<p>Son just called & said his room mate has a cold & he's concerned that he'll catch it (we're concerned too because once he's sick, he stays sick for a LONG time). Anyone with tips on how to help keep your kiddo well when room mate has a cold? Thanks!
HImom</p>
<p>That's a tough one and they do seem to get sick a lot that first term - I almost felt like it was pre-school all over again with the germs just running rampant among all the new "little ones", now nearly grown men and women. But in close quarters with so many others.</p>
<p>DS was sick with cold-type things going around at both his Katrina semester at Bates and his semester at Tulane when he returned. As we headed to take him down to JHU last month, I had a bad cold myself. I was he**-bent that I was not going to start him off with another cold. I almost didn't go (9 hour drive in the car). But had gotten a bit better, some said I wasn't contagious anymore (???), and so I bought and wore those facemasks for the purpose of both filtering out particulates and keep one from breathing germs on others. Mucho uncomfortable, but I did it.</p>
<p>If you could get the roomie to wear one of those :rolleyes:. Otherwise, lots and lots of handwashing by both. Avoid using each other's "stuff" because germs often go via hand-to-hand, hand-to-mouth contact. Don't use the same phone/cell-phone, etc.</p>
<p>If he can eat right, it might help. If he takes Vitamin C, I feel it helps me ward off some colds. Can't prove it. Similarly, I feel I've had success with Airborne, developed by a teacher to help her not get colds from her young students. He should start that NOW - it tastes okay and you drink it (fizzy tablet goes in small amount of water) every few hours.</p>
<p>Wash hands.</p>
<p>Often.</p>
<p>Cold germs are often spread by hands and contact, as well as through the air.</p>
<p>If he tries vitamin C, advise him not to go crazy with the doses. Some people get diarrhea if they take a gram or more. No point exchanging one form of discomfort for another.</p>
<p>Remember that colds are most catching for the first three days. It isn't necessary to take precautions forever.</p>
<p>Cold Eaze. Get them at the student store and start eating them right away.</p>
<p>I think Cold Eaze is a similar concept to Airborne?</p>
<p>The concepts in these items is similar, but Cold-Eaze has zinc, which is supposed to help you when you're run down. I don't believe Airborne has similar ingredients, but it's also herbal & got supplements that are supposed to boost one's immunities. My S doesn't like either product & has refused to partake when we've had them around the house. I'll drop him an e-mail with these suggestions, which I suspect he'll ignore. <sigh> Hope he stays healthy!</sigh></p>
<p>If he does get sick, HImom, you will have to go into worried-mom-by-remote-control mode.</p>
<p>Step 1. Post on cc. Get lots of support and company.
Step 2. Send care package of great stuff (order from local vendors near his school if you can't send from home).
Step 3. Notice that neither of the above steps have stopped you from worry re how he's doing, whether he'll have a tough time keeping up with school work, etc.
Step 4. Repeat Step 1.</p>
<p>Actually, I'm not too concerned about his ability to keep up when he's sick, since he's had a LOT of experience with that all thru HS (keeping up while ill). Am just concerned that his room mate is sick & increasing his exposure to those nasty "germs."
Now, if they were to invent jelly bean flavored herbal supplements, he'd be healthier & happier for it. <grin> He loves gummy vitamens, but it's not "cool" to have them in the dorm.</grin></p>
<p>My two college-aged students have found that Zicam really works. At the first tiny sign of a cold coming on, they take them. It doesn't mean you won't get a little bit sick, but it does seem to prevent it from escalating.</p>
<p>Both of them struggled through quite a bit of what was going around the 1st semester or so. They both got smarter about the handwashing (critical), using purell/wipes/, taking vitamins, and Zicam.</p>
<p>And they've both taken advantage of their respective university's health center. </p>
<p>It sounds like your son is on the look-out--prevention and recognition is half the battle. Hope he fares okay.</p>
<p>And disinfectant spray on everything. Telephone, refrigerator/micro handle, computer keyboard, etc. Even kids who don't do preventative medicine will sometimes do this.</p>
<p>He needs to get a HUGE pump thing of PURELL and USE it!!!</p>
<p>jmmom:
[quote]
Step 1. Post on cc. Get lots of support and company.
[/quote]
Too funny.</p>
<p>HImom, Is there any such thing as herbal supplements that aren't gag-me disgusting? Even the pills you swallow leave narley aftertaste and bad breath!<br>
I always get a kick out of college kids who won't suck on a lozenge because of the taste but have no problem choking down vicious alcoholic concoctions. (I'm not talking about your son- just generalizing). ;)</p>
<p>I am dealing with a sick daughter as we speak. She has been running a fever of 100-101 for the last 3 days and has thrown up a few times. I hate that she is couped up in her dorm room along with her roomate. While I hope her roomate doesn't come down with what my daughter has, I am more worried about my child. She has a big test tomorrow and has had trouble studying, and is now worrying about the 2 huge test she has next week. She is missing her first big sorority cocktail party tonight and is upset about that. Plus she was home this weekend for the holiday and her flight back to school left 6 hours late, getting her back to campus after 1:00am! </p>
<p>I have received a few phone calls from her with her being upset, stress, sick and all 3 together. She could use her mommy but is fending fine for herself even if she is calling me often. She does have an appt. at student health tomorrow where I am sure they will tell her she has a virus. Of course she just had a sinus infection a few weeks ago and I was thinking all was going well after that round of antibiotics.</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me vent!</p>
<p>He needs to get enough rest and also eat healthfully, neither of which most college students do.</p>
<p>I also suggest that he get a flu shot once they're available.</p>
<p>He should take extra precautions during midterms because that's when lots of students get sick because of later hours and surviving on even more junk food.</p>
<p>Actually, due to his specific chronic health issues, his docs have strongly advised him NOT to get the flu shots, as he ALWAYS gets VERY sick from it, even when they split the dose & give him 2 divided doses (he gets sick with each divided dose). Hopefully the other kids will get their flu shots & then not get the flu & not get him sick!</p>
<p>Airborne--I swear it is a miracle cure. Son likes the original (orange) flavor, I like pink grapefruit (although I still drink it without breathing but I don't think it that bad and it sure beats feeling awful sick for a week). I have probably felt like I was coming down with a cold at least 7 times in the last year and every time the symptoms just disappeared after a few doses of Airborne.</p>
<p>Handwashing, absolutely. And, unfortunately, just being resigned to this being an occupational hazard of dorm living.</p>
<p>HiMom, those disenfectant wipes in a canister come in handy, especially if they're not too compulsive about cleaning the room-- they're great for door handles, the outside of the trash can, the refrigerator handle, closet door, any other communal property where it's tough to keep constantly clean.</p>
<p>I'm not a big fan of herbal remedies since sometimes they're worse than the original disease but sleep, regular meals, and constant water drinking/handwashing seem to be good for the immune system under any circumstances.</p>
<p>Warning-skeptic here!</p>
<p>I have also felt like a had a cold several times in the past year, drank fluids, got enough rest, and it didn't develop after all. I'd never tell someone not to use something like Airborne if they were heck-bent on it, but I also don't think anyone needs to talk a reluctant taker into it. There are lots of articles detailing it's lack of impartial data. Oh, wait, they did do a "study":</p>
<p>
[quote]
Airborne said that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with "care and professionalism" by a company specializing in clinical trial management, GNG Pharmaceutical Services.</p>
<p>GNG is actually a two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study. There was no clinic, no scientists and no doctors. The man who ran things said he had lots of clinical trial experience. He added that he had a degree from Indiana University, but the school says he never graduated.
[/quote]
.</p>
<p>That was from an ABC article; google "does airborne work" and you'll find it and lots of others.</p>
<p>Like I said, I don't expect to change any minds, but I as a practicing skeptic, I felt I needed to chime in.</p>
<p>Hey garland, how many colds have you had in the past year? I've never gone without at least one or two (and I thought that was pretty good) until I started taking Airborne this time last year, and zero colds since. H and daughters don't take it and they've had several. H is a doctor and brings all kinds of germs home, but S and I have been cold-free. (S away at school so he doesn't count in the household equation)</p>
<p>If it is the power of positive thinking, okay, maybe---but then how to explain the sense of symptoms (scratchy throat, stuffy nose, etc.) that I have come, over 50plus years, to KNOW mean bad news, disappearing overnight? SEVERAL times I have thought, "Okay, this is it, this is FOR SURE a cold" but the next morning--healthy as a horse. I'll take that placebo effect any day!!</p>
<p>Of course, you are right to offer the more rational view--I remember I would pick up the box in the store and put it down for the whole first year after I heard about it, thinking it was just a bunch of malarkey. I don't remember what first made me try it (I think it was a vicious cold I got on a transcontinental flight last July), but I am a convert. Not seeking to persuade anyone, but again, since I think it is harmless and I really believe it has helped me, just offering my experience.</p>
<p>I'm afraid that if the roommate is sick and has symptoms of a cold, your son has probably already been exposed. That doesn't mean your son will necessarily get sick this time, but the common cold is pretty much unavoidable. All he can do is try to keep a strong immune system, good diet, exercise, good general health, handwashing, avoid the sick person--and pray he doesn't catch it.</p>