Wedding Blog
And arms. And throat. And nose.Yes, it’s attack of the killer cold from Michigan. Sore throat, coughing, congestion, runny nose, the works.
Image found here.
Getting sick was not part of The Plan. And while I’m grateful that I’m getting sick this week, and not next week, it took Mr. Dahlia over a week to get over his cold, and I’m getting married in, oh, 11 days. And there is still quite a bit to do.
So. What is your best, fast working cold remedy?
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ZICAM!!! It will cut your cold time and severity in half in my experience it really has worked.
Definitely lots of fluids, keep your throat happy (that’s the thing that does me in the most with colds), tea with honey. Use the really soft tissues so you don’t scrape your nose raw.
I feel for you! I’m getting married the same day, and just hoping like crazy that I stay healthy for the next week and a half!!!
I always use COMTREX Day/Night pills for any cold or cough. It works wonders. If not, I resort to Claritan-D, which isn’t just for allergies… good for colds too. Drink lots of fluids!
Emergen-C - two or three per day - and Alka Seltzer Plus Night Cold Formula for nighttime - helps you sleep like a log, which helps you recover faster!
AND I’m sure you’re doing this, but drink lots and lots of water!
I second ZICAM!
When that horrible flu went around earlier this year, this was a HUGE help. Get the swabs, and use them every 4 hours like its your job.
Fresh Ginger Tea… it immediately makes you feel better. Just slice up some ginger, pour over hot water and squeeze a bunch of lemons in!
I third ZICAM! I use it every time I start to feel like I am getting a cold. You have to stay on it, but it does work.
Stock up on Emergen-C. You can get a box with individual sachets at any drug store. Its basically Vitamin C. But in my experience any time I am sorta maybe staring out with a cold - I take Emergen-C every 3 hours (~ approx 6-7 a day) and it really helps.
You could also try Airborne (also sold at any drug-store).
Good luck.
I alternate emergen-c with water and tea (one in my hand at all times when I’m not sleeping) and use the Zicam throat spray stuff, which is nasty but effective.
Definitely Zicam. And I eat honey by the spoonful. Not only does it make my throat feel better, but I swear there is some natural remedy in there that kills the bug, too. It’s truly a life saver.
Kold Kare - they sell it at GNC and other vitamin/herb places. It reduces me colds to 3 days max. And of course, lots of sleep.
I double up with Mucinex and Zicam, kills the cold in like 3 days! MY fiance loves ColdEeze also. I hope you are able to get rid of your cold soon!!
Zicam may help shorten the cold, but the best med for cold symptoms is Claritin-D or Zyrtec-D. It may make you feel a little jumpy like you’ve had too much caffeine, but it works. If you get a cough, Mucinex DM works pretty well and it is the best thing you can take without a prescription. I work in a doctor’s office and get a lot of colds, and this is what works best, in my experience.
Vitamin C, sleep, lots and lots and lots of water, hot lemon for a sore throat, and more sleep.
Nyquil at night and a zillion tissues around the house.
Here’s hoping you have a quick recovery!
Zicam never really worked for me… it may be more effective in the early stages. I third (fourth??) the endorsement for Claritin-D.
My sure-fire cold fighting thing is actually cold buster smoothies from Jamba Juice. Essentially a TON of vitamin C. One smoothie a day for two days and I’m in a much better place. EmergenC should also do the trick.
Ultimately, nothing beats sleep and soft tissues. Best of luck!
Aleve Cold and Sinus is THE wonder drug for any kind of cold - clears up symptoms within hours.
As gross as it sounds, once I started using a neti pot, I haven’t had a cold last for more than a few days. Here’s a npr link that talks more about it: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7108546
Like others have said, Zicam and emergen-c. Make sure you take them regularly and not stop when you slightly feel better. Also make sure to take a multi vitamin. Hope you knock out the cold super fast and have a beautiful wedding. Can’t wait for all the pics.
Zicam, lots of Vitamin C — Vitamin C exits your system in 2 hours, so keep taking it throughout the day. Vitamin A boosts your immune system, Vitamin E is just a good idea all the time, Echinachea is good, as is Zinc…
I think that’s all that I do… obviously, keep medicating your symptoms to keep yourself comfortable, keep drinking lots of water, keep eating. Get well soon!
Ditto all the people who say Zicam. I’m serious, start taking that — every 4 hours — and your cold will disappear SO much quicker than if you hadn’t. But start it ASAP!!!!
I also have coupled Airborne with Zicam for positive results, but Airborne is now being sued because on allegations that it does nothing — maybe there was a placebo effect.
Dayquil and vodka.
I’m serious.
I swear by Airborne. It zaps my colds so quickly, plus I think the orange flavor tastes yummy. Combine it with Zicam as others have suggested and think positive thoughts! Positive thoughts are crucial.
One final advice. When I’m sick I tend to pig out because its so comforting. I think doing so makes me feel worse, plus after the cold is over I feel a bit more lumpy than before. It’s right before you wedding, so treat yourself to delicious immune system-boosting healthy fruit salads, Naked juices and the like which will help you get over the cold AND feel gorgeous on your wedding day.
Robitussin/Mucinex for the cough (both will work to make your coughs more productive and therefore will be over with sooner), Advil Liqui-Gels for any headaches, lots of vitamin C, green tea (try to get a blend with a flavor so you don’t have to add sugar), Campbell’s Condensed Noodle Soup, and a warm salt water gargle, and Sudafed if your sinuses are congested. Also, get lots and lots of Puffs with lotion to reduce the redness and irritaiton on your nose. Get well soon!
