[img]958|left|Alex Campbell||no_popup[/img]Dateline Boston — Do you take care of yourself when you get sick? No, really. Do you take the day off, rest, eat chicken soup, and do nothing all day? I don’t know many people who do. True, most people I know have small children, and simply can’t rest. Hats off to them. I don’t know how they do it. When I get sick, I wallow in my misery.
I got a head cold two weeks ago. It started with a sore throat and sneezing. This was followed by post nasal drip, which in my opinion, is the worst symptom of sickness I can imagine. Bring on the headaches, upset stomach, fever and even throw up, but please don’t let me get the drips down the back of my throat. What could be worse than drippy, diluted snot running down the back of one’s throat? You feel like you have to swallow all the time. You cough nonproductively. It’s just plain icky.
When I have a cold, as I did two weeks ago, I check my temperature constantly. This time around I got as high as 99.4, which technically isn’t a fever, but it was higher than my usual temperature. Wah. I always grab the handbook of healthcare that I got from my insurance company and look up my symptoms. They’re always the same—viral infection, which just has to run its course. I sleep, I drink lots of fluids, and when my S.O. asks if I want him to bring me chicken soup, I whine weakly, “Yes, please.” I lay with the back of my hand on my forehead, sighing and rocking back and forth.
My cold this time lasted for a whole week and a half. At the end of it, the post nasal drip was replaced by all sorts of gunk coming out of my nose. Isn’t it so satisfying when you blow your nose and a whole big blob of substance fills the tissue? When that happens to me, I give a triumphant cry: “That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!” Anything is better than post nasal drip.
Formula for Getting Sick
I was away for the long weekend with friends. Three out of four of us were sick. One day we went out and got fresh air. The next day we did nothing. It was great. My friend Diana had brought along a pack of essential oils for the bath, and we took turns passing them around, deciding if we needed lavender to calm ourselves or lemon for that energizing spirit. We all agreed that spruce smelled the best. So we each took a bath with it. I pretended I was in a pine forest, resting on a rock, breathing the fresh mountain air. It was very relaxing. My reverie was disrupted by the shower gel I borrowed because I had forgotten my soap (a recurring theme, apparently). The shower gel was advertised as being revitalizing. By the time I was deeply relaxed, I was jerked awake by cleanliness. The bath was still wonderful, and my pajamas were so comfortable I stayed in them all day.
When I got back home, I used my neti pot for a couple of days. Now I’m all better. Don’t know what a neti pot is? A little tiny watering can you fill with water and salt and stick up your nose, letting the water run in one nostril and out the other. Look it up. Great for what ails you…in your nose, that is. Sounds gross, feels great. And hey, it’s better than post nasal drip.
Ms. Campbell may be contacted at her new address, snobbyblog@gmail.com
