The confession is that I’ve been sick as can be, stuck at home with nothing better to do than blow my nose, and harass the democrats of ST.
This has me thinking about what I’ve done to myself to try to get better; some of it is a little funny in hindsight, some people might consider some of these efforts as torture. Here is the rundown:
-hot baths that nearly blistered my skin
-humidifier that caused our walls to drip
-I’ve eaten minced up raw garlic, several cloves at a time
-peeled big ginger roots, cut them up, boiled them in water and drank the spicy hot decoction
-taken tablespoons of homeo cough syrups and bronchial syrups
-smeared Vic’s all over my chest
-drank countless cups of chicken broth
-countless cups of strong lemon tea, this is juiced lemons in a little hot water
-stayed home from work, because i couldn’t really work, and also didn’t want to infect other people
-taken a slew of vitamins that have turned my urine various shades of yellow orange
At the end of all this, I’m not sure if any of it has helped. But looking at the list, it is quite extensive; some of it now seems a little nuts (particularly the raw garlic, yikes).
I can’t say if I hadn’t done any of it, i might be worse or even better off. Who knows, it’s a crap shoot. Either way, I’m glad to finally be able to at least walk my pugs again, which I did today for the first time in ages.
So, what have you done to feel better? The funnier the better…
I had a sinus infection that wouldn’t go away and it got so bad one night I called the Nurseline (a Provincial government setup where you can call 24hrs and speak to an RN) and asked her if there was ANYTHING I could do. She told me to try a saliene rinse of my sinuses.
If you haven’t had a sinus infection you may not realize how much they hurt, what you’d be willing to do to make them stop hurting and also how dumb they make you (at least they make me dumb). I didn’t think to ask the nurse for details. You know, like how to make a saliene solution.
In a measuring cup I mixed 1 cup of water with about 2 tablespoons of table salt (more the better, right?) then decided the best means of getting the solution into my sinuses was to use a biking waterbottle.
I leaned over the bathroom sink, put the waterbottle to my nostril and squeezed good and hard. It felt like a bomb went off in sinus. My vision went red, I dropped to my knees and sat on the bathroom floor gasping and crying. Definitely one of the worst pains I’ve ever felt, I don’t think even a hot shower would have helped. Eventually I stopped shaking, got up off the floor, picked up the waterbottle and (see above re: doing anything to make the pain stop) did the other nostril.
It wasn’t until a year or so later that I learned you could buy saliene sinus rinses.
I don’t know about “Crazy”, but a family “cough” medicine has been passed down for a couple generations now. Orangejuice, little bit of lemon juice, honey and vodka (Or strong alcohol of your choice. Vodka seems to work because it’s mostly tastless). Heat it up and drink. If you mix it right it’s pretty damn good. The hot not only soothes but seems to open your throat, while the honey coats it. The alcohol doesn’t do a whole lot at first, but helps make you sleep, especially when your a kid Vitamin C in lemon and OJ dries you up a bit. Works great.
We always had the Vics rub…well until we found out my brother was allergic to pine :-)…bout killed him trying to make him better.
To avoid getting sick, I’ve become OCD about cleanliness. I constantly wash my hands and have hand sanitzers in the office, my car and throughout the house. At the slightest sign of anything, even a little runny nose or tickling at the back of the throat, I start downing Zicam. Haven’t been sick in ages, despite the presence of a slobbery 1 year old and two hygenically challenged older siblings in the house.
When I have been sick, I’ve sometime found that a really hard work out, followed by a hot shower, toward the tail end of the illness seems to blow it out of the system. But too early and it seems to make things worse.
My high school biology teacher was fond of saying, “When you have a cold you can either take cold medicine for 7 days or just tough it out for a week.”
I like to feel like taking stuff actually helps, but I think his saying had a lot of wisdom.
I used to have an employee who was part native american. Her mom made all the kids take an old native recipe whenever they got sick. Everyone agreed it worked—they absolutely swore by it. But it tasted SO horrible that they refused to take it. They said they’d rather be sick.
My favorite is to put hydrogen peroxide in each ear and let it sit there for 10 minutes each. Supposedly it can prevent colds and influenza. The ear is a major conduit for infection. I also advise people to use the Dr. NeilMed Sinus cleanse system.
Just before you go to bed, stick a toad in your mouth and fill your ears up with oatmeal.
Ah, yes, the time-tested remedy passed on to Republicans by Democrats since time immemorial.
I have been told that if you put vicks on your feet, then socks before bed, you will feel better in the morning. I think it sounds nutty and haven’t tried it mostly because I can’t sleep in socks.
My wife and sister in-law use a nettie pot. Warm salt water stuck up their nose. I also find this to be nutty.
Personally, I find the best thing to make me feel better is a blowjob.
Vitamin C in lemon and OJ dries you up a bit. Works great.