Today I stayed home from work after getting sick for the first time in a really long time. Crummy.
I think it's the weather. Well of course it's the weather, isn't that always what it is? Changes in climate, from 30 degrees to 70 degrees and back to 40 degrees again. Icky germs floating around everywhere at the holidays on the door handles, the mailers, shoelaces and the like. All of this is further amplified by the crappy weather swings.
You see, normally my immune system is tops. Like "King of the World!!" tops. The ol' system usually scoffs at those nasty nasties that float in the air like its wearing an ascot and a smoking jacket. "Away with you Nasty Nasties!" my immune system would say in disgust, "I'm trying to sit by this fire and smoke from my pipe..." ...and then it would wave its hand with disinterest. Then the germs go away. No harm no foul.
Somehow I must have let my immune system go on holiday...and it's refused to come back. So here I am, home sick. Sniffles, weak cough, sore throat, congested. In short: grumpy and miserable. No aches, so that's good, right? I'm loathe to take any medicine, as many of you in my fan base know. I'd rather keep my body as clear of chemicals as possible, when possible. I'm not a fanatic about it, but I do think it's important to make a conscious decision about what chemicals, hormones, genetically modified, unnatural stuff is going in. So I try to pay attention...but I digress, sort of.
Before the holidays, I cracked and took an ibuprofen from a coworker for a raging, lack-of-caffeine induced headache. Then, a couple days ago I cracked and took acetaminophen. Yes this is a big deal. So today, when I awoke and decided to stay home from work, I succumbed to the lure of a full dose of Dayquil and went back to bed. I hoped it would put a dent in my miserable state, and it did help. Note: I find Dayquil-then-bedtime to be a solid combo. Nyquil knocks the heck outta me and I'm not feeling that drowsy aftershock with the Dayquil.
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So I was feeling guilty about taking the dreaded "chemical meds" and proceeded to search out other alternatives. Enter the Neti pot and cups upon cups of homemade ginger/lemon/honey tea. I even sprung for the fancy Kleenex with the "cooling agent" and soft and silky feel. Big time! The tea made my throat feel better being hot and refreshing and all that. PLUS, ginger is supposed to be a natural decongestant and antihistamine, so per several online recommendations I made a brew of my own: 1" peeled, sliced ginger simmered for 20 minutes in 2 cups of water. Remove ginger, squeeze 1/2 a small lemon's worth of juice into a cup and add a tablespoon of honey (or to your liking). It was delicious! I don't know if it actually helped my congestion, but I think it may have. Jury's still out, but it's a reasonable method to try if you don't want to go full-chem lab on your body.
The Neti pot is something I had heard of, but never tried. It creeped me out. You see, a Neti pot is meant to cleanse your naval cavities of the dirty gunk that hides away in the deep dark crevices of that space. It's a place you never see, but can feel when you're stuffed up and of course seepage always comes out of it - sometimes clear, sometimes colorful. Either way, it's not a place one ventures on a daily basis; at least most of us don't.
"But what is this pot of Neti?" you ask. Basically you put some water in the pot, mix in this solution that makes it saline, then pour it into your nose and let it drain out the other side. It was kinda scary to try it, but I did and I think I like it. I mean not as if I want to do it every day "like" it, but when I'm feeling the congestion or the sickness coming on it can clean out the hiding dirties, the Nasty Nasties, if you will. The sensation isn't all that odd, but the concept is. Follow the directions, be careful of the type of water you use to avoid bacterial infections, and keep your Neti clean.
Lastly, the best part about being sick (other than not having to go to work) is getting to stay home with my dogs. They say dogs can sense things about you, emotionally, physically. I don't take offense when my dog sticks her nose directly in front of my mouth, sniffing inquisitively, intently. I wonder what she's sensing other than last night's sausage pasta. What about me can she sense, can she stink with her cute little wet nose and flappy nose flaps going in and out? I think they know. Mommy's not feeling well. So they cuddle me; turn in circles and circles and circles to find that exact right spot upon which to flop down in a tiny bundle, snout upon curled under paws, just close enough to make contact with me and let me know they're there for me. Then they snore and dream and I love every second of it. Especially the part of the dream where her little paws frantically run to somewhere and her tongue sticks out and starts drinking water or eating something. I could watch it for hours. That alone makes me feel better.
Neti pots and snoring dogs. Here's to hoping tomorrow brings better health!
