I shouldn't complain, or be mad, about getting a cold. The average adult gets two to three colds each year. I haven't had a cold with all the common trimmings since 2004. No kidding.
But alas, a germ, or a group of germs, attacked me.
Day 1, morning: Denial.
I don't have a sore throat and this is not going to be a cold. I just have a scratchy throat and dry mouth from snoozing on an airplane, mouth agape. I wonder if anyone on the plane noted how many crowns I have in my mouth?
Day 1, afternoon: All out attack
Just in case this "thing" is thinking about becoming a cold, I will stop it dead in it's tracks. I will attack it with my arsenal of homeopathic remedies and my voodoo combinations. There is no way a cold is invading my body. +NO WAY++!+
Day 2, morning: Relief (More Denial?)
Whew, dodged a bullet. That was close. I'm feeling better today. The sore throat seems better. I do have a few sniffles, but that's probably seasonal allergies.
Day 2, afternoon: Anger
Hmmm, not feeling so great. I better not get sick, I don't have time for that kind of nonsense. I always take care of myself. (Well, almost always. There was that sleeping only four hours on my travel day three days ago, sitting on an airplane infront of a sneezing/coughing/throat-clearing hack for 12 hours, eating fewer fresh foods than normal, drinking less fluids and being confined to a very small space for hours on end. But the rest of the time I'm really, really good.) I don't deserve to get a cold!
Day 3, morning: Yet More Denial
I'm not quite well yet, but it seems I'm on the mend. Woah, that was close. I'll probably be fine by the weekend. That will be great, I have lots to do. Now where are the tissues? Seems my nose is causing me fits. Yep, probably allergies.
Day 3, afternoon: More Anger and Bargaining
This is ridiculous. It's not fair. I slept 11 hours last night and I should feel better. My nose is worse, my eyes are watering and my throat is sore again. This not right! I took care of myself. I ate fresh foods, drank plenty of fluids, reduced and eliminated exercise, went to bed early.
Really, I'll do a better job of getting to bed early and eating right from now on. I was getting a little sloppy in the last few weeks. I'll do better now, I promise. Cold, cold, go away let me have a better day.
Day 4: Sadness
I don't want be sick. I don't want a box of tissues next to me at all times. I don't want piles of tissues everywhere I spend more than 30 seconds. I don't want a cold. I don't feel like doing anything. I can't think about anything in a logical process. I'm totally unproductive. This bums me out...
Day 5: Acceptance.
Okay, okay, it's not the end of the world. I have a simple, common cold. I'll be better in a couple of days, when this virus has run its course. Until then I'll have to put up with a chapped nose, eyes that water unpredictably and a nose that won't shut off. I can't believe people get these symptoms two or three times a year. Intolerable.
Day 6 and 7: Tolerance.
More nose issues and now coughing has invaded my body. Nice. I just as well have the entire buffet of symptoms. I'll take some stuff to relieve the symptoms and just get through this. Once I get through it, I'm set for a long time to come. I've paid my cold dues.
My voice has been reduced to squeaks and tones that are not normal. I can barely get through two sentences without coughing. It's easier not to talk. I think some people are happy about that.
Gale,
You have my sympathy because I'm going through a cold myself. I seem to get at least one every year from my students, which is a disadvantage to being a teacher. For me, colds usually involve a couple of instances of "I feel better, I'll go for a ride because I'm starting to get cabin fever" followed the next day by "drat, I feel worse, I guess I shouldn't have ridden yesterday." If it's bad, I also have to deal with the debate: "am I so sick that I should stay home from work, or should I just take some drugs and go teach anyway?" I think the drugs tend to prolong the illness and I don't like the idea of passing my germs on to anyone else, but if I don't teach, there's often no one who can substitute for me, so the class gets way behind schedule. It's a real dilemma.
I wish that in our society it was more acceptable/required for people to stay home when they're sick, both because I don't want people giving me their germs, and because I don't like feeling obligated to go to work when I'm potentially contagious.
Get well soon!