If I have a cold, and my other half / child / parent / colleague / close friend has a worse one, can I catch their cold?
SUPER COLD
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The stronger cold will do battle with - and ultimately destroy - your weaker cold. You will then have the stronger cold and it’ll be all cocky from its recent victory. It’ll start giving it the big 'un and make your nose run loads.
Good luck.
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Cold squared
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Two colds make a fever
Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your germs around me
I get a fever that’s so hard to bear
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If their cold is from the same virus, you should be immune once your symptoms have started to subside. If it’s a different virus then you can catch it.
There are over 200 viral strains that cause colds. The older you get, the more you’ll already have had, so your chances of not getting it improve (that’s also why little kids have colds all the time).
Also depends how fucked your immune system is at the time your exposed - a lot of the time you get exposed and your immune system fights it off without you even feeling ill.
Edit: I am not a doctor so this could be a load of rubbish
Been eating a lot of cheese and drinking pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlords: reckon I’ll be OK 
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- Yes you can catch two colds at the same time, assuming they are antigenically different
- Your child/parent etc may seem like their worse cold is different but they may have the same one as you but are responding to it differently
- There is a chance that while you have one cold, the ongoing innate (non-specific) immune response from the first may have a slight protective effect against the second but it’s not guaranteed.
- I wouldn’t stay away from them - it’s so easy to pick up colds from anywhere if you’re going to get one you’re going to get one. That’s why I don’t get all the hate when people turn up to work with a cold.
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Oh Laelf, please don’t take away a reason for me to be annoyed at people. 
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Flu chat (I know you love it).
My son’s immunisation was supposed to be last Friday (so late). On Wednesday he went down with the flu. He had six days of high temperatures, a day where we couldn’t control it, two trips to the Dr’s, and a call with the Dr.
Now, when his immunity is back up we are going to have to find a private immunisation I think.
That really sucks. If it’s any consolation there is every chance he had a type of flu that wouldn’t have been covered by the seasonal flu vaccine anyway. Hope he makes a swift recovery.
Yeah he’s OK now.
It might have been but the fact that the rest of us who have been immunised didn’t get it makes me suspect it would have been covered. My wife and the baby (who I assume gets her immunity) have been virtual prisoners with him.
I’ve had the lurgy for a week. Some general cold symptoms (malaise, aching limbs, bunged up) but no signs of others (runny nose, cough).
A weird side effect that i’ve never had before is really foul-smelling mucus from the nose. Took into account it could just be a heightened sense of smell, but asked a couple of mates, and we all concluded that it smells like somebody’s defecated in my mouth.
Internet says sinus infection, chemist says the same, doctor won’t prescribe antibiotics and says it’s more likely to be a cold. Has anyone else had this symptom? How do i shift it - nasal sprays and constant brushing/washing aren’t helping and i’ve got a couple of work meetings coming up which sort of depend on me not smelling like a dog’s backside.
the annoyance for me is that it makes people like me who’ll take a day off for a cold look bad.
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Hello!
I used to get chronic sinus infections and that honking smell. Inhaling with steam helps and so does a neti pot (although it’s grim). Decongestants work short term but will risk you getting a rebound condition that’s worse. It totally sucks.
For a while I was putting probiotic powder up my nose and I convinced myself that worked a tear but was possibly (definitely) a placebo.
I hate colds. Been getting a later train to work that’s less packed in a bid to avoid catching one for Xmas but today I’ve got scratchy throat and eyes and feel wheezy. Whoop!
How long did yours last, generally?
What sort of steam - just boiling water, menthol crystals, something else?
It’s the embarrassment more than anything. Easy enough to be upfront with good pals and family members, but i can’t be starting every work conversation with “Sorry my mouth smells like a used nappy” like
I get this too, fucking sinuses - the awareness of being just generally sick-smelling is horrible. Not to put too much of a frightener on you, but I’ve found it can last a while. I’ve had sinus infections that lasted weeks (yay pain and bloody mucus) and the smell hasn’t really improved until it’s cleared up. I can sort of feel it starting now so I just bring mints everywhere. Sorry.
What @anon32406580 said - I don’t think anyone at any professional distance will smell it. My partner, on the other hand, relishes in telling me that I stink.