The Dreaded Man Cold



Well, the unthinkable has happened.  A week ago I contracted the dreaded man cold.  It started out on Thanksgiving morning when I woke up with a sore throat, a burning awfulness at the back of my throat.  Then came the sneezing, then came the 24/7 runny nose and nasal congestion.

I must have went through 3 or 4 rolls of toilet paper.  I was blowing my nose so often, it made more sense to keep a roll of toilet paper nearby than multiple boxes of tissues. Then again, I have always preferred toilet paper to tissues, but that is neither here nor there I suppose.

At first I thought it was allergies, as I was visiting my brother and his family in Nashville.  I assumed I was having a reaction to the different pollen that is there, that my body was not acclimated to the new fauna and flora.  Or I thought it was an allergic reaction to my brother's menagerie of pets.  I have an innate weakness for cute, sweet animals and I kept his fur babies close most of the time.  I particularly enjoyed sleeping with his two dogs at night, as I have just a cat, and there is something serenely satisfying sleeping with dogs.

But...the illness remained persistent and continued to progress and become worse.  What began as a tickle bloomed into full-blown misery.  It got worse when I got home from my Thanksgiving trip, so that definitely ruled out pollen or animal allergies.

I have been sick for a week now and though my symptoms have improved a bit, I feel so run down and sickly, more than I did at the height of my sneezing/sore throat/etc.  I guess that is what being sick while HIV+ means: you stay sicker longer.  I have been meaning to get my flu shot, but my insurance is in limbo until the TN State Ryan White program pays for my premiums, which should be soon I hope.  Then I can get caught up on my flu shot, as well as my pneumonia shot, which is a year and a half past due.  I hate the speed of government/insurance red tape (as I am sure is very evident in my previous blogs).  My meds run out in a couple of weeks and I hope it is all sorted out by then.

Oddly enough, I have been wanting to look for a job lately.  I have not been needing or wanting to look for a job since I was laid off two months ago.  I decided I needed to rest and recover from the God-awful stress that was my job.  Well, now I am starting to get bored, and I am starting to feel crazy too.  I have been forgetting to shower and shuffling around the house like a crazy person, muttering to myself under my breath.  So, I see the signs and realize it is time to get a move on.

If only I can get over this awful cold.

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