I’m an epidemiologist, and I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but most cold remedies (ie, vit-C, ginger, Airborne, Zicam…) have not been proven to be effective against the cold. Some are preventive or can reduce symptoms if taken *before* onset of symptoms. That said, my FI is a firm believer in Emergen-C, and I figure placebos are effective 30% of the time, so go for it.
SLEEP!! SLEEP!! And drink lots of water. Use your OTCs to relieve symptoms (in particular, Nyquil-type items to SLEEP). Gargle salt water if you have a sore throat. Rinse your sinuses with saline if your sinuses are congested (it’s gross and kind of painful but it seriously works).
Good luck! A cold should clear up within 5 days if you don’t push yourself, so you’ll be healthy by the wedding 
Don’t use the zicam swabs- they can damage those little hairs in your nostrils that help you smell! my friend’s father lost his sense of smell, and his doctor said it was due to the zicam swabs.
Watch out!
Yeah, I always get sinus colds and I swear by my netti pot. I could not get through winter without it. It takes practice but nothing is better at aiding my sinuses.
When the cold is almost gone I take asprin - it seems to really take away that achy feeling I always have left after a cold is over.
I hope you feel better soon! I just got over a bad cold myself!
Lots of OJ and Jewish Penicillin - chicken soup!
Go the the doctor IMMEDIATELY, a doc-in-the-box if you must, and ask for a Z-pack.
Yes, doctors cost money, as to prescriptions. But, take it from a person who suffers from chronic allergies - raw/red nose is very hard to disguise with makeup.
Chicken soup - and lots of it! I use as many fresh veggies as I have in the fridge and lop off a half (or whole if my pot is big enough) of bok choi to get as many nutrients as possible out of it. Then I sip, slurp, and eat it constantly.
I don’t have any good remedies I just want to say, “GET WELL SOON!”
I swear by the low-tech but equally “gross” version of the neti pot— snorting warm water and blowing it out. Do this in the shower. Just cup your hands to collect some H2O and then make like Kate Moss over a mirror. 
It IS kinda gross and it’s a bit unpleasant, though not at all unbearable, but it WORKS!
I sometimes wonder if it’s because US tap water is supposedly filled with the antibiotics and antidepressents that don’t get filtered out in the “water treatment” process– not to mention bleach and ED meds. Nothing like a little Clorox and Viagra to put you on the road to recovery!
Oh gosh… ME TOO!!
I just started a new job working in a pediatrician’s office and GOT SICK! eeek… I’m getting married in TEN DAYS! Hopefully I shake this cold, and really quickly.
ZICAM IS THE SHIT.
I have also used the salt water up the nose trick… it kills all the bacteria and viruses causing colds. Oh, warm chicken noodle soup should help too - it causes vasodilation so your immune system gets to your throat to attack the nasty bugs causing your cold. Even though it may be tempting to use menthol and drink cold drinks to soothe a sore throat - it vasoconstricts the blood vessels making it harder for the cells of your immune system to get there and attack the bugs.
I’m in med school - and not that that should sway you in any way - but Zicam works for my colds. Oh and i use the swabs… and my sense of smell is still intact. Just don’t shove the swab all the way in and you should be ok. :o) Good luck!
ZICAM!!! And use it religiously…pair it with some sleep and OJ, and you’ll be good in no time. When I get colds they always linger…but taking Zicam does the trick and cuts it down to a mere couple of days.
I’m sure that you now have more advice than you ever expected, but please don’t ask your doctor for a Z-pack. Antibiotics don’t help colds and are unnecessary, because colds are caused by viruses, which are not treated with antibiotics.
This article on WebMD has some accurate info about colds
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/understanding-common-cold-basics
and their treatment
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/cold_guide_treatment_care
I was sick for our wedding last weekend also. I definitely recommend Zicam to help with the symptoms!
However I ended up with bronchitis and was put on antibiotics and steroids 2 days before the wedding. Delsym cough syrup helped tremendously with the (bad, bad) cough and I stayed away from all liquids except water and always kept a bottle of it near by.
Doing all that and popping a cough drop just before the ceremony started kept me from coughing at all during the ceremony (yay!).
Good luck and I hope you feel better real soon!
[...] the advice of many in yesterday’s post, I decided to head to bed early last night. I’m not sure whether it was the exhaustion, the cold [...]
Make a hot totie boil 1 1/2 cup of water add fresh squeezed orange juice (don’t cheat by using tropicana it won’t work) on ewhole orange, and 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon. Bring that to a boil pour in a cup and a shot of whiskey and a teaspoon honey. Drink really fast and as hot as you can stand it. then run to the bed and cover up. Don’t move you will sweat it out ovver night and feel refreshed the next morning.
cold fx.
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Ms. Dahlia, Detroit/Cleveland
Age and Occupation: 24, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, IT System Administrator
Engagement Date: December 31, 2006
Wedding Date: May 2008
Blogging Since: September 19, 2007
Venue: United Methodist Cathedral & historic downtown hotel in Cleveland
About Me: I enjoy cooking, dancing and swimming. I am a geek and apply game theory to my everyday life. Winter is my favorite time of year, especially when spent curled up with good coffee and a book by Madeleine L'Engle.
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