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.

Invisible Force Shield

When I was a kid, no one took my bike for a tune up. No matter, I dropped my bike off on Saturday to get one because I wanted to be ready to roll this week. The bike was ready on Monday but I had no desire to pick it up because we got snow and it was a slushy mess.

The snow was gone by Tuesday so I went by the bike shop. Something looked off about my bike but I took it out and loaded it. I should have followed my first mind because when I tried to take it for a test spin, I discovered that the seat had been adjusted way too high. I got so mad. I started to look for some tools, threw a paperback book against the wall, longed for something to smash and headed out for a walk. When I returned, I loaded my bike and headed back to the shop because I knew it would take them a few minutes to do what would take me forever.

This guy adjusted my bike and I rode around in the shop for a bit and almost wiped out a red Specialized bike. The seat seemed better but when I went for a ride today, dismounting was quite interesting. I'll try to adjust it myself this time. I was wiped out after my bike ride. It's amazing how quickly you get out of shape for a particular exercise. I enjoyed my ride though.

On another note, my office mate is sick again. Last time, she had to take a round of antibiotics to kill her cooties. When she told me, I pulled an invisible force shield around me as I remembered the chills that I had a few weeks ago...