19 February 2005 Saturday

Nursing a sore throat

basically cont’d from Swollen Throat entry.

I can’t call any of this “curing a sore throat” because a) i’m not all better yet, and b) i’m not even sure you can call this a “sore throat”

I was told it was going to get worse before it could get better… but it hasn’t been worse (yet!).. and though it’s certainly not gone, i’m fairly pleased that it’s not gone beyond a painful (swollen?) throat.

i’ll spare those who are faint of heart and not speak of phlegm, besides to mention that it is a toxic, painful thing of which i’m sure the world would be happier without any.

this had all happened suddenly when i woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago, and found my throat to be in much pain. by itself this is not too unusual (though it certainly hurt more than usual), since i have observed that if i have a cold and sleep with my mouth open at the same time, this causes an undesired sensation in my throat that causes me much discomfort. this is different though. feels like my throat is swollen and i’m sure it’s red and looks infected and displeased.

this whole ordeal is possibly the result of a viral infection… though i’m a little skeptical on that because the person i would have received it from had quite different symptoms than mine. i’m told that’s normal. i’m still highly skeptical.

anyway, here’s what i’ve been doing, and i’m pretty certain the combination has helped keep worseness down and betterness coming. i’m noting them here, mostly so that if this ever happens again, i can refer here, rather than whining, “mommy, daddy, what can i eat/not eat? what will make the pain go away??” by the way, dad says i may certainly eat ice cream. mom says i can’t eat anything. remember this next time, Alicson. if you want to eat the yummy thing, ask dad if it will be okay for your throat.

1. Mom gave me these Zinc Lozenges (with Echinacea & Vitamin C) by Nature’s Way. they’re like yummy chewable vitmains… which is unfortunate, cuz i’m very prone to biting them, and you’re sposed to let them dissolve nicely in your mouth.
2. I’ve stayed away from all things citrus (fact: orange juice may be high in vitamin C, but oranges are highly throat-irritant), and avoided fruits (acidic-ish… i know for a fact that trying to down some apple would be a very painful experience right now).
3. Been gargling apple vinegar (probably organic), as per Dad’s recommendation. really, i think this may be one of the best ideas ever. they say to gargle water with salt in it, which my dad thinks is a bit silly.. but this gargling vinegar thing… i think that’s been a real lifeline for me.
4. Been drinking water — not nearly as much as I should be.. cuz the one time i always remember to drink is right before bedtime. and that’s a thoroughly inappropriate time to be drinking lots of anything.
5. Had a very brief dry coughing spell, after which i took one spoonfull of Buckley’s Cough Mixture, which is what my mother was taking when her cough was as bad as all badness for the week after home from Malaysia… the label on the bottle honestly states, “It Tastes Awful. And It Works.” and my mother attested that it was horrid-tasting stuff..but it seemed to be the one thing that helped her. So i’m thinking, sure it’ll taste bad, but i’m pretty brave about these things, especially when it’s for a greater good. i’ve been gargling vinegar, after all. So i take this spoonful…and i swallow it no problem… and then it’s like vapor rub steam coming out of my nose and all through my throat… this thing tastes like nothing edible — certainly not like any cough syrup i’ve ever been near before. grape flavor? cherry flavor? uh-uh. this is gasoline flavor right here — gasoline that’s bit lit on fire… Mom likened it to wasabi. and to things rub on your chest — not put in your mouth. But hey, does seem to really scare those coughs away.
6. My main food (cuz most foods do irritate thine already irritated throat), has been that organic broth, to which i added carrots both times, (the two times referring to one batch yesterday and one batch today… the batches being of different ingredients because several ingredients were used up last night for else’s dinner,) different types of mushrooms each time, potato the second time, bit of ginger both times, a bit of fresh green vegetable (dif. vegetable each time) for garnish (looks much better when there’s green bits floating around in there), protein powder the second time, and the rice is good only if you let it cook in a little — but don’t let it sit for 4 hours and overcook and burn to the bottom of the pot.
7. I’ve been resting my voice, mostly.
8. Took one triple-tickle-cocktail yesterday, and one triple-tickle-cocktail today. A triple-tickle-cocktail is a dose designed to knock any ailment way off its feet and send it packing, or to heavily reinforce the armor of one’s immune system to prevent an anticipated sickness attack. A triple-tickle-cocktail (yes, i like to say it) is a set of Nutrilite vitamins. A triple-tickle-cocktail (last time) consists of three garlic tablets (that are shaped like lil garlics. awwww), three C’s, and three echinacheas. don’t get sick without them.
9. I took one advil and one ibuprofen yesterday… i do think those do their general jobs of quelching pain.. though i don’t suppose they contribute to curing.
10. Also, (finally found it tonight) Triple Guard Echinacea Spray, also by Nutrilite. sprayed right to the back of the throat. this is a digestive, general immune system booster, but the fact that i’m getting to spray it directly on the problem will help make it extra excellent for driving away unpleasant feelings in my throat.

basic result of these “remedies” available in next entry..