Sunday 18 January 2009

Can't do anything because it's a virus

Last weekend I got a cold. Odds on it was going to happen. Rich had a cold over Christmas, back at work most of the office seemed to have a cold. Germs were bound to infect me sooner or later. It started out quite harmless, mostly sniffles and sneezes and a bit of a tickly cough. It then descended into the worst sort of cold, the type where you have a deep chesty cough and a throat that feels like you must have swallowed tennis balls. By Friday I was beginning to feel quite unwell. The constant coughing is tiring, and the bad throat means that simple things like talking and eating are really too much.

I rang the duty doctor on Friday afternoon and described my symptoms (after the chest infection last year I was worried about a recurrence). He told me I simply had a virus and that there was really nothing to be done. He suggested steam inhalation or over the counter medicines. So, I clarified, what you are telling me is to go boil my head? That made the doctor chuckle, although I was a bit miffed that I wasn't getting any real help.

Rich and I went out after I got in from work on Friday to pick up some new china (our old stuff had about five pieces that weren't chipped) and then I went to bed... and slept through until Saturday morning. I spent all of Saturday in bed, still feeling rubbish. The myriad of over the counter remedies do seem to have had some effect though. The chestiness of the cough, and the persistence seems to be fading. The sore throat is still sore though although the tennis balls have shrunk to golf balls. When we get to marbles I'll be happier.

The bad thing is I've got to go to site this week, which is a whole day out and a 300 mile round trip. The good thing is that it is only two weeks until my part-time hours start. Whatever I manage to find for the other two days is unlikely to be as stressful as what fills them at the moment. Hopefully I can make ends meet for the first month or so and just take some R&R and get back on an even keel again. The horrible cold doesn't seem to have done much for my MS as I feel suspicious beginnings of a relapse. Nothing too disabling (fortunately) just the old numb fingers and toes, which is annoying more than anything. Hasn't happened in a long while, but that is what happens when the immune system gets run down.