A
female
age
51-59,
anonymous
writes:How can I get rid of this stinking cold. Its been here a couple of days now, horrendous nose, cough, sore throat, headache. I started a job just over a week ago, I am really struggling with it as its a physical job and the hours they have me doing are more than advertised. Every bone in my body is aching, and i'm struggling to walk because my feet hurt so much. But I need to work. So this cold has to go! I wont get paid if I take time off. Ive got today off, but am back there tomorrow, and i'm dreading it! What can I buy today to make the symptoms better. Ive never taken remedies for viruses, but this time I need it gone quick. Any help gratefully received.. Reply to this Question
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female
reader, cd206 +, writes (26 October 2008):
 I've always tried to struggle on through colds too. I know they make you feel rotten but I've always felt I might as well feel rotten and try to distract myself with work as stay at home and feel rotten and not get paid! I work in a hotel too so I know how hard it is to take time off without letting a lot of people down. Plain old paracetamol will bring down your temperature. You can take sudafed (the one you buy over the counter) if you're congested and anti histamines (the non drowsy kind) if you're having watery eyes and nose issues. Another really great discovery of my dad's (who is a pharmacist) is taking vitamin c and zinc in combination. Vit C alone does not cure a cold but with zinc it gets an extra kick up the butt. As with all meds, chat to the pharmacist when buying them since theyre not all suitable for people with certain underlying medical conditions. Hope you feel better soon
CD
A
female
reader, Emilysanswers +, writes (26 October 2008):
Good Luck with it all then...
Why not give learn direct or your local college a ring and do some kind of computer course once you get sorted out?
I used to do quite a bit of temp work in offices and it was just photocopying and shredding but you had to be able to use a computer for the agency to take you on.
It's never too late to learn and you don't want to be bending down to empty bins when you are 60.
Good Luck!! xx
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (26 October 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionCheers hun. I'm busting a gut to find something else. The state of play at the moment though is there are very few jobs with lots of people going for them, and I only do cleaning! ha I remember the days when cleaning jobs were 10 a penny.
Unforunately the least staff at the hotel there are, the worse it is for me because i will have more rooms to clean myself. Ideally there needs to be 3 cleaners, giving us 10 rooms each a day to clean, and at the moment there are only 2, me and the new woman that started yesterday. Thankfully she txt me earlier and said she is going in tomorrow, so i said i will pick her up (its a 40 minute walk for her otherwise)
Ive been sniffing olbas oil all day and the headache has gone, so fingers crossed i will wake up feeling better.
Seriously, if i dont go in tomorrow and that new woman gets fed up having to do all the rooms herself, i would put money on it she wont turn up tuesday and then its just me there til they get someone else, and i am dreading that.
I just hope one of the jobs ive applied for come up quick smart. I only have to give this place a weeks notice, then i'm outta there!
It will be such a novelty to work 16 hours and be paid for 16. Instead of working 25 hours and getting paid for about 18.
xxxx
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A
female
reader, Emilysanswers +, writes (26 October 2008):
Well that is not your problem hun. It is not your job or your resposibility to worry about staffing levels.
People like you who worry about this are the reason that evil bastards get away with abusing their staff.
If he wants to make sure all the rooms are cleaned and that his staff stay longer than 2 days he should pay a decent wage to hard workers and make sure he has enough staff to cover sickness and holidays. He's pushing the guilt onto decent people like you so he can get more hours out of you for less money.
You do not get paid enough to worry about any thing other than doing your hours and cleaning as many rooms as you can in that time and no more.
Not every employer is like this and I think it may be time to take a sick day and spend that sick day looking for a new job on the internet wrapped in a duvet with a cup of tea and with the heater on.
Good Luck!! xx
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (26 October 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionIve only had the job just over a week, so wont be any sick pay. And its a small hotel with only the manager there and hopefully one other woman that started yesterday. Thats it. I say hopefully, because she was due to go in today, and sundays in a hotel is enough to send anyone running. And if I dont go in tomorrow, the new woman will be cleaning 30+ rooms herself and the pattern continues where people start this job and then leave within days because its a hard slog job basically, for less than minimum wage. The only people that she can get are polish people. Ive been there just over a week and had to show 2 people what to do and they can barely talk english. One left after 2 days. If i dont go in tomorrow, its unlikely the new woman will be back tuesday. It will just be too much for her, and thats with the manager helping. Its half term week, more rooms are sold school holidays unfortunately.
So there wont be anyway to make up days, i'm there everyday but sunday as it is.
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A
female
reader, Emilysanswers +, writes (26 October 2008):
So you are carrying round an infectious debilitating virus that can be passed through the air or by touching things....
Do you really really really think your employer wants you to bring that to work?
By battling through and going to a hard job you are
a) only going to do half the work you would normally
b) going to be ill for much longer because your immune system can't have all the energy it wants to fight it off
and the best one
c) you'll most likely pass it to all the other staff and make them all take time off.
If you are infectious then call up and take Monday off. They do not want the rest of their staff to go down with this.
One day will not make all the difference in the world and you can always ask for a bit of over time over christmas to make up for it.
As for how to battle the cold on your day off....
a) hot baths with lavender stuff in - the higher quality the lavender the better. Lavender is a natural anti-biotic.
b) lots of vitamin c and high sugar stuff so oranges and chocolate.
c) paracetamol to take down the swelling but BE CAREFUL as if you are taking lemsip or anything then that is just paracetamol sugar and lemon so you need to NOT overdose on paracetamol.
d) hot lemon juice
e) menthol or eucoliptus or vicks vaporub on your pillow to let you breathe in the night
d) rest and warm clothes and lots and lots of sleep.
Honestly, if you take monday off and sleep all day then you will be back in work tuesday with a runny nose but pretty much back up to full strength. If you go into work monday then you will suffer and be a rubbish worker all week.... not impressive to employers.
When you call in sick ask about overtime then and mention you are happy to work any extra hours they have. That will reassure them that you are ill but want to work. Also ask about how to fill the forms in to get your Statutory Sick Pay, which basically means the government gives you a few quid when you can't go in and be paid by the hour. You company may give you sick pay anyway so that should be ok.
Good Luck!! xx
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (26 October 2008): There is an over the counter medicine called Zycam, it is a gel that you put in your nostrils a couple of times a day....it cuts down on the length and severity of the common cold, it does work, I have tried it. Also get plenty of vitamin C and some people swear by Zinc lozenges....I haven't found them to be of help.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (26 October 2008): I have the same symptoms! And I'm having to take time off at my new job! Mine is much better now though. I used nasal spray for the first time which is really good at unblocking the nose, but it can tingle wierdly. I also used Soothers cough sweets which I hate the taste of but help with the sore throat. I also bought Lemsip Max all in one which was expensive and really didn't make any difference (and tasted disgusting) but I know people who swear by it, so it's probably worth trying. I ended up using paracetemol in the end, which worked better. Make sure you're eating a good diet with plenty of fruit and veg so you can recover faster.
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