On parasites, injuries, and viruses: staying healthy at SDCC

 15 JULY 2026

Just in time for our favorite week of the year, a disgusting new parasite is invading America's small intestine - and potentially, convention center restrooms. Unless you're one of those people who never watch the news, you've probably heard of cyclosporiasis by now. That's the illness and the little bugger that causes it is called cyclospore cayetanensis. Currently there are over 2000 cases in the States and they are mostly thought to stem from contaminated fresh produce. 

Bad news for everyone sticking to salads to make sure they fit into their Starfire cosplay.

I'm not telling anyone what to eat - although I did painstakingly pick every single bean sprout off my pad thai tonight - but it is a good idea to learn the basics of our new intestinal friends and form your own approach to protecting yourself. No one wants to confront a restroom line when diarrhea hits. And a lot of us will be dining out next week, with less control over our food prep than we'd normally have.

But parasites aren't even the big bad of SDCC. People get sick all the time at Comic-Con. It's just inevitable with thousands of people milling around up close and personal and touching books, escalator rails, elevator buttons, and other germ-friendly locations. But maybe Con Crud isn't the most common affliction either. Maybe that belongs to the mostly preventable overuse injury, which includes every throbbing knee, sore hip, stiff neck, and aching back, all boiling down to one reason: a lot of attendees walk and stand way, way, more than they're used to.

I know we're a week out but here are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

Rest up. 

Once, in my Comic-Con youth, I could carouse all night, hitting beach parties, Gaslamp bars, hotel room parties, and end it all by greeting the rising sun; now I absolutely need a decent amount of sleep. If that's you, rest up this coming weekend. If your hotel might be noisy, figure out a solution like soft earplugs or white noise. Once you're at the Con, try to set aside at least one night for a good sleep and don't be afraid to take naps.

Boost your immunity now.

Because I'm 60% hippie, I ingest quite a few supplements and swear by their powdery magic. Probably you have a different protocol - but whatever that is, zinc, echinacea, immunity boosters, a B-12 shot - start your regimen now. Not when you get there.

Protect your feet. 

So often people hear "bring comfortable shoes" and translate that to, "wear your old trainers you've had for years." But the shoes that feel comfortable on a lazy Sunday are not often the same shoes that will ferry you comfortably through days of 20,000+ steps and hours in line. 

If you haven't bought seriously supportive shoes yet, do that immediately and break them in each day so you're not in blister hell at SDCC. Or at least buy a nice pair of quality orthotics.

And if you are mostly sedentary, start walking every day. You actually can build up a moderate tolerance over the next week, if you walk and stretch every day. You'll be in much better shape come Preview Night.

On a nightlife note - you may be packing spike heels or dominatrix boots for nights on the town, but I would caution you to pack comfortable options too. Vanity is often the first casualty after Day 1 at Comic-Con. 

On that note, bring a collapsible stool, camping pad or some other support.

Even spry young things can suffer in a long line. It's truly horrible to work so hard to make it to SDCC and then miss a top panel because your bad back is screaming at you to go back to the hotel. There are some really convenient and portable options out there these days.

Eat well.

Maybe you love food trucks and Subway; maybe you already have a reservation at Nobu; maybe you have a taste for Exhibit Hall french fries. What matters is remembering that you can't always eat when you want to if you're going to be in long lines and panels, so account for that and don't skip too many meals or eat too much crap. Keeping your mood and blood sugar stable goes a long way at SDCC.

Bring a small pharmacy. 

Or order it when you get there - but do have the wonders of modern medicine on hand. Ibuprofen, eye drops, band-aids, sunscreen, back/knee/ankle braces, condoms, digestive cures, and other magic tricks can help you enjoy Comic-Con instead of suffering through a headache, constipation, or sunburn, or worse. 

  

Protect your mental health. 

If this is your first SDCC, you might be surprised at how emotional it can be. Not always in a positive sense - roommates fight, Holy Grail exclusives sell out, friends go to a party without you, the 24/7 bombast snaps your last nerve. It's a bit of a pressure cooker. Identify a retreat where you can have some quiet time. Maybe it's just a movie at the Marriott where you can sit in the dark for a while, or a local 12-step meeting, or a morning walk around the zoo. If you know you are highly sensitive, arrange in advance to have a friend on standby or a therapist or a telepsych appointment.

Ask CCI for help.

