I’m sick.
I’ve been sick for five days now.
It started with lethargy and a cough that sent fumes that smelled like cauliflower into my nasal cavity. I had eaten no cauliflower. The cough became more severe and very productive.
Then came the sniffles, which led to a lot of sneezing in addition to the coughing. I’m a very noisy sick person.
Before I knew it sniffling was no longer possible as the mucus in my sinuses had become thick globules of snot that refused to be blown out by force. That doesn’t mean I didn’t try, which attempts put me in fear of blowing my eyeballs out of their sockets.
There was a fever early on, but it never was over 100°. At least it put some roses in my cheeks. My temperature got back to normal after a couple of days with the help of some fever-reducing blue pills. I also took some antihistamine, but that didn’t do much except convince me it was keeping that gunky stuff locked in my sinuses, which I want extinguished as soon as possible.
The exertion caused by the coughing and sneezing started making my back, chest and stomach muscles ache, and soon I couldn’t do either without bending over from simple muscle pain.
My head is still clogged, which has led to a throbbing sensation at the base of my nose between the eyes, a severe loss of hearing, and a slight bit of dizziness.
Fortunately, I’ve had Husby to look after me. He leaves me alone when I want to be left alone. He feeds me when I’m hungry. He doesn’t dry heave when I make all the sick noises I tend to make. He knows exactly how to make things as good as they can be short of waving a magic wand and making it all go away.
“The Dangers of Influenza are manifold, but they can be avoided or minimized by correctly fortifying the system. The use of a pure and wholesome stimulant is approved and recommended by medical men, and analytical tests of ‘Black & White’ Scotch Whisky have justified their recommendations. You can be sure of these distinctive medicinal qualities by purchasing BLACK & WHITE Scotch Whisky.”
I’m still coughing and sneezing, but not as much as when this nightmare began. My head is stuffed with what seems like a bowl of thick ass-pick aspic my mother-in-law used to make – slimy, gelatinous, and so very distasteful. I’m deaf as a post and have to walk with a wide gait to prevent from tipping over for dizziness.
Today Husby woke up coughing and feeling unrested after a full night’s sleep. As the day is wearing on he feels more listless and is coughing more.
The care-giving torch is being passed. It’s time for me to buck up.
The disappointment I felt for not being able to go out for dive night shifted into deep gratitude that I was in my own house not having to wrangle my free-flowing nose juice in public. I hoped Ruthie wasn’t feeling as badly as I was, for about a minute. Then all compassion for anyone by myself left and it was all about me, me, me and how I was going to get my next breath of air through all the mucus in my throat and nose.
Auntie B's Wax 