Ooooo...trying to play with a cold :(

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 3:26 pm

I've had this cold for two days now, and was going through whistle withdrawals, so I tried to get a little playing in this afternoon. What a hoot! (well, that was at least one of the sounds I made, anyway!).

"O Danny (sniff) boy (gasp), the pipes, the pipes are (wheeze, gasp) calling (aaaah-choo!)"

On the upside, I bet no one's going to ask to play my whistle today!

I think I'm going to go make myself some hot lemon

Redwolf

Kim in Tulsa · Post by **Kim in Tulsa** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 3:41 pm

I highly recommend Cold-Eeze. I have found it really works if taken as directed. It's not a throat losenge, it's a dose. You take it 4-6 times a day, off the top of my head. The zinc binds to the virus and prevents it from getting any worse. If you start taking it as directed, you can shorten the duration of the cold, the severity of the cold and even stop it! It's too late for that now, but you could make yourself have less symptoms and shorten the duration if you start taking it now.

I highly recommend it. I have had both my kids come down with a cold, given the Cold-Eeze to my oldest and not my youngest (too little) and had my oldest all better in a day or two and watched my youngest suffer through the cold. Then invariably, I start to come down with it (from exposure to the kids), feel the tell-tale scratching in my throat and eyes. I start taking the Cold-eeze immediately and have not had a severe cold in a couple of years...

It was a cold virus that attacked the nerve between my brain and right ear and destroyed it, causing complete deafness in that ear and messing up my equilibrium. My son got the cold from a virus that swept through his pre-school. I don't mess around with them. I get no kick-back from Cold-Eeze, I just know if you take it right, it works.

Lemon and chamomile tea with honey feels nice, too...

I hope you feel better soon. It's depressing when you can't play the whistle.

Kim

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 3:45 pm

How does zinc affect the immune system? I can't take many anti-cold preparations (such as "Airborne") because they contain immune system enhancers (such as vitamin C or echinacea), which causes my arthritis to flare, but I haven't really researched zinc.

Redwolf the wheezing whistler

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 4:10 pm

On 2003-01-06 16:45, Redwolf wrote:
How does zinc affect the immune system? I can't take many anti-cold preparations (such as "Airborne") because they contain immune system enhancers (such as vitamin C or echinacea), which causes my arthritis to flare, but I haven't really researched zinc.

Redwolf the wheezing whistler

I'm curious to the answer to this myself. Last year when taking methotrexate for arthritis I was warned strongly away from echinacea for the same reason.

Now I take an oral retinoid...I wonder if zinc would be safe to take concurrently?

Best wishes, and I hope your arthritis is doing well!

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

Kim in Tulsa · Post by **Kim in Tulsa** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 4:12 pm

I don't know. The mechanism of action is supposedly the zinc coating the virus and basically deactivating it! A virus has to inject it's self into a cell to spread...the zinc is thought to simply coat the virus so it can't do it. It's why you suck on the losenge, slowly...don't chew it. Gives the zinc time to do it's job.

As with anything, check with your immunologist before taking anything!!!

Kim

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 4:15 pm

I'll definitely check into it! Working around kids, colds are an occupational hazard, and it's worth researching anything that might lessen their severity. Thanks for the tip!

Redwolf

AngeloMeola · Post by **AngeloMeola** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 4:19 pm

Don't forget to disinfect your whistle after you get over the cold. Otherwise, you might just reinfect yourself.
Angelo

andreaz54 · Post by **andreaz54** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 5:30 pm

HMMMM...What is a good thing to use for a disinfectant?? I have often wondered that........

Poor Redwolf! Hope you feel better soon!

2nd Wind · Post by **2nd Wind** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 5:52 pm

immunologist?

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 6:04 pm

Redwolf

I share your pain - literally! Mine hit on new year's day and I haven't been able to finish a tune for wheezing, coughing or just plain feeling miserable for the last five days. Since I can't take decongestants, it comes down to tylenol and 'rest'. Ain't that a joke? When you're miserable with a head cold, rest isn't exactly an easy thing to come by.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Mon Jan 06, 2003 6:05 pm

Irish whiskey, of course...

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 9:15 am

Redwolf,

I share your pain as well.
It all started Christmas Eve for me.
Christmas day with laryngitus.
Thought I was on the road to recovery when bam! Hit with bronchitis and pleurisy.
Talk about major withdrawls.

I too share in the question, the best way to disinfect a whistle. (other than whisky)
Me thinks I reinfected myself by playing the whistles last Friday. Doi!!!!!

Laura

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 9:22 am

Hmmm...I wonder about disinfecting too. With my cheaper plastic whistles I wouldn't hesitate to dunk 'em in a glass of whisky, but I'm not sure that would be good for the clear coating on the Elf Song or the glue on the O Briain.

Redwolf

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 9:39 am

Not sure what it'd do to PVC whistles but I doubt it'd hurt them to swab them out with alcohol on a flute/clarinet cleaning swab or with a bit of cloth on the tip section of a .22 rifle cleaning rod. Then wipe the mouthpiece area with a cloth with alcohol on it.

I'll try it on the outside of a whistle I don't care about later.