An Uncommon Cold

Hydration Station

My hoarseness escalated to a massive production of mucus. Wednesday night felt like I was in an epic battle of good vs. evil as I tossed and turned and used, probably, half a box of Kleenex. Entire body was hot then not. Plus my head throbbed.

Rolled over and stood up and decided that there was no need to suffer. Went into work for half a day since my colleague had already made arrangements to be out in the afternoon but four hours bought me enough time to get rest and let the ibuprofen kick in.

Felt well enough to go to 7:30 p.m. Zumba yesterday and had instant sympathy for Shawny, the instructor, whose allergies are getting the best of her; she had a serious cough and could barely breathe.

On another note, I know that I'm bona fide sick when my appetite is not fierce.

"When we're sick or ill from many different conditions, our bodies mount a complex inflammatory response," Dr. Donald D. Hensrud, M.D., MPH..."As part of this response, we produce chemicals called cykotines, which have a wide range of effects and are partly responsible for the decreased appetite..."

Your lowered drive to chow down may actually free up some energy to mount the immune response, he says. "Digesting food also takes energy, so if we're not digesting food, it frees up energy to help fight an infection or illness..."

Yes, I still look up stuff about the common cold. If nothing else, it reminds me that I need to drink more fluids and that snot, made up primarily of water, is a good thing.

At any rate, I'll be glad when my body is totally back to normal.