CCI offers rest areas, private areas for nursing mothers, a first aid team, wheelchairs, ASL interpreters, special seating, mobility and disability assistance. This is all there for you, the attendee, so go ahead and ask for it.

No one wants to be sick or injured - or a host to a parasite - at Comic-Con. It happens easily, but it can be avoided easily for the most part too.

1 week!

Staying healthy at Comic-Con

14 JULY 2024

I intended to write up a summary of the panels (overall verdict: missing a few things, but I'm basically pleased.) However, illness smote me down today, forcing me to think about something many of us take for granted: staying healthy at Comic-Con. Which also - with summer COVID on the rise - includes staying healthy for Comic-Con. Nothing is worse than getting infectious or injured right before your most anticipated trip of the year. 

So, to state the obvious: rest up. 

I hate that I can no longer stay out all night, but sleep deprivation hits hard these days. If you're still in the springtime of life where you are bursting with energy 24/7, have at it. I used to be you, carousing all night at SDCC and then coming back to the hotel at sunrise, yet still full of vigor for the day ahead. 

But if that isn't you, rest up this coming weekend and - boring as this sounds - get a decent night's sleep at Con. Or least nap first before going out. You will crash otherwise because the Con is super taxing.

Boost your immunity now. 

This depends on how much of a supplements person you are. If you normally subscribe to the power of echinacea, bee pollen, Emergen-C, zinc, Vitamin D, etc., start your regimen a few days before Con. There's a reason so many people get sick from SDCC - we're all touching escalator railings, book covers, panel seats, tables and other surfaces touched by hundreds of others.

Nurture your feet. 

If you're going to buy a new pair of shoes, do so now and break them so you're not in blister hell at SDCC. If you're going to rely on the same tennis shoes or trainers or whatever else you wear, assess how much support they really give you. At least put in a pair of orthotics. Your feet will thank you later. 

I say this as someone who generally wears heels almost everywhere. I bought an expensive pair of Hokas last month that look heinous and feel like walking on a cloud; Comic-Con is all about comfort over vanity. (I know you cosplayers may disagree.)

Nurture your mind too. 

We tend to celebrate and remember the elation of our Comic-Con days and forget how stressful - and sometimes lonely - it can be. The constant crowds and noise can work our last nerve; so can an annoying roommate. Or you're the annoying roommate but you didn't realize it and now everyone is ostracizing you. Or you're just not able to access any of the panels and events you wanted. Whatever it is, people do melt down at Comic-Con, so prep however you need to - nearby 12-step meetings, telepsych, medication, a scheduled day away from the madness.

Bring a small pharmacy. 

Aspirin, eye drops, band-aids, sunscreen, back/knee/ankle braces and other magic tricks can be the one thing that keeps you enjoying Comic-Con instead of retreating to your hotel to lick your wounds. If you think there's even a sub-atomic chance that you might hook up with someone, bring condoms. Sleep masks and eye plugs can help you block out city noise and roommates who creep in and out of your room at strange hours. There's a CVS in the Gaslamp where everyone goes for this stuff but you probably won't feel like making the journey there when something is sunburned, aching, or blistered.

Bring a collapsible stool, camping pad or something other support.

Attendees overestimate their ability to endure a long line all the time. Nothing is more tragic than investing 5 hours in a line and realizing the screaming pain in your back is forcing you to go home. 

Ask CCI for help.

CCI offers rest areas, private areas for nursing mothers, a first aid team, wheelchairs, ASL interpreters, special seating, mobility assistance, and - I believe - assistance on shuttles for users of wheelchairs and other supports. This is all there for you, the attendee, so go ahead and ask for it.

Eat well.

Everyone has their culinary tricks at SDCC - some people love food trucks and Subway, some people make time for long luxurious meals, some brave souls eat Exhibit Hall food. In general, remember that you can't always eat when you want if you're going to be in Hall H or Ballroom 20 all day or waiting for an offsite for hours, so think ahead and don't subsist on crap. SDCC is a physically (and sometimes emotionally) draining experience, so try to keep your mood and blood sugar stable.

Limit your indulgence. 

I know, I know: so many parties, so little time. You have to meet this person for drinks, then go to this party you got tickets for, and then cut out to go to some live art show, and 4 stops later you've gone from squiffy to annihilated. And then you're too sick to enjoy anything the next day or even get out of bed. It's not worth it - just my opinion - and it's unfair if your friends wind up missing some of their Con because they're taking care of you.

