Status Update – Yep, Still Sick
Breaking out the big guns!
Ah, yes! I remember back on Tuesday night when I looked up the stages of a cold, only to learn that days 3 and 4 were the worst, and that most colds last 7-10 days. There was a time when I could kick a cold in five days, but alas, those days are not now. Yep, I’m still sick. But I am beginning to see the light. I’ve passed on from the run-down, thick-headed phase, but now I’m in my absolute least favorite stage of a cold—I’m coughing.
My extreme hatred of coughing goes back about fifteen years, to when I had bronchitis. Man, I never want to be that sick again! I’d never experienced anything like it before, and I never want to feel that way again. I never realized how accurate a description the phrase “coughing up a lung” was until that point. And maybe it’s a myth, but I’ve always heard that once you’ve had bronchitis, your lungs will never be the same again.
Well, it certainly feels that way now! I hate coughing. But as much as I hate it, I am endlessly impressed by how well cold medicine works! Back when I had bronchitis, the only thing that made me feel slightly human was Delsym. Dude, that stuff rocks! So I always keep some on hand. But the problem is, it’s so strong that you can only take it once every 12 hours. So I had the whole debate this morning between Delsym or regular cold medicine. Of course, the regular stuff has the active ingredient in Delsym in it, so there’s that.
In the end (because I know you’re desperate to know about the outcome of this dilemma) I went for the regular cough medicine. I’m hoping it will dry out my sinuses and ease the inflammation in my upper respiratory system, so maybe I won’t have to worry about coughing. So far, so good.
But also, I’ve discovered that steam really helps me not to cough as much. Props to my writer buddy, Caroline Lee, for cluing me in to that one! I think I might go out and buy a humidifier today so I don’t have to keep running the shower and boiling water. Especially since I just noticed this going on with the pot of water I boiled earlier. *shakes head* Kitten!
