My cough, which kept getting worse, had reached truly epic proportions. Each coughing fit used very nearly every muscle in my torso, and the cumulative effect was leaving my entire throat raw. Not to mention that an asthma attack had kicked in, making everything just that much more miserable, and my coughing just that much more unproductive.
Wednesday night I slept on the couch, with the cats, on the theory that at least one of us should be able to sleep, and I wasn’t going to get much rest in any event. Overnight, I wasn’t coughing as often, but each cough involved muscles that had been strained and overused so severely that every cough felt like being kicked by several sets of cranky mules. This morning my temperature was 101.6 F.
I have used up my stash of Sudafed Non-Drying Sinus medicine. This wonderful medicine, which contains a decongestant and an expectorant (but not antihistamine) has fended off many a sinus infection for me, and I needed to get some more. Unfortunately, the great state of Oregon has decreed that any medication containing pseudoephedrine now requires a prescription, so as to foil all the wily meth cooks plaguing our fair state. I would feel better if I felt it was going to have a measurable effect on the amount of meth available in Portland.
Although I couldn’t get Non-Drying Sinus any more, I could get phenylephrine tablets, and time-release expectorant separately, so, no harm done. Between the decongestant, the mucous thinner, my bronchodilator (for the asthma), and large doses of acetominophen to bring down my fever and knock back the muscle soreness, I’m a walking pharmacopia. And this is all on top of the handful of drugs I take every day anyway. Hork.
I have been thrilled again at this opportunity to watch daytime TV. This time, I got to see the final episode of “Deep Space Nine”. The wife and I used to watch it, but lost interest before the series wound up. It was kind of nice to get a semblance of closure, even this many years after the fact.
Right now, my son is watching “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” from Netflix. He thinks it’s great, but between my fever, the talking furniture, and seeing Morpheus with a cowboy hat and Jheri curls, it’s pretty surreal.
I’m assuming I will be back at work tomorrow, facing the dirty looks from all the people who hate people like me, who come to work until they are so sick they have trouble standing upright. I’d say it was the effect of a strong work ethic, except I’m too lazy to say that with a straight face.