The Super Sickness*

It finally happened.

I avoided it alllllll winter, and even survived the spring allergy season before a sickness of proportions I haven’t known since my camp counselor days slammed my body into utter submission.

Oh my lovelies, it was bad.

Last Friday I noticed a little tickle in my throat while I was teaching. My throat felt a bit sore, but I didn’t think it was anything to be concerned about. By Friday night it hurt. I knew I had to nip this thing in the bud so I downed some no-name cough syrup and started on Vitamin C and Salt & Vinegar chips like it was nobody’s business. I was convinced that by the next day it would be but a distant memory.

Ha.

I felt even worse Saturday morning. I was supposed to work a short shift at my crap part-time job that day, but I ended up being called in a few hours early. When I started my shift my throat was still sore but it was manageable. By the end of my shift my voice was definitely strained and I was exhausted. Then the coughing started.

By Sunday morning I had the most lovely man-voice you’ve ever heard. It was hot. I made it through the first hour of church before deciding to head back to bed. (The horrified looks on my friends’ faces as they backed away from me slowly as they heard me talk like a 70-year old man who had smoked all his life was a bit of a sign that I needed to go home. haha) What had started as an irritating dry cough settled nice and deeply into my chest–you know, those awesome body-shaking, deep rattling coughs that leave you feeling like you’re going to either: a) cough up an internal organ; or b) die.

It’s lasted alllllllllllll week. I finally took a day off from teaching on Wednesday to recoup, and I called in sick to my part-time job yesterday to try and beat this thing, but I swear, it’s having none of it. I had no voice all week. Let me tell you, supply teaching with a raspy man-voice is all kinds of fun. I have finally learned that supply teaching isn’t always sunshine and roses.

I do feel a bit better and my cough is noticeably better and isn’t quite so scary, but this cold is hanging on for dear life. I got my voice back yesterday, but I’ve decided that it must be some kind of super sickness that is immune to everything I throw at it.

I’ve tried the eating well bit.

I’ve tried Vitamin C.

I’ve tried hot honey water.

I’ve tried gargling salt water.

I’ve tried no-name meds, and now I’m on the name-brand stuff. (cough syrup is the foulest tasting concoction on the face of the earth. Ugh.)

I’ve tried rest, which seems to be the only thing that works, and the only thing I have no time for. haha

By Friday night my body had had enough and completely shut down. At 7pm the constant coughing had given me the world’s biggest headache so I gave up on my attempt to clean our disaster apartment and decided to have a little nap. The Hubster woke me up at 8:15 to ask if I wanted dinner, and all I could do was shuffle to the bathroom, brush my teeth, slather Vicks all over my chest and climb into bed with a movie while I left him to fend for himself. Mr. Darcy couldn’t even keep me up–I was asleep by 8:45 and I didn’t move until 7am the next morning.

I woke up feeling human for the first time in days, and while I’m coughing a lot less, I’m still barking on a regular basis. I took it really easy yesterday, venturing out only to purchase more meds and a few groceries. Today was more of the same, we stayed home, rested and only went out for a walk to get a bit of fresh air. I hope to be in bed early again tonight.

I hate being sick.. it’s even worse now that I’m teaching every day. Students are like wild carnivorous animals–they prey on the sick and wounded supply teachers. I had my first serious behavior issues this week, and while I’m convinced it probably would have happened even if I hadn’t had my hot man-voice and death cough, my feeling at about 10% of my regular hooligan-self didn’t help the situation.

*sigh*

I need to have this thing beat by… tomorrow. I have a grade 8 class in the afternoon and I need to be at my best. Grade 8’s + June + Graduation = scary.

What do you do to get rid of a cold?