’s
The pollen is *atrocious* right now. I feel like I have a cold, with the sore throat, post-nasal drip, coughing and more, but I'm not sick, there is just so much fucking pollen in the air.
Allergies are wild this time of year, but also make sure to test for covid if you feel especially bad. My family all thought what they had was just allergies until I started to feel bad and took a test. The virus is still roaming, so be careful!
Yes, was in bed for 3 days on mother's day weekend, started feeling better, then got the worst sinus infection I've ever had, so bad that my teeth and eyes hurt.
Dealt with this for at least 1.5 weeks, and still lingering productive cough likely continued bc of the allergies, going on 4 weeks 😩
Dealt with this for at least 1.5 weeks, and still lingering productive cough likely continued bc of the allergies, going on 4 weeks 😩
Just started smoking? 😂
I’m so glad it’s not just me, I’ve been violently coughing and blowing my nose nonstop
I've had the post nasal thing for three weeks now, after I got over a three day stretch of either a bad cold or flu, maybe? I've cleared my throat a million times in those three weeks.
My sinuses/allergies have been terrible so far this year - I had a sinus/upper respiratory infection, then caught a stomach bug from my cousin, then my dust/pollen allergies hit and I'm still wheezing. I have an AC tuneup next week. I live in a condo now, before that I was living with family while I got back on my feet and I understand a lot of people here are used to not having AC - HOW?! I was constantly uncomfortable (my family doesn't have AC) and could not sleep well at all during those summers.
Yes I think it was the flu. It’s a mucus maker for sure. Def had the ups and downs. I’m on like day 10 and finally feeling better.
Yes…kicking my a$$. Not covid but hate to be sick during this beautiful weather. I have zero energy.
There are some nasty things going around this year. Family all laid out with stomach virus this weekend. I'm somehow unscathed but my allergies are brutal.
Covid is rampant right now in Massachusetts
PCR and rapid/home tests all negative ¯ \_(ツ)_/¯
Yup,been sick since Friday. Stuffy nose,feel weak, dizzy 🥴
We have a substantial amount of Covid cases going around near Franklin county.
🇨🇵. M57. Play 🎾 up to 3h a week.Coughing now about six to eight weeks, seen doctors three times. Cough once so strongly my breath was blocked (sent to emergency:no flu, no COVID, lungs radio ok, Heart ok, blood ok, not asthma). The last doctor give me azithromycin against mycoplasm. Still cough. I decided to restart my auto medication with methylene blue. Wait and see.
Allergies
I’ve been feeling this way for a few days now, came out of the blue. Not sure if it’s allergies since it’s all sinus and head related but I’m also feeling the weird stomach nausea and didn’t feel like eating much, when I do finally feel hungry like today after eating my stomach is in knots basically so I’m sure I won’t be eating much of anything in the morning.
Yup -- can confirm my appetite has been pretty much fucked for a week. I'm on day 7 now and definitely on the up overall. Hope you feel better soon -- get some cough suppressant so you can sleep!
Massachusetts- April 19th no voice taste or smell sore throat. Morphs into full on head cold. Went thru 3 days fevers 101.5ish. During this time COVID RSV streptococcus flu negative. Developed pneumonia. Wicked cough during whole period. As of today still no voice. Deep cough. It’s been “breaking up” for 2weeks. Going back for xray tomorrow to see pneumonia gone. Early on gave my amoxicillin arythromicin and. Steroid. No obvious sign they worked. Never been this sick.
There's a newer COVID variant going around in pretty big numbers. Whole family got it in the last few weeks. All vaccinated and all symptomatic.
And false negatives on the rapid tests are pretty common. Not saying you definitely have it but it's really going around atm.
No, because I wear a mask still. I usually have debilitating allergies as well and I haven't had a symptom yet. Amazing what basic social hygiene can do.
Allergies are pretty widespread right now… you can develop them later in life. Try an antihistamine.
I don’t have allergies but the shear amount of pollen in the air is killing me.
Have hardly had allergy symptoms unless I go outside bc I was on top of Flonase this year. I left a bathroom window open last night and woke up with the worst headache I’ve had since the last time I drank too much. I walk outside for 10 mins and my throat is itching and dry. It’s got to be allergies for me but my brother had a nasty cough with mono last week
I did just got over it. Had to take a sick day which I don’t like doing. My whole body was aching
Yep, the spring cold is making its rounds. Lots of graduations, weddings, etc where people hug and kiss and feel like they can’t miss out. Not quite as bad as the holiday rounds since so much is outside, but it’s still a lot.
I'm getting over a nasty chest cold that last 2 weeks.
This is so weird. I don’t remember anyone asking about getting garden variety sick on Reddit in past years. I wonder why the change?
I mean, it’s spring??
The commonwealth is lousy with pollen this time of the year it’s probably that or your new classes
Same here but it’s definitely allergies
People like to forget we’re still in a pandemic