I’ve got “Con Plague”

What that is, & how it could impact you…

Ever get home from a trip, only to get wrecked by a massive cold/flu/crud?

Yep, that’s me & my husband right now.

We call it “Con Plague” – because for us, it shows up after we get home from big comic conventions & anime conventions.

But for you, it might show up more as “Plane Plague” or “Road Plague.”

Whichever term fits best, the setup is about the same –

You spend the week before a trip stressing about all the things you need to do. You stress about how you’re not getting it all done in time. Something gets pushed off til the absolute last minute, and you end up staying up late the night before you leave to finish it up. You finally crawl into bed for a quick 2-3 hours of sleep before you drag yourself back out of bed again to hit the road or get to the airport.

Then you spend hours cooped up in a vehicle or on a plane, maybe with some sniffle-y kiddos, breathing stale, germ-y recirculated air the whole way. Once you get to your destination, there’s probably going to be several dozen other people there, rubbing elbows & swapping germs with you. Your hotel room likely has the AC unit blowing straight onto your face as you sleep each night. You spend the whole trip eating some seriously non-nutritious food, often something you can eat on the run. And once your trip is over, you hop back in the car or on the plane & repeat the stale, germ-y air experience the whole way back.

You finally get home, get everyone unpacked, finally feel like things are back to routine, when SLAM! You get hit by “the plague.”

For me with the convention life, I’m usually stressing & pushing to finish up costumes before we leave. I pull too many late nights and pull out too much hair. But I get it done, and use that adrenaline to keep me rolling as we pack up the van an hour after we meant to hit the road, then finally start in on the long drive to a con that’s states away. We slam caffeine and scarf down fast food the whole way there, trying to make better time. When we get to the con, the stress turns into excitement as we jump into the fray of up to 100,000 fellow nerds who share our passion for playing dress-up. When the con is all over, we rush back home to our sad & lonely kitty cat (she hates when we’re gone), unpack, & finally plop onto the couch. Then wake up the next morning with sore throats & runny noses and sometimes even fevers, each whining for the other to take care of them as we share in the misery of the “Con Plague.”

As I sit amidst my pile of boxes of tissues & cold meds today, I wanted to share 5 tips on how YOU can minimize your risk of catching the Plague, and how to recover asap if it does get you:

1. Get your immune system in peak condition before you go. Get your annual flu shot. And take an immune booster daily, before your trip, during your trip, & after you get home. Airborne & Emergen-C are popular brands, and there’s others out there as well.
2. Avoid running yourself too ragged. Get plenty of sleep before & during your trip. Delegate some of your pre-trip to-do’s to others. Take some unnecessary tasks off that list altogether. And give yourself opportunities during your trip to wind down & relax, instead of go-go-going the whole time.
3. Wash your hands before you eat, and avoid foods you have to touch bare-handed as much as possible. There’s no telling what gunk your hands will pick up during your adventures. Don’t inadvertently eat the gunk. Ick. Wash your hands before you eat. If you’re not able to wash your hands right before you eat, stick to foods you can chow down on using a fork or spoon, or that you can keep in the wrapper as you eat it. Don’t touch your food with your grubby, germ-y hands.
4. Schedule recovery time. After you get back home, take a half or full day as a Recovery Day. This will help your body & mind reset back to normal after the hustle & bustle of your trip. And it gives you a day to sleep in, catch up on laundry or groceries, & otherwise catch your breath before getting back to your daily routine. I try to take my Recovery Day right after I get home. This time, I ended up delaying my Recovery Day by a few days. Which worked out, because now I can laze around at home while I get over the Con Plague, instead of having to call in sick today. Take your Recovery Day somewhere within a week of getting home.
5. If you DO get hit by Con Plague, Plane Plague, or Road Plague, add in tricks to kick the crud faster. Keep taking your daily immune booster. Add in an additional immune booster designed to kick colds faster – my husband & I have used Cold-Eeze or Zicam, as well as Elderberry tabs, Zinc supplements, Echinacea, & vitamin C. Give yourself time & space to get well, with extra sleep, nutritious food, and plenty of water. And make sure your body is functioning at its absolute best with a chiropractic tune-up, which could get your immune system firing a bit more efficiently.

Safe travels, and here’s to avoiding the Plague!

~Dr. Vicky

June 2, 2017