Germ Warfare

This last week I came down with a fairly bad chest cold. It was a gift from my husband, who brought it home with him after being away for a week. My immune system is usually pretty durable and can generally withstand the many colds and flues that float around every winter season. This one, however, has slapped me around, flipped me on my back, and made me cry "mama."

It first started with a dry, scratching throat, which then quickly turned into that pin cushion feeling that lets you know that this is no irritant. This is going to be worse, a lot worse. By the next morning, after listening to my husband saw down a forest all night, my lungs had filled up and the pressure was mounting around my ears and into my sinuses. Meanwhile, the goo filling up inside my nostrils must have run out of places to go and decided to set up residence in the cavity just behind my eyes. Bulging eyeballs, the tears began to form. Every time I would get that feeling that I was about to sneeze, my eyes would start to flow like Niagara Falls.

Day 2 brought forth the lung congestion with lots of fun flavored mucus. To go anywhere required Kleenex stuffed into every available pocket, purse, or occasional sleeve cuff, Tylenol, cough drops, and my homeopathic remedies.
To make matters even more challenging, my in-laws came up from California for my husband's birthday. Being sick sucks bad enough, but when you have a houseful of guest (including a teenager) all here for some big hoopty doo party that you haven't even started planning for, life becomes hell.
Every evening, after having to struggle to entertain, make food, and trying to be the good and happy daughter-in-law, my head began to feel like a cement brick.
After they left on Sunday afternoon, I found myself on the couch unable to move. I told my husband I wasn't leaving that spot for the rest of day. I stuck Season 2 of "Lost" in the DVD and laid there, mindless for the next 8 hours.

I often find myself feeling rather inferior and vulnerable when something so small, so unremarkable, can be so destructive. No matter how well we eat, how much we exercise, how many vitamin pills we ingest, we are all subject to the will of a little microscopic bug.

Happy cold and flu season!!!