civilservant

I hadn't been ill for years before I moved here in August.

Since then I've had 3 colds, a bout of flu and now have Gastroenteritis. Has anyone found this? Getting used to new and varied bugs? I guess it dosen't help that I work in a hospital, but I'm pretty fed up at this point!

Noorah101

I'm no health professional, but I'd chalk it up to change in weather, change in environment, change in diet, perhaps a change in exercise, etc.

When my husband first moved to the USA (from Turkey), he gained about 25 lbs in 6 months! He was eating out a lot more, fast food, and exercising less. He managed to drop 15 lbs during the next year or so, but then a couple of years later got his cholesterol checked and it was around 260!! Waaaay high. So the doctor suggested modifying his diet and exercising more, and now he's back to his normal weight, and his cholesterol is down to a number within normal range, too.

Have you seen a doctor?

Rene

civilservant

No, since none of it has been serious enough to warrant visiting one - it just seems to be happening again and again. All these slightly different foreign bugs are getting through my defences!

Bink

Yes! Having a young child doesn't help either but I too have been sick much more frequently since moving here though it has settled down a bit.

dunroving

Stress can reduce the effectiveness of your immune system, and moving is pretty stressful.

Problem with the US is when you probably should go to the doctor, you tend to think about how much it is going to cost, and so you don't go.

Maybe see a doctor and take the hit for some routine blood tests.

Noorah101

+1 to all of the above.

Rene

Speedwell

You're in Georgia, CS. The change in the humidity alone could do it. Allergies to the local molds could do it. The best you can do is put an air filter in your bedroom at night, drink lots of water, rinse your sinuses with a neti pot or squeeze bottle made for the purpose, wash your hands obsessively, get enough sleep and nutrition, and get your flu shot. The stomach troubles are just going to happen; as a frequent traveler, believe me, they do happen. I'm sorry you're ill.

Bink

It's crazy isn't it. First thought is not, I wonder what's wrong with me, but how much is this going to cost me?

rpjs

I'd say climate can be a factor. Even here in the North-East, it's a less damp than the UK and that seems to agree with me. I get colds less here and they don't usually tail off into a cough that lasts for weeks like I used to get back in Blighty.

OH, despite being a US native, seems to agree with the UK climate more though!

dunroving

Yes, the cold, damp conditions here (Glasgow) seem to lead to a lot of bronchial problems.

Interestingly, I developed asthma and hay fever as a child growing up in a UK council house with damp and mould problems (my bed was right next to the window, with streaming condensation on it).

When I moved to the Bahamas, both conditions disappeared. Immediately.

I moved to Massachusetts, still no problems.

When I moved to the Southeast USA (I was told Athens GA was the mould capital of the US), my seasonal allergies came back, and I've been stuck with them since. But my asthma never came back.

Now, in cold, perpetually damp Glasgow I find I have a lot more problems with "me Arthur-it is" (joint and muscle pains), that I never got in the southeast US.

I had forgotten the OP was in GA - although it sounds like she has colds and tummy bugs, I wouldn't be surprised if the humidity and mould was playing some role.

robin1234

I agree with this. Also, gender reassignment can have serious side effects too.

dunroving

Yes, when I moved to Georgia I came over all strange, like.

All right, all right, I clearly need to pay more attention!

Jerseygirl

We moved about 15 miles away when my daughter was 2 yrs old. In the first few months she came down with several bugs. Our doctor said it was due to new germs/bugs she wasn't used to. He said even moving a few miles can make a difference.

hungryhorace

I have had some tests ordered after going to my GP. My first thought, like yours, how much is this going to cost me.

Yet my wife continues to defend the healthcare system here. They're blinded by any other way than 100% private.

lansbury

When I first went to work at Heathrow I had a run of coughs, colds and other minor illnesses. Put that down to coming into contact with people from all over the world bringing in strains of the stuff I hadn't built an immunity to.