Avoiding Con Crud

    Have you ever attended a con and felt sick during or after? You caught the con crud. Con crud is a unique sickness that occurs when you attend conventions and expos. It can occur to you while you're attending up to a couple days after. If I were to describe the feeling it ranges from a general crummy feeling to more severe sickness. Con crud is a combination of the flu, a cold, allergies, and the stomach flu. With each person getting symptoms in varying degrees. Each time you attend a convention you have the chance of getting con crud. As much as we would all love being in a bubble during conventions that isn't possible. We have very little personal space, even less before the convention opens or when you're in line. Take anime expo for example, before the exhibit hall opens the lobby fills up and loose like this:

    Here are some tips and advice on how I avoid con crud that you can use for every convention and expo you attend throughout the year.

    So we're bunched up, elbow to elbow, how do we avoid other people's germs? First is to mask up. I used to wear a mask in conventions before COVID hit us, it was the most efficient way of keeping yourself safe from getting sick. Now it's even easier to find masks and if you are cosplaying there are many characters that wear mask. Keep the mask on indoors and take it off if you'd like to be pictured without it. 

    The second piece of advice is to keep your hands clean. Get yourself a small hand sanitizer bottle and use it after you touch objects or handles. Because of the pandemic getting small bottles are easier and you can pick them up from target. In addition you should wash your hands with soap before eating. More than likely you've been touching stuff for hours before eating lunch. And while using hand sanitizer helps, washing your hand with soap will get your hands cleaner and you won't eat what you've touched. Sometimes in big events the bathroom does run out of soap so I suggest buying portable soap. The one I have I purchased from Konikuya.

    The third piece of advice is to make sure you remain hydrated. Get yourself a reusable water bottle or buy a new one during the a convention you attend. Water bottles in conventions tend to sell for 4 dollars for 16 ounces so I recommend to get yourself a reusable one. Use and utilize the refill stations that cons have. Sip water throughout the convention, staying hydrated is a great way to help your immune system. If you feel like you get thirsty easier or for extended periods of times I recommend electrolytes. Either get a sports drink or any of the powder electrolytes. I recommend liquid iv that can be found in single packets at whole foods. Adding fruits or veggies to your diet is also an excellent way of helping yourself during the con.

    The last bit of help I recommend is to bring a variety of medicine in a small container. Besides bringing any necessary medicine I recommend the following: 

• Multivitamin; gummy or pill form, 
• Pain killers; ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin, 
• Allergy medicine,
• Stomach medicine, I go with chewable tums. 

    I also suggest familiarizing yourself to the convention or venue health center. There you will find trained medical professions that will help you with anything severe that may happen to you. Stay safe when you attend conventions and I hope my list can help you avoid con crud in all the conventions you attend in the future.