I am in the midst of my third cold since September. There were consecutive years in my recent past when I didn't have one.

The result of this more-or-less permanent infection is that I have been housebound since Thursday, when my latest cold really kicked up its heels.

My prior response to colds has been to get on with my life while keeping the symptoms at bay with meds. Considering the tenacity of my recent infections, I have decided to hunker down until I am symptom free.

This required me to cancel an appointment with my shrink, among other things. However, the worst part of my self-imposed therapy is the boredom of being home all the time. I am also extremely fatigued, doubtless because of my body's immune system fighting the bad microbes, so I am unable to do anything productive during my recovery.

There are times when I feel perfectly OK, and then I will cough and the result will remind me that there is still a fight going on in my chest. I am not feverish, so a visit to the doctor would be fruitless.

It is just a matter of waiting, something I have never been good at.

(Whine, whine whine. . . . )

Cordially,

hope you feel better. I think it is a bug and not a cold. I have been having the chills off and on and have been fighting something for a while now.
I hope you are having plenty of fluids.
Bobby

The one thing I've learned while down with cold and things.

Please eat lots of chicken soup. ANd do me a favor if you start
to think its more get to the doctor. My mother-in-law swore no
fever just a cold, it was bronchitus.

Donna

Dear Highhatize,

I remember that you rely on allopatic medicine, but I have incorporated some aspects of Chinese med into my thinking about wellness.

According to my dr of chinese med, when the neck is unprotected from chilly weather by a high collar or scarf, our immune system can be compromised.

Also remember to wash your sheets and change your toothbrush and such regularly.

For pressure points to relieve symptoms of cold and to activate immune system:
http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedi...e-for-cold.htm

Can you swallow a raw cut up clove of garlic each day? It can kill bad microbes:
http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedi...s-for-cold.htm
Garlic (Allium sativum) appears to shorten a cold's duration and severity. Any form seems to work: capsules or tablets, oil rubbed on the skin, or whole garlic roasted or cooked in other foods. If you elect capsules, take three of them, three times daily, until the cold is over.


At any rate, I hope that the rest does you good. Maybe you have time for journaling. Or catching up on old novels.
I wish you a complete and quick recovery.
Mari

I hope you feel better soon. The flu is running rampant in my state and some people have it in my apartment complex.

I hope that you are feeling rested and getting back to your old self.
bizi

Thanks for all the good wishes. I called a friend today to cancel a meeting scheduled for tonight, explaining that I hadn't been out of the house since last Tuesday in an attempt to shake this thing. He commiserated with me, saying that he and his wife had had the bug for three weeks and that it was just the last few days that they really began to feel better.

It is still making my voice rough and I am still coughing.

But at least it isn't getting worse.

Cordially,