Escape.

If you're an introvert, cut yourself off from the chaos for a bit. Go hang out in the film festival or an anime marathon or the Playback Room and isolate in the dark. Go swimming at your hotel. Or go walk around the zoo or go to the beach. It can give you a second wind for Con chaos, especially if you have roommates and feel like you're not getting enough alone time.

I didn't say anything about COVID because I think everyone already knows what side they land on in terms of to mask or not to mask. And in a larger sense, some people just expect to get sick at SDCC and factor it in as the price of being there. But I think it's stupid to throw all caution to the wind and act like it's any other week - it's not. Take a little extra care with yourself and you will enjoy your time at the Con that much more.

Staying healthy before - and at - Comic-Conn

 18 JULY 2022

The Angel of Plague

It's so easy to get sick at Comic-Con. "Con Crud" is not an urban legend but something that plenty of people fall prey to, returning from the Con with a cough and general malaise. We are, after all, constantly touching things at SDCC: graphic novels, plushies, cosplayers' shoulders, escalator handrails, restroom doors, each other. Comic-Con was a superspreader event when COVID was just a twinkle in a plague god's eye.

But it's not just flu-type illnesses you need to watch out for. If you're not used to walking, you can easily strain or sprain something or aggravate your plantar fascia. A slowly deflating air mattress leaves you with a stiff back, four hours in the Next Day Line sunburns your scalp. Crowds and general Con frustration can exacerbate any mental challenges you're struggling with. If your fitness level deteriorated during lockdown, you might tire a lot faster than you did at your last SDCC.

And - let's just be honest here - instead of leaving SDCC with an illness this year, many of us will arrive with it. I appreciate CCI doing what they can with requiring a vaccination card or negative COVID test result, but I think it would be far safer if we all had to provide a negative test result there on the spot. Untenable, I know. But many vaccinated people are getting sick with BA.5 right now. I was in a mini-superspreader event last week involving people from the Bay Area and New York and a lot of alcohol and what do you know, people are waking up with sore throats and testing positive. Many of them are triple vaxxed.

I'm fully expecting this week to infect many people. How much control we each individually wield over that is debatable, but we're all making the choice to be in a space with thousands of people in it in a part of the country experiencing high infection rates. If I lose my COVID virginity to SDCC, I won't like it but I won't be angry. It's a choice I made. That said, there are some things we can do to protect our general health like...

Boost your immunity.

There are all kinds of immunity boost magic pills and shots out there. Even if you think they're snake oil, it doesn't hurt to bump up on some echinacea and vitamins. Get adequate sleep too and drink lots of water. 

Wear masks, obviously.

I'm sure plenty of you out there think masks don't work. Experience has taught me they help, even cloth masks when filters are added. Even if you normally don't mask at home, you might want to consider masking full-time in San Diego - not just inside the convention center but everywhere else. I doubt many people will, though.

Bring chairs, drugs, supports.  

Sunscreen to protect you in line, moleskin and bandages for blisters, ibuprofen when panels are a little loud for your delicate skull, muscle ointment - if you don't bring it with you, at least learn where the Gaslamp CVS is. And don't be ashamed to bring a portable chair with you if your feet/back just aren't built for long lines.

Don't overindulge.

I realize indulgence is the entire point of SDCC for many of you. Just remember that you can get hammered back home and that people who are too high to remember the name of their hotel are a burden on their friends. Also consider eating wisely. If you live off fried bar food and a box of donuts in your room, your energy levels will hit rock bottom. Stay hydrated and follow the classic hiking rule: "If you're halfway through your water, you're halfway through your hike."

Take advantage of SDCC resources.

CCI offers a lot of on-site support, including medical professionals, free first aid, private areas for nursing mothers, ADA resources, wheelchairs, ASL interpreters, rest areas, and assistance for the disabled. All of this is there for attendees to use, so don't stoically ignore your pain. I've taken people to first aid - they're happy to help.

Arrange preemptive help for behavioral needs. 

Plenty of nerds have mental health needs that can get exacerbated by SDCC crowds, noise, and disappointments. Telepsych visits can help; so can asking a close friend to be there for a video chat; if you're in recovery, find out where the meetings are and line up some sober activities. 

Finally, take breaks when you need to. Comic-Con is a lot. I think this year is going to be incredible and rewarding in many ways after 3 years of SDCClessness, but it's also going to be risky. Let's look after ourselves and each other.