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

[g-boaf]

I was also struck down. Aches as well as all the other symptoms, that's unusual for me. I kept hydrated, rested and took vitamin C right away as soon as I noticed the sore throat.

I did ride that first day - only had a sore throat at that time, probably shouldn't have.

I feel like I'm recovering now, certainly can breath better.

[Kronos]

Short answer no, longer answer still no. People don't take the flu seriously enough. I woke up 2 days ago with what you would expect to see from someone with pinkeye and my chest hurt like [well I'm not allowed to say that word because they'll ban me for swearing]. I'm not talking about the common cold either, but riding with the flu (and I've been diagnosed as having influenza in my blood) can and does kill people either through sepsis, respiratory, or neural complications.

So the long answer is stay off the bike, exercise while having the flu can only really make you wore. The general recovery time for influenza is anything from 7 days to three weeks. Just rest in bed and don't do anything strenuos.

...
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)

The only proven effective treatment for flu is antiviral medication such as tamiflu and relenza. Not surprisingly its only really used to treat the most susceptible members of the community due to the facts of the matter. If everyone was given tamiflu we would run the same risk as we do with antibiotics of rendering them practically useless as is the case of a particular antiviral drug that is sold in the East over the counter.

NB: Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu only work at the first signs of infection.

[Philistine]

Since this is the cold and flu season, I hope nobody minds my trying to breathe new life into this thread.

A few days ago I picked up my first cold for three or four years. At first I couldn't get interested in riding, but, today, I thought I could manage a ride with a bit of chemical assistance. In the past, I would have taken two Aspirins and a Sudafed (genuine pseudoephedrine not nanny-state sudafed substitute), but, these days I am concerned about possibly bleeding out if I have a fall (I wish I could say I was joking but I'm not), and I replaced the two aspirins with two paracetamols.

Not only did I have a thoroughly enjoyable ride, I managed to find a bit of pace that has been absent for the past three or four months. The warmer weather might have something to do with this, but I also think the sudafed might have given me a lift.

[g-boaf]

Just raising this topic again - there is an Austrian made vitamin tablet brand called Immun44 - that is one I’ve used before at the first signs of getting a cold, taken three times a day - then within little more than a day all the signs of the cold were gone.

https://www.amazon.com/Okopharm-Immun-F ... eature_div

I ended up buying some more of these online. They seem to be one of the few that actually works.

[AUbicycles]

If I have an allergy or sniff, riding can clear it up. Anything like a virus or fever or anything chesty, I stay off. If my body wants to move, short rides or indoor training.

[Mububban]

No. If I exercise when sick I delay my recovery. I've learned that the hard way after many stubborn refusals to listen to my body over the years. So now I listen.

[Duck!]

I used to just plug through at an easier pace, but after contracting glandular fever (Epstein-Barr virus) some years ago, I back right off at the first sign of anything. E-B is like a diamond, it is forever, although usually dormant, but if the immune system is otherwise occupied and further suppressed by activity, E-B will flare up & knock the stuffing out of me. Weirdly, it doesn't seem to prolong the cold, it just hits a lot harder for the two bad days, leaving me a physical wreck. Once the snot production changes from clear runny stuff to thick, green goo, I find getting back on the bike at an easy level helps clear the muck out.