Cough. Cough.

Damn.

So, yeah.

I caught the flu.  It's tempting to blame it on my students, and there was one girl coughing into her arm earlier this week (she sits not three feet away and right in front of me) so I suppose this could be from her.  But so far she hasn't seemed sick other than those couple of coughs, so I conclude that I actually caught this at my internist's office last Thursday when I had my annual physical.

She announced that I was boring.  BP doing great without increasing my meds (genetic issues but so far still using low doses).  Cholesterol is "normal" thanks to "FANTASTIC" HDL levels (thanks this time, genes). Everything that was poked, prodded or peered into was fine.  Still some preventive stuff on the agenda (skin cancer check, mammo and so on).  I think it's about time to go back to the podiatrist for a second pair of orthotics; I'll have to call.

I'm a pretty sturdy girl, "boringly" healthy most of the time.  Grateful for that, especially when I'm having to endure this rare illness.  Honestly?  I'd rather labor than flu.  It's over faster and you get a lovely little baby that, at least in my case, grows into a spendid young man.  All you get out of the flu is lank hair and sore ribs.  Oh, yeah.  And at day five - after a day of coughing - a sore throat developing.

Years ago my brother noticed that if he caught a cold and didn't take meds for it, it would be over in a week.  If he did take meds (especially cough suppressants) he'd end up with bronchitis that would last weeks.  I realized the same was true for me and now stay away from most meds.

What works for me is a house brand, generic guaifenesin, an expectorant that keeps the mucous loose so that it's easier for the lungs to move out without coughing.  I combine it with an anti-inflammatory (like ibuprofen, risky in its own right but I use it so rarely that I just keep my fingers crossed and take it with food or milk in hopes it won't blow a hole in my stomach).  I figure that will help prevent bronchitis from developing.  (Rational?  "itis" means inflammation, and surely coughing for hours must irritate the lungs so that bronchitis develops.)  I've been using this concoction for years for my tri-annual illness and so far am kept reasonably comfortable for the duration.

And that will be enough of that.

Boring.

This too shall pass, hopefully sooner than later.  I have a date with a mouse in a little over a week and want this over and done.

Oh, no, Mickey.  Not you, too!