Got sick before the New Year? A doctor explains how not to miss the holiday 0 8

Who wants to lie down with a fever when everyone around is cutting Olivier salad and getting ready for the main night of the year? If you got sick and there are only a couple of days left until the holiday, everything is fixable. The main thing is to act correctly.

December is the most stressful month of the year. You need to finish all work tasks, prepare for the holiday, buy gifts, attend the corporate party, come up with a costume for your child, plan the New Year's menu… There can be a lot of tasks. In such a hustle and bustle, getting sick is the last thing you need, especially on the eve of the New Year.

Moreover, pre-holiday stress and rush lower immunity, making it easier to catch a virus at corporate parties and in shopping malls.

Doctor Alexandra Fileva told "Doctor Peter" how to quickly get back on your feet if cold symptoms appear just before the holiday.

"If on December 30 or a little earlier you feel chills, nasal congestion, and general malaise, the first and most important step is to cancel all plans and ensure bed rest for at least the first day. The body needs resources to fight the infection, and attempts to ignore the first symptoms will only worsen the condition," says the expert.

Yes, there are always many tasks a couple of days before the New Year. But think about what is better: to delegate something to loved ones, to refuse something, or to do everything at once and then collapse with a high fever on New Year's Eve? It seems the choice is obvious.

The second important point is to maintain the body's hydration level. You need to drink warm beverages at room temperature every 20–30 minutes in small portions.

"Water, weak tea with lemon, compotes, and berry juices without added sugar are suitable. Liquid helps eliminate toxins and prevents dehydration against the background of fever," says Alexandra Fileva.

A runny nose is better treated with saline solutions rather than decongestant drops — they only dry out the mucosa and can worsen the condition with prolonged use.

At a high body temperature, it is necessary to use antipyretic medications. These can be drugs containing paracetamol or ibuprofen in dosages according to age. Remember that you should take them when the temperature rises above 38.5 °C or when feeling very unwell.

What you absolutely should not do

• Under no circumstances should you combine different medications or take them prophylactically: this creates unnecessary stress on the liver.

• It is not recommended to rub the skin with alcohol solutions or vinegar, steam your feet, or do inhalations at elevated temperatures.

• Antibiotic medications do not act on viruses, and their uncontrolled intake disrupts the microflora and can lead to resistance — bacterial resistance to drugs.

• You should also avoid getting carried away with immunomodulators: they can provoke an unpredictable reaction in a weakened body.

"If by the morning of December 31 the temperature has dropped and the symptoms have become moderate, the celebration can go on. However, the regime should be gentle: no staying up until morning and large gatherings, alcohol, and overeating, especially fatty foods," warns the doctor.

It is better to prefer light food: broth, stewed vegetables, boiled meat. Yes, you want Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat, but what prevents you from making your favorite salad during the holidays? Right now, your main task is to recover as quickly as possible, and proper nutrition can greatly help with that.

If the temperature persists on the holiday, you experience shortness of breath or a severe headache, these are signs that your body needs to continue treatment in rest, and it is better to postpone cheerful plans to the January holidays.

In cases where the fever does not subside and you feel worse, there is only one solution — call an ambulance. And it's better not to delay until New Year's Eve, especially if you started feeling bad in the morning or at lunch.