9:38 A.M. - Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008
Cough and the whole world coughs with you
You have a cold, that feeling of blah�you would rather sleep than do anything. You keep right on going through motions of life. It lingers but you know everyone around you isn�t feeling well either. Running nose hits the scene (that�s gross) and a slight irritating cough that interrupts every sentence. You make plans with confidence that in a �few� days the cold will run its course. Plans are canceled.

Nights sweats along with a now worsened cough wakes you up every two hours, a quick change of shirts and flip over the pillow you close your eyes hoping the coughing is over for this night...not so lucky You sit up in bed the cough quiets. Add another pillow so you are trying to sleep sitting up knowing the cold will be over soon. What�almost two weeks now?

You keep going forward with daily hum drum, the trash is filled with chicken noodle soup cans and you gaze at the calendar wondering how many fun plans you canceled so far. You keep right on working everyone understands a cold...we all get them. Over the counter medicine is covering the table, stop cough, loosen cough, night time, day time, some one swore by this one�no wait this one.

Chicken noodle soup now tastes like that thick syrup stuff that churns your stomach to even think of it.

You get an e-mail from a friend they too have been sick, broke down and called the Dr. After a quick check their Dr reported��You have a cold.�

Friend asks, �What can I do to get over it,� while displaying a bag of over the counter meds that has been taken over a few weeks.

The Dr smiles, �keep doing what you�re doing.�

Your friend coughs and said, �What�preparing to die?�

Your hopes drop, Dr�s can�t give antibiotics for the �common cold� crap�you feel like that.

You are now sleeping (kinda) with four pillows trying to trick the cough into thinking you are sitting up not trying to sleep. But� the hacking bronchial tubes know. You�re awake all night feeling too bad to even play on the computer during the wee hours. Your temperature goes up and you have shivers to keep you company.

You call a friend and spend 30 minutes trying to cough out four sentences�never mind, you promise to e-mail them. Your body has no plans to walk to the computer room it wants to stay under a pile of blankets.

You tried to sleep leaning against the corner of a room blankets over your shoulders. No luck the hacking continued and your legs didn�t want to support you�the couch looks inviting

ENOUGH!

You call the Dr�s office, telling them this �cold� has been plaguing your life for almost three weeks�they agree you might need to see the Dr�stop by in the morning.

You manage to sleep about 30 minutes, like your friend you feel like you�re preparing to die. That blasted cold has won.

You drag yourself out the door early in the morning not stopping to check yourself in the mirror. That happened last night and almost sent you into coronary arrest. Trying to brush your hair sent shock waves through your head.

The Dr. checks your temp, listens to your heart and lungs. You almost get to say something but your cough takes center stage.

As the Dr writes on his little pad of paper he says, �you have bronchitis, why didn�t you come sooner...?�

Sandyz

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