Cough and Cold Season

"Tis the season to be sniffly...tra la la la laaaa la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Every year, I'm the last in my family of 4 to get "sick".  And when I mean sick, I mean the dreaded cough and cold.  But for me, and maybe others with Crohn's, I always seem to get it 100 fold.
The runny nose, I can handle, that's nothing. 
The coughing, that's a little more than nothing.  It's not the coughing itself, it's what the coughing does to your insides.  You never realize just how much you tighten your abs when you cough until you've had Crohn's and the multiple surgeries, cutting open those abs.
But then there's the headache and exhaustion, this is something you really can't fix.  Is it because, generally, when you are sick, your body is already tired....maybe.  Is it because with Crohn's your body is so zapped of vitamins and minerals, it's already tired......probably.
But I HAVE discovered over the years (and several hospitalizations) the main obstacle with cough and colds, for me anyway, is..........dehydration.
I discovered that especially when I walked upstairs, I was so exhausted, I had to sit down and was out of breath.  Plus the dry mouth that came with it.  Turns out, I was dehydrated.  Problem is, how does a person with Crohn's keep hydrated?  No matter how much I drink, I can't keep it in.  Another "side effect" of the cough and cold.  I am continuously going to the bathroom.  Wow, a person with Crohn's continuously going to the bathroom...go figure. 
So what do I do?  Keep drinking.  Every time I go to the bathroom, I have a drink, on top of all the time in between as well.  Just keep drinking and eventually, the cough and cold works its way out of your system.

So, even if your Crohn's isn't active, you have a cold, you feel exhausted and out of breath AND you have dry mouth, you're probably dehydrated.....drink more.