How it feels to get sick.

I have recently begun writing myself notes. Notes about thoughts I have. Notes about things I need to remember. Notes about things I need to remember to do. Notes about things I don't want to forget. I call these notes Mental Bookmarks, as I think that is what they are. As long as I document my intellectual place in time, I can return to my thoughts at any time. Think of the notes as a sort of mental GPS.

Before you go getting all excited about writing yourself notes, be aware that there are consequences to constant documentation. Firstly, you will probably have ink on your hands all the time. Secondly, if you are anything like me, you will lose your pens and your notebooks. Thirdly (does anyone use the word thirdly?) and this is a big one, you will feel like a simpleton if you write notes like I do. More on the thirdly consequence later, let's stick with the first 2 for now. *makes note*

In the spirit of documentation, I'm going to document the physical and mental progression involved in getting sick. My father and niece have been sick all week. My dad in particular has had a rough time; headache, fever, cough, sneezing, whining, moaning, sighing.... The whole plethora of flu symptoms. I have tried to battle the virus with positive thought, but it turns out that positive thought doesn't work worth shit. There are other less than useful "cold/flu" remedies and I'll list them as they come.

Coughing sucks. I quit smoking nearly 4 weeks ago and have been looking forward to enjoying a life free of coughing. This virus kinda throws a kink in those plans. It's a chest cough and at first I thought it was no big deal. At the first sign of getting the bug my dad has, I though to myself "You won't get as sick as he is" and "You're in a good mental place, and not overly stressed" and "herbs and positive thinking will help stave off the worst" . All of that is well and good but the fact is, I'm sitting here at midnight and my head hurts like crazy. I'm hot and every time I cough my head throbs a little. So far, this is no fun. Maybe I'll try sleeping.

7hours later... Well, sleeping didn't go so well. However, I'm a champ at sweating, tossing, turning, coughing and cursing. I was up at 3 again at 5 and finally out of bed at 6:30. Keep in mind that I don't like getting up at 6:30 when I feel good. I like it even less when I feel bad. My body is betraying me. My eyes, nose, ears and mouth all feel very hot and not in a good way. My chest hurts when I'm not coughing and even more when I am. Apparently my head is full of snot in fact it feels as though someone has taken some of that expanding foam insulation and applied it directly to my sinuses. In case you're ever tempted to put self expanding foam in your nose, DON'T!!

I'm going to the doctor in half an hour. I've decided that enduring these symptoms without the assistance of modern medicine will not make me tougher, or build character. It will just make me bitchy and bitter. Hopefully the doctor can give me something for cough that will allow me to sleep and keep this headache from making me insane.

More later...