Originally posted circa October 7, 2002:
Elena Marie is congested but in very cheerful spirits (she only gets afraid of me when I cough).
I've been in bed all last week sleeping and coughing every 1/2 hour. Didn't watch movies, didn't read books: I was much too sick to have any energy to do either. Could drink okay but could only take very light meals, once a day.
Felt a little better today (when I coughed, it didn't feel like my head was exploding), so I went to work, then to the family clinic. It turns out my lungs are pretty full of fluid. I'm at home now, and when I breathe it feels that I can only take very small sips of air. It feels like I'm treading water. I tried eating some squash soup, but it was a toss-up between that and breathing, so I only had a little bowl and one very small bite of Duck Pad Ped.
The nurse gave me some antibodies and said if things don't improve rapidly in the next two days, then I may have pneumonia and must go for chest X-rays.
Diane's been an absolute saint through this whole process. What's worse is that she now gets zero time away from the baby (whereas before, I could entertain the baby in the early mornings and evenings, now she and the baby leave the house so I manage some uninterrupted sleep).
OT: At work there were some maneuvers to put me into a vastly more political/"important" position which would require (besides the usual politics, which I play very poorly) a 50% increase in work and a 50x increase in responsibility (of course, there would be no change in pay). I knew about all this as it was going on, because I've got good friends on the inside, who stood up for me ("That move should have his input"). It hurt the healing process, but I found out today that I would not be receiving the promotion.
Thank God!
Well, anyway, much going on around me and to me. I didn't need any of it, but I'm riding this wave the best I can. I'm going to bed, again. Hope to feel much better tomorrow. Please don't call: if I try to speak, you'll hear this agonizing coughing for 5-10 seconds first, and not much more than an unintelligible whisper after.
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Dad and Mom told me a little about Doug and Elena Marie not feeling well, but I don't feel like i have enough info to comment too much.
It sounds like, from what they've said, that Doug has the flu. If that's the case, it just needs to pass, and he needs to support his immune response by RESTING, staying well hydrated, and maybe taking some vitamins or meds.
If a cough is present that's preventing him from RESTING, it would be good to do something to make the cough stop. If the cough is productive, like he's coughing up yellow or green mucus, then its important to allow the body to get that stuff out-- a cough suppressant wouldn't necessarily help. If its just a dry, hacking cough that's keeping him up, then maybe a supressant used before bed would be good.
If its a productive cough with fever, it could be bronchitis in which case, antibiotics might be useful.
For myself, I would try REST, high doses of vitamin C, Echinacea extract that is in a liquid form in alcohol, possibly zinc, and aromatherapeutic steams (hot, hot water in a bowl, lean over the bowl and drape a towel over your head with 1 drop pure tea tree essential oil and one drop lavender oil added to the water just before steaming for 15-20 minutes) for a few days before I would do the antibiotics. But that's me.
There's nothing wrong with using anti-biotics if you are really sick, need them, and don't use them regularly. Antibiotics won't help with regular old flu (caused by a virus), but sometimes people develop secondary bacterial
infections as a result of the immune compromising effects of flu.
Whether or not you use antibiotics, its also important to REST, take Vit C, stay well hydrated, eat miso soup (which has 'probiotics' in it that support the immune system and help repair damage caused by the indescretion of antibiotics), yoghurt or take "probiotics" like acidophilus and bifidus.
Pineapple juice is also curative for brochitis. Pear juice is beneficial for dry hacking cough. A combination of raw honey (2 Tablespoons), fresh chopped (not pressed) garlic (1 teaspoon or as much as you can tolerate), and fresh lemon juice (squeeze 1/4 lemon) which is eaten off a spoon like a lollipop also behaves like an antibiotic.
If you can't rest because of symptoms like fever or cough, maybe try a little Tylenol PM which will help you sleep and reduce fever as well.
So, if you're interested in trying anything that I've mentioned, here's your shopping list:
Tylenol PM
Pineapple Juice-- organic
Pear Juice-- organic
Vitamin C (1000 mg tablets)
Fresh organic garlic
Fresh organic lemons
(you still have honey, right?)
Pure tea tree essential oil
Pure lavendar essential oil
Organic miso
Probiotics
Echinacea extract in alcohol
Hope that helps. Remember failing all else, REST and get hydrated.
love
beki
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