Seven days and counting....

There is an adage that states something on the order of "Treat a cold and you will be well in a week.  Do nothing and you will have it for seven days!"  Either way you are stuck with the clogged head, stuffy nose, hacking cough and general yucky feeling.  Yep..seven days and counting.  Now do not get me wrong, I have been treating it!  I started out doing the herbal things that I normally do..ginger root, honey and cayenne pepper throat wash...felt good.  Fennel, star anise and ginger tea decongestant...tasted delicious.  Homemade tomato soup with garlic and jalapenos...again delicious as far as I could tell.  Then...things started going downhill...fast!  My congestion worsened and my cough deepened.  My entire head hurt!  The eyes, ears, face and even my teeth were in pain!  I went from sweating to shivering in a matter of minutes and then back again!  Ok..so this was getting bad.

Last night, Mark had just about enough of me sounding like a foghorn or a barking seal!  I had already laid waste to one entire box of tissue and was constantly downing more water than I cared to track!  He headed to the store.  Now..armed with some medicine for nighttime and then some for daytime...I wage war against this monster!  My first dose of the medicine came late last night.  Since I have not taken any type pharmaceutical products for about eight years now, I read the directions.  I was to take two caplets every six hours not exceeding eight in a twenty-four hour period.  Hmmm..what if I wake up in two hours coughing my lungs out from my chest??  No medicine?  I am so used to herbal remedies that usually have no dosage limit.  But I took the two caplets and hoped for the best.  Nine hours later, I awoke!  What!  That is the longest I have ever slept in my life!  The sun would have been high in the sky had it not been raining cats and dogs!  Well, I supposed I needn't worry about overdosing!  I sat up in bed and took inventory of the old body..yep...everything still hurt. The magic pills did not heal me overnight.  I was a bit annoyed to say the least.

I admit that I did not take the daytime medicine but rather went back to herbs.  At least they are tasty..something I cannot say for the boxed medicine.  Perhaps I am doing wrong by not taking the pills around the clock but there is just something in me that says I should not.  That little voice is echoing among the phlegm that still fills the nasal passages and head!  DO NOT TAKE TOO MANY PILLS! Some of you might find argument with my tiny voices and even I have questioned their validity!  Heehee..but somehow they overrule any reasoning!  Tonight...the caplets will be downed with a full glass of water and followed with some hot, peach tea.  And do notice..the tea is made with a (gasp!) teabag not from scratch!  That, in itself, should be testimony as to how bad I feel! The pills, hopefully, will give me more rest and well, the tea..sure tastes good!