Same here; I don't recall it being particularly awful, but then, my whole family took being frequently sick for granted in those years, and I didn't yet know any better when I was a kid.
Now for my standard soapbox rant (directed toward anybody who cares):
People, keep your immune systems strong! If you get colds or flu often (as in annually or more) and describe yourself as "healthy", that should be a BIG clue that you could be a lot healthier!
For starters, eat well! That means cut out whatever junk food you're addicted to, and for God's sake, stay out of all those places that serve fast food! Not only is "fast food" an oxymoron (it may fill you up, but it's crap nutritionally), but those morons they have working in back don't even care if they forget to wash after using the toilet or accidentally sneeze on your so-called "happy meal". Prepare as much of your food as you can yourself, from scratch when possible, using fresh ingredients. Include lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Drink at least 4x as much water as your next favorite beverage.
If you're reasonably healthy to begin with, it is really not that difficult to become one of the few who don't get colds or flus 90+% of the times they're directly exposed, or have them last less than 2 days in the rare instances that they do get them. The major reason we remain "the few", IMHO, is that "the most" will not do the very simple things that it takes.
I used to have bad hayfever too, for 3 months out of every year, but now I can walk into a cloud of pollen and am not affected by it at all.