Down with the 'flu

I suppose you can call this a quickie entry, but I am down with flu-like symptoms today ... this, I think is my second attack of the flu in as many months. This time, it started with a slight tickling sensation in the nose, then on to a lot of powerful, earth-shaking sneezing, then the slight irritation in the back of the throat, and by the end of day 1, a slight cough. Over the night, the cough worsened - so much so that I started getting bouts of wracking cough that caused my head to swim with anoxia (lack of oxygen) for a few seconds. Now, it is the end of day 2; the cough looks and feels better ... but let's see what happens next. So far, I have not taken any medicine other than paracetamol and a cough syrup that goes by the name of Zedex. I chose that since it has no sedating anti-histamines. It comes from the house of Wockhardt.

Hoping to have a better Tuesday as compared to my miserable Monday!

Writing from a sick chair

Every sane person knows that a viral cold and cough has no real treatment; it just comes, prevails for a time period of about 6-7 days, and then retreats. However, when one does get a severe cold, one's sanity is often lost; sneezing repeatedly inside tissues, or inside a much used handkerchief, coughing in abdomen-tightening bouts, sniffling with a body-temperature of just over 100 F and a feeling of nausea after eating just a tiny morsel of food - these, and some more like these - become more important and overwhelming.

Needless to say, these things, and similar stuff like these, became all too omnipresent and omnipotent for me! On Sunday, I had to go about 45 km out for a remorse-for the dead-function. En route, I was okay, but on the return journey, I began wheezing and breathing heavily. This was surprising, since most of my own patients are suffering from a mere upper respiratory infection.

A spell of steam inhalation and one tablet of Deriphylline retard (that will open clogged, spasmed airways) did the trick and I slept well in the night.

Today, as I write this, I am breathing well; I am still coughing, but not as bad as I did yesterday; I haven't, as yet, taken Deriphylline or steam; and all is well with the world.