Off Topic: Working Through Sickness

[geekgirldany]

This is the first time in 5 years that I have been sick during tax season. Hit me last night when I went home. Coughing my head off, sore throat, chills. Not sure if it is the flu or a cold.

Do you guys just work on through it? Or try to take a day off to recover. I've cancelled appointments for the next two days.

[TAX]

This is the first time in 5 years that I have been sick during tax season. Hit me last night when I went home. Coughing my head off, sore throat, chills. Not sure if it is the flu or a cold.

Do you guys just work on through it? Or try to take a day off to recover. I've cancelled appointments for the next two days.

I have simmilar problem. I am taking zpack!

[geekgirldany]

I did not know that had azithromycin in packs like that. I use to get that a long time ago. I've got some amoxicillian and started taking it. I feel like a walking drug store, advil, vicks,, cough medicine

[JCH]

you're probably better taking a day off and sleeping. antibiotics aren't going to do you any good anyway if it's viral. hope you feel better.

[geekgirldany]

yeah that is true they won't help if it is viral. I remember when I was young the docotors would give me and my brothers antibiotics every time we were sick. I think they have stopped that now.

Going to try and stick it out today and take tomorrow off. I have so much work to do... good time to get sick.

[BOB W]

I'm lucky, when I get sick I fall asleep. My wife calls my appointments and cancels two days appointments. At the end of two days she wakes me up and I go to work. Works every time................ Anything else and I'm sick for a week or two and I would be making mistakes that will come back to haunt me.

[Nashville]

Difference is fever

Sorry to hear this, Danielle. Happens to me, not every year, but some years at some worst point during tax season. Sometimes my head feels like it weighs 75 pounds.

I do my very best to work through it. The sickness sometimes means I can work only 6-8 hours per day instead of 12-14.

But the difference is fever, especially in the early stages. Because at that point in the cycle, you are contagious, and should cancel appointments to avoid spreading the bug. While you quarantine yourself, it is a good time to work on bookkeeping, corporate returns, and other stuff you can do without interfacing with customers. Take care not to sneeze on their paperwork. It seems like there are always a couple days I can spend doing this, and not see customers for their own health sake.

One big drawback is the effect of postponing appointments. If they are stacked together, this can create a "domino effect" of having to reschedule nearly everyone until you get caught up.

I had a nasty cold a couple week ago, but worked through it even with meeting customers. I didn't have chills/fever and no infection. After a couple of miserable days I had worked through it. Not with my usual efficiency or speed, but I was able to get some production out of those two days.

[geekgirldany]

Thanks Snag. I haven't been very productive today. I gathered up some returns to work and I am heading home. Taking tomorrow off and seeing if I can work a little. Most of the time when you tell a customer you are sick they will stay away Most of the time.

[dsi]

I've heard that to get rid of a cough, one should put vicks vapo rub on the bottom of the feed, put on a pair of cotton socks and go to bed. By morning the cough should be gone.

I would do the above and drink a hot toddie (sp?) Shot of Jack Daniels, hot fresh squeezed lemons with some added sugar to sweeten it up.

[taxmandan]

Learned how to stop a cold in it's tracks: At the first sign of a cold, heat (100 f) 6 ounces of water like you are making tea. Mince up one clove of garlic and add to the water. Steep for 10 minutes. Drink the water, eat the garlic if you want, but drinking the water will suffice. Taken with some food and the taste and odor will go away in an hour or so. It works! Stops the cold within 12 hours and you're back to work. Your choice, suffer thru 3 or 4 days of sickness or get well quick.

(DISCLAIMER: You should not construe this as sound medical advice. If you are suffering from some unspecified ailment you should seek competent medical help. Garlic may be detrimental to werewolfs, gnomes, warlocks and people who are pregnant, goity, prone to gastric distress or have high blood pressure. This information has not been approved by the AMA, FDA, IRS or TTB. Use at your own risk.)

[S T]

Also

I swear by Zicam and Vitamin C along with the Garlic.

Zicam comes in many forms, Vitamin C at about 500 MG - 100MG per hour for about 12-24 hours, moves all the bad stuff through your system.

Feel better soon,

Sandy

[DTS]

I've heard that to get rid of a cough, one should put vicks vapo rub on the bottom of the feed, put on a pair of cotton socks and go to bed. By morning the cough should be gone.

I would do the above and drink a hot toddie (sp?) Shot of Jack Daniels, hot fresh squeezed lemons with some added sugar to sweeten it up.

I had my mother, who is a Vick's junkie, do this and she swore to me it helped.

Also, the hot toddies work, as well. I used to make several, enough to down a pint of VO over the course of a couple hours. You will feel all warm and fuzzy

D

[Jiggers]

Colds and the flu

I find that by going to bed, getting some antibiotics or medicine from my doctor, maybe even a shot, that I will get better in just 7 days.

Otherwise it will take a week to get over it.

[BHoffman]

If it's the same crap that I just got over, you'll feel really bad but only for a few days. After that, it's just a lot of coughing and nose blowing.

I drank a LOT of water to feel better. Rest. Have a nice NYQUIL cocktail.

Hope you feel better kiddo. Sorry to hear you're under the weather.

[Black Bart]

Home Remedies

This is the first time in 5 years that I have been sick during tax season. Hit me last night when I went home. Coughing my head off, sore throat, chills. Not sure if it is the flu or a cold. Do you guys just work on through it? Or try to take a day off to recover. I've cancelled appointments for the next two days.

Here's mine, Dany:

I've had bronchitis, sinus problems, etc. in the winter all my life and, for me, the first sign of coming down with something is a sore throat and coughing up green stuff. When that stuff appears, I run to a local doctor right away (small town/same or next day appointment), get a strong shot of something (staph/strep/pen he calls it) and a bottle of antibiotics (I also used amoxicillin 'til I got immune and he switched me to another -- there's lots of different ones). I go ahead and work through the day and take the twice-a-day pills, but the most important thing for me is getting a good night's sleep (very hard to to do).

Bundle up in your warmest jams, socks, and toboggan, hit the couch, have a heavy meal (or hot soup if you're not up to the eating), turn TV to a boring program, turn the heat up, the lights down, have a cup of wine if you drink, take two Excedrins, one Diazepam, two Unisoms, and the last amox pill for the night. Drown yourself in quilts, blankets, pillows, and let the TV run all night 'til you doze/drift off.

Don't forget the Excedrins at bedtime if you drink the wine (alcohol dries out the brain) or you'll wake up with a headache.

If you can just get a good solid night's sleep, you'll usually feel much refreshed and 90% better next morning. After that just keep taking the pills 'til the bottle's empty.

Best wishes,
Doctor Bart