Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Battle Plan for Fighting a Cold

I am in the "fighting cold" mode due to the first cold I have felt in almost two years. It began in the throat with a gentle tickle. On no. With only 48% lung capacity, a good cold developing into a lung infection could kick that down to 40%, which would require a visit to the lung transplant clinic. No, I do not want to go there.

So, I am in battle mode. Years ago, I found a drug that seemed to stop colds in its tracks, if taken soon enough. Aprodine, which I had to order from Rite-Aid. After the first evening dosage, I take an additional pill the next night and that usually is enough. The cold is gone. I have been doing this routine for years.

But, this one is stubborn. After two dosages, it was still persistent but not quite so overt. I brought out the big guns: Vick's Vapor Rub smeared on the bottom of my feet and on my chest. In the middle of the night on Monday, I was in a sweat and I felt so much better Tuesday morning. At the rehab class, my oxygen saturation numbers while working out were fantastic. The highest in many a month. I was shocked. Was it the Vick's that opened everything up? Was it the drug working overtime?

Last night, I took my final pill. I passed out. I slept almost 10 hours without moving. Today, I will haul my lungs into yoga hell to help open them up some more. I feel I am winning the battle.

In other news: I received the highly edited final draft for my approval of my speech presented at the American Thoracic Society's convention in May of 2013. It was chosen to represent Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis in a book they are publishing to be used for a variety of purposes. I am honored to be included.

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