Colds after Disney??

[never_enough_pooh]

Hi All!!!

Well, I'm sure most of us feel the same way.. we are so bummed that Cass and Rob are finished with their vacation, and no more trip reports!!

I really hope both of them feel better, as it is so miserable to be sick on vacation!

After reading how terrible they both felt, I was thinking.... EVERY TIME I come home from Disney, I have a terrible cold!!! I now know, it is not just me!!!

Just curious how many other people out there catch cold germs on vacation???

 

[Paisleyjane]

I am always worried about this, lets face it, all of the railings we touch while waiting in lines, the safety bars on the rides, the bars we hold onto on the Monorails if we are standing. I wash my hands a lot while there, and always try to do it long and well. I also take along antibacterial wipes, and cold-eze, just in case I feel that cold starting.

 

[mickeem]

Every time.... Every trip, I come back with a cold... A few of my longer trips, I actually got sick mid way... I have supplied myself with various meds, and try to get a little sleep (very little) during the stays..
Oh well, Must Have Fun......

 

[aquaticmom]

We have been home for 4 days and 5 out of 11 of us have colds. I must admit though, mine started before we left and I never really got over it while on vacation. So I guess I am probably one of the people who brought germs to the World. I think one of the reasons I did not get better is because you run yourself ragged while on vacation. But sharing germs with thousands of other people everyday for a week does probably increase your odds. I don't care - I will still continue to visit every chance I get and deal with the colds when we get home. Its worth it.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We got back around midnight last night- I got a horrible cold on our second to last day there and I am still stuffy!

 

[never_enough_pooh]

Wow!!! I know.. I figure it's probably all the stuff that I "touch" (that thousands of others also touch) that gets me sick!! I am going to make sure I bring some Cold-Eze this year!!!

 

[PrincessPatty]

On this last trip I caught a cold and was out of commision for 2DAYS!!! ugh! so just to spite my cold I booked another trip to catch up on the parks I missed!

Has anyone tried Airborne? I just bought some and plan on taking it for a week before we leave...

Let me know if this stuff has helped!

 

[dudedisney]

Out of 12 of us, one threw up two nights before we came home, my DD threw the next day, DH threw up that night after her and I and DS had a bad sore throat for a week afterward. Called around to the rest of the family and two more had sinus infections.

Must be something about changing environments, crowds, who knows. We washed our hands a LOT but it didn't help evidently.

As a rule, seems like me and the kids always get sick afterwards because we're off our schedule or something.

 

[TSR6]

I just have to say... I do not beleive it's WDW in general, even with thousands of people touching the same thing.

I work at WDW, and touch all of these things, and you five days a week. Working at WDW, I don't get sick any more often that I ever have living in the middle of no-where IL.

 

[digskat]

we got back a week ago, and both kids have been sick.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

When I was younger, I'd get really sick when we got back from WDW. That happened in 93 & 96. 98, 99, and 2001 (and this year) I was fine during and after. 2003-- nightmare! I got a horrible cold smack in the middle of the trip and had to physically drag myself all over Epcot, Sea World, MGM, AK, and MK. I actually got sick while at Epcot... out of nowhere my throat started killing me, and by the time I had dinner at Chefs de France I was ready to pass out in my french onion soup! On the way back to POR from Epcot, my throat magically stopped hurting... but suddenly my head and nose were both completely stuffed up, resulting in about 5 million horrible headaches. The smart thing to do would've been to stay at the hotel, but I couldn't prolong my stay... I was on spring break and classes started again the next week, and at the time I thought I might not get back to Disney for another 4 years or so. If you do get sick and feel like you have to go everywhere, just go slower, don't expect to do everything, take plenty of breaks, drink a lot of fluids, and, possibly most importantly, remember that Tylenol or Aspirin is your friend!

As for avoiding getting sick in the first place, there's not much you can do with germs floating around in the air (other than if you see someone hacking and or having a sneezing fit around you, don't get too close if you can help it; then again "getting too close" to people is kinda inevitable at WDW). Now, if it's caused by touching things other people have handled in shops and the rides and railings, etc., obvious thing is wash your hands. Maybe I'm a little too paranoid, but when I buy something, I never buy (or handle, if I can help it) the thing in the front, I always go behind the front item (although that's also because I want to get stuff that's not smudged and/or knicked up). My other thing is if I, for some reason, don't get a chance to wash my hands before I eat and I'm eating "finger food" I use the plastic forks/knives or just don't eat the part of the food I touch. May sound silly, but I rarely get sick, so my mind tells me that helps protect me, LOL.

 

[Ted C]

Don't forget about airplanes... That recirculated air can get you every time.

Ted.

 

[JerseyJ]

Working in the health care field, we frequently see an increase in infections when people are exposed to new environments. In your own home environment, you tend to built up resistance to the local organism's that are around you but when you travel you are exposed to many new ones. Add that to the fact that many people get overtired @ disney, or were stressed before leaving. Fatigue & stress are both factors that may lower your resistance.

This same process occurs when kids first start school, preschool or daycare. They frequently have a rough year or two w/ very frequent infections & then the amount of infections declines. Also happens to teachers and even health care workers when they change jobs.

Good ideas on here for frequent handwashing, trying to get more sleep & be prepared w/ meds. Don't forget increased Vit. C.

 

[Leota]

I used to get very sick after vacation. I also used to be very commando. But, since I slowed down & began having more relaxing trips, I stopped getting sick.
The last 3 trips, I came home healthy & rejuvenated. I didn't even have the Post-Disney Blues!

The only change was the amount of rest I got. I have always been extremely vigilant about precautions against germs as I am immune-compromised. My Doctor told me I really needed to slow down a bit, that I was hurting myself & he turned out to be right.

 

[rapriebe]

DH and I just got back on the 23th of October and we have had horrible colds ever since. DH started to feel bad on the day we left and I got it the next day. It's been 11 days so hopefully we should be feeling better soon. What's really hard is to call in sick to work after you just got back from a Disney vacation. Got alot of ribbing over that!! Oh well, as much as I have been "hacking", they know I'm not faking it.

Can't wait to go back in January but let's hope I don't get sick again.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I discovered a new product called Airborne.

http://www.airbornehealth.com/

I don't know how well it really works, but it might be worth a try the next time you fly somewhere. Germs circulate in planes more than most places.

I guess it's better to be sick after going to Disney than during Disney, but being sick is not fun no matter how you slice it. I hope you all feel better soon.

 

[TLC371]

I just got back on Saturday and I can feel something coming on...but I more attibute it to the change in the weather than getting germs...germs are everywhere, so I can't blame it on getting them when I'm in WDW.

 

[Muffy]

We have certainly come down with colds at WDW and after but not nearly as much as before. We now take enchincea at the FIRST sign of a cold and use Zicam swabs. We wash our hands all day long while at the parks. We wouldn't dream of having an ice cream bar w/o washing our hands first, etc. It really has helped us to stay well while vacationing.

 

[Livie's Mommy]

We got back last week and 4 out of 5 of us ended up with a stomach bug. I know it is not necessarity from WDW, but all those germs..yuck!

 

[Mersmom98]

My MIL and I both got very sick during our family's trip in March. Thank God for Sudafed!! I wonder if it doesn't have to do with hotel rooms as well? I know ours had a moldy smell....I'm from the Texas Gulf Coast area and completely used to mold and allergies but noone wants to be sick on vacation!