Coming down with something
I think I'm coming down with something. I can always tell when a cold is coming on because it starts one of two ways either uncontrollable sneezing or a dry,raw,sore throat that doesn't go away no matter how much water I drink.
My husband and I differ on how we each handle a cold. He lays around and doesn't do much because he is sick and he can't. I, on the other hand, try to ignore the cold and do what ever I do normally. I've been like that since high school.
When I was in high school I usually had three hours of homework every night. I never wanted to stay home when I was sick because if I did I'd get behind and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to catch up.
Once I got out of college and started my first job the habit continued. You'd think that, as a pharmacist, I'd know better and stay home when sick to prevent spreading anything to my customers. The problem was that although I did have sick time, I couldn't use it. If I called in sick, it meant that someone would lose a day off assuming that I would have someone to call which most of the time I didn't. It didn't seem worth it to me to antagonize my coworkers so I could stay home to nurse a cold.
I remember coming to work once with a very sore throat. The manager let me in and I whispered to her that I had good news and bad news. She asked me why I was whispering and told me to speak up. I told her that was the bad news. My voice wasn't going to get any louder. In fact it had taken half a pot of tea and a warm, steamy shower to get even to that level. Midway through my shift I lost my voice completely. The good new was that it was a Saturday and by the time I'd lost my voice, things had slowed down.
The other thing my husband and I disagree on is cold medicine. When he is sick he feels he should take something for it. He usually starts out with vitamin C and if that doesn't work, he treats what ever symptoms he has. I refuse to take anything.
The reason for this is that, to me, cold symptoms are the body's way to get rid of the cold virus. It makes no sense to me to short circuit this process with cold medicine. I also tend to get a little loopy off of the decongestants so I don't like to take them. The most I'll take is a little ibuprofen and only if I'm running a fever high enough where I can't sleep. If I'm really stuffed up, I take a pot of water and boil it. Once it boils I take it off the heat, put a towel over my head and inhale the steam. You have to be careful not to get your face down too far into the steam because you don't want to burn yourself. It works for me.
Cold and flu season is coming up. There are all kinds of things out there advertised to prevent illness. I've found the simplest things work best. Eat healthy. Drink plenty of liquids. Get enough sleep. Wash your hands often. Cover your mouth when you cough. If you do get sick, stay home from work.
My husband and I differ on how we each handle a cold. He lays around and doesn't do much because he is sick and he can't. I, on the other hand, try to ignore the cold and do what ever I do normally. I've been like that since high school.
When I was in high school I usually had three hours of homework every night. I never wanted to stay home when I was sick because if I did I'd get behind and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to catch up.
Once I got out of college and started my first job the habit continued. You'd think that, as a pharmacist, I'd know better and stay home when sick to prevent spreading anything to my customers. The problem was that although I did have sick time, I couldn't use it. If I called in sick, it meant that someone would lose a day off assuming that I would have someone to call which most of the time I didn't. It didn't seem worth it to me to antagonize my coworkers so I could stay home to nurse a cold.
I remember coming to work once with a very sore throat. The manager let me in and I whispered to her that I had good news and bad news. She asked me why I was whispering and told me to speak up. I told her that was the bad news. My voice wasn't going to get any louder. In fact it had taken half a pot of tea and a warm, steamy shower to get even to that level. Midway through my shift I lost my voice completely. The good new was that it was a Saturday and by the time I'd lost my voice, things had slowed down.
The other thing my husband and I disagree on is cold medicine. When he is sick he feels he should take something for it. He usually starts out with vitamin C and if that doesn't work, he treats what ever symptoms he has. I refuse to take anything.
The reason for this is that, to me, cold symptoms are the body's way to get rid of the cold virus. It makes no sense to me to short circuit this process with cold medicine. I also tend to get a little loopy off of the decongestants so I don't like to take them. The most I'll take is a little ibuprofen and only if I'm running a fever high enough where I can't sleep. If I'm really stuffed up, I take a pot of water and boil it. Once it boils I take it off the heat, put a towel over my head and inhale the steam. You have to be careful not to get your face down too far into the steam because you don't want to burn yourself. It works for me.
Cold and flu season is coming up. There are all kinds of things out there advertised to prevent illness. I've found the simplest things work best. Eat healthy. Drink plenty of liquids. Get enough sleep. Wash your hands often. Cover your mouth when you cough. If you do get sick, stay home from work.
I really like your method for fighting a cold. I think I will try it!
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