Being ill in Germany

Yes, I was right I am ill again. I thought I would take this opportunity to explain how I deal with being ill in Germany and a give a bit of advice to those who are worrying about what to do if they fall ill.

There is nothing worse than having a cold during your year abroad, especially when you are still trying to settle in. As you know this is the first week of the semester so I really need to be on top form. Therefore I need to do my best to control my temperature, sore throat and lethargy.

Here you can see my 4 essential items for combating the dreaded C word in Germany.

Item number 1 is “Müller Fructiv” Juice. When you are ill it is obviously very important to pack your body full of vitamins, and this is a delicious way to do it. I am a huge fan of these drinks and they are one of my top finds in Germany. The juice comes in many equally tantalising flavours (this one happens to be limited edition strawberry, lime and watermelon). The juice is pretty easy to find in supermarkets and is also sold in our university Bistro. What I love about it is that it tastes great and gives me an energy boost but also it is cheaper than other bottled drinks because the bottle doesn’t come with a Pfand (a deposit added onto the price to persuade you to recycle your bottle, something that I always forget to do!).  

Number 2 is a bottle of water. Fatigue, temperature and headaches are all symptoms of dehydration so I always make sure I have a bottle of water close by. Bottles of water are not so cheap here because of the Pfand so I mostly drink tap water. A lot of bottled water in Germany is fizzy, which I cannot stand so if I am going to buy a bottle of water I have to double check that its stilled. This is just a personal preference. :-)

Number 3 is a woolly scarf. I know that this probably sound like something that your grandma would suggest but the last time I was ill here (all of two weeks ago) I really noticed how much wearing a scarf helps. I just wrap it around my neck and instantly feel less cold and it regulates my body temperature. Also if you have a sore throat keeping your neck warm helps to stimulate blood flow and speeds up the heeling process.

Number 4 are some throat “sweets” I bought from the Apotheke last time I had a cold. I really recommend to anyone who is ill in Germany, whether it is a cold, tooth ache, vomiting etc to visit the Apotheke and to ask for advice. For anyone who has visited Germany before you will know just how easy it is to find an Apotheke. This is because Germans prefer to use them than go to the doctor (they don’t have the luxury of the NHS like us Brits). The woman behind the counter (a charming Chinese lady) was very helpful and friendly. I simply said “Hallo, mein Hals tut weh und ich habe keine Ahnung über welche Halspastille, die ich kaufe söllte” (Hi, my throat hurts and I haven’t got a clue which throat sweets to buy). She happily went behind the counter and got me a packet of “Dorithricin Halstabletten”. She then explained to me how often to use them and what they do. There tablets are great. I took one every 3 hours as I was told, and the next morning my throat was fine. They work by numbing the pain and then clearing up the infection. My throat didn’t feel as numb as it does when I use throat lozenges at home, but they were a lot more pleasant to suck on. These tablets are mints not lozenges so there is no strong taste and they leave you feeling confident that you don’t have the ill person breath.    

I realise that my 4 tips will not cure the common cold nor will they work on everyone but they sure have made my day more comfortable.