I took a nap Saturday and woke up about 4:00pm with a sore throat and congested sinuses. At first I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just allergies clogging my head, and snoring that gave me the sore throat.  But a few hours later, I could tell it was a headcold coming on.  I’m pretty good about washing my hands frequently, especially if I’ve been to the market or post office and been handling money and mail.  I immediately created a nest in the living room, next to my new Big Puffy Chair.  I had my bottles of water there, packets of Emergen C and Breathe Easy Tea and Throat Coat Tea.  I’d gone into my arsenal of cold remedies and read up on Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the ‘Natural’ Way and learned the importance of Juicing for the Common Cold.  I began using my neti pot to irrigate my sinuses, and I made sure to not eat any mucous causing (acid) foods: meat and bread is as mucous forming as milk and cheese, although most people don’t know that.  I put apples and oranges at the nest also, along with throat lozenges, a liquid decongestant/ antihistamine, boxes of kleenex and my vitamins.  I had some Guaifenesin – Generic Mucinex, so if I was going down for the count, I’d be prepared.

I made some Facebook posts about the cold.  It gives me something concrete to do and helps me see that I am improving, rather than sitting around feeling miserable:

Sat 6pm:  all right, my holistic health buddies out there: 2 hours ago my left sinus became completely clogged. No relief yet. Do you have a natural remedy for me, or do I have to go all Google on it?

Sat 9pm:  has some kind of something moving through my sinuses and now the throat is sore also – oh no, you don’t! Neti pot, vitamin C, hot lemon juice with cayenne, this will be over by morning *hold the vision with me*

Sunday morning: is gargling with warm salt water

Sunday: is staying in today to coddle the headcold moving through my sinuses. I will celebrate by getting stoned on over the counter decongestants and listening to Fred’s rebroadcast of the Woodstock 40th Anniversary Show on www.fmodyssey.com

Sunday: is glad I eat a natural healthy diet so when I allow a cold virus take hold, it moves through my system really quickly without much discomfort. Of course the more I talk to you about it, the longer I have it 🙂

Sunday evening: Finally, the sore throat is gone 24 hours later, now working on the head congestion. A lazy day, lazing around in my big puffy chair. Life is good!

Sunday: is going to stretch out and do some yoga and breathing in the shade in the back yard

Sunday: may go to the store for some fresh fruit if I can make myself get up

Monday 4am:  I woke up dreaming I was blowing my nose, and was finally able to blow it! The cold is almost over.

Monday 4:15am ok, have been up for 15 minutes… back to bed for me

Monday 8am: is feeling better each time I wake up (2 boxes of kleenex later). I can breathe out of one nostril now! Off to the store for some decongestant, which will also resolve the thunderhead. I feel like my own biology project this weekend 🙂

Monday 9am: oh neat, now I get to research what to do about a fever. I bought nectarines and V8 at the store. The fever must be cooking me so I’ll be all better later on today. Cook on.

Monday 9:30am: ah, the head cold has now migrated to the chest – head feels better – glad it’s on the move!

### end of Facebook posts.

I was glad for the down time to reflect on why I’d given myself a cold.  I only do this every few years.  Give myself a cold, that is.  I eat healthy, natural foods with not much meat, so my immune system stays very strong.  Anything moving through it tends to do so quickly enough, so I am never in discomfort long.  I did have to reschedule five phone appointments, and I immediately went into voice rest to help heal up the sore throat.  That was my big focus.  I began gargling every hour with warm salt water and by Sunday sundown the sore throat had abated.  Yay!

So why do I give myself these head colds if I know I am giving them to myself?  I used to ask myself that question but the answer was obvious.  When I am feeling inundated with people in my face and need a break from it, I give myself a headcold.  I don’t mean to.  I don’t do it on purpose.  But every few years it just happens.

The symptoms are real.  The sinuses fill up.  The throat closes up.  Water pours out of my eyes.  Whether I treat it or not, it lasts 2-4 days.

So I no longer fight it.  I no longer whine about it.  I simply settle myself in for a few days of rest and inactivity.  I pamper myself with hot baths, hot tea and lots of naps in the Big Puffy Chair.

I turn the tv on and watch it.  I make frequent trips outside, for quick walks in the woods, to stave off the cabin fever.  I spend lots of time in my soft bed so I don’t get achey from the Big Puffy Chair.

I celebrate my rest time, rather than begrudge it. I may as well enjoy it as long as I created it, huh?