NockerGeek (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nockergeek) wrote2007-12-23 11:30 pm
nockergeek) wrote2007-12-23 11:30 pm
Good news/bad news, weekend edition
The bad news: I still have a sore throat, compounded by drainage. Actually, the sore throat is due to the drainage. At its worst, my throat gets so irritated that I start coughing and my voice all but disappears. It's also making my ears drain out and get irritated as well.
The good news: Where do I begin? First off, a combination of phenylephrine and ibuprofen does wonders. The phen kills the drainage, and the 'profen takes down the irritation. It almost gets me back to normal. This is especially noteworthy, because in the past phenylephrine has never worked all that well for me. Normally, I'm only good with pseudophedrine, but since that's a pain in the ass to get anymore (thanks a ton, meth-heads), phen is all you can get without going directly to the pharmacist. Add in the occasional throat lozenge or spray of Chloroseptic, and life is pretty tolerable.
Oh, and I've also gained a new appreciation of hot tea, specifically green tea with mint. I've never been a hot drink person in the past, as most hot drinks are served at near-scalding temperatures, making it very uncomfortable to drink even tiny sips (I'm looking at you, QuikTrip hot chocolate). I also don't go much for most brewed teas, mostly because I prefer a very mild tea flavor. However, since green tea is best served at a slightly cooler temperature so that it doesn't overbrew and get too bitter, it just has a very mild, soothing aroma and flavor (to which the mind contributes nicely). It's a good hot drink for soothing and lubricating my throat, and I think I'm a fan now.
Still, though, I might try to get a doctor's appointment set up for either tomorrow or Wednesday, as I've been fighting this off since Wednesday afternoon. It's not gotten much worse, thank God, but neither has it gotten much better in that time. Tomorrow's an optional day, and although I had been planning on going in, I think spending a free day resting and/or seeing the doctor is much more important right now, especially as I don't get paid time off for another couple of months. Alternately, we have Wednesday off as well, so that's a definite option if Monday's a no-go. The sooner the better, but with this being the holidays, I'm not making any expectations of open availability.
The good news: Where do I begin? First off, a combination of phenylephrine and ibuprofen does wonders. The phen kills the drainage, and the 'profen takes down the irritation. It almost gets me back to normal. This is especially noteworthy, because in the past phenylephrine has never worked all that well for me. Normally, I'm only good with pseudophedrine, but since that's a pain in the ass to get anymore (thanks a ton, meth-heads), phen is all you can get without going directly to the pharmacist. Add in the occasional throat lozenge or spray of Chloroseptic, and life is pretty tolerable.
Oh, and I've also gained a new appreciation of hot tea, specifically green tea with mint. I've never been a hot drink person in the past, as most hot drinks are served at near-scalding temperatures, making it very uncomfortable to drink even tiny sips (I'm looking at you, QuikTrip hot chocolate). I also don't go much for most brewed teas, mostly because I prefer a very mild tea flavor. However, since green tea is best served at a slightly cooler temperature so that it doesn't overbrew and get too bitter, it just has a very mild, soothing aroma and flavor (to which the mind contributes nicely). It's a good hot drink for soothing and lubricating my throat, and I think I'm a fan now.
Still, though, I might try to get a doctor's appointment set up for either tomorrow or Wednesday, as I've been fighting this off since Wednesday afternoon. