What do you do when you have a cold?
I’m 18 years old, and this is my first year since starting treatment.
I’ve always been very sick; it could take me 3–4 months to recover, but after treatment for lupus, I started feeling better. But now I’ve gotten sick for the first time since starting treatment, and all the medications I have at home are off-limits.
I consulted with a rheumatologist, and she told me to just drink more water, use saline nasal sprays, and take throat antiseptics, but I know that’s not enough for me.
On top of that, I feel weaker than ever right now, and my face is burning badly, even though I don’t have a fever. I’ve also started having panic attacks again — they had disappeared after I started therapy and hadn’t been bothering me for three months. I’m taking my medication, but it seems like this cold has undone everything I’ve achieved since starting treatment.
Has anyone else experienced this? How do you cope with a cold, and do you do anything about it, or do you just wait for it to run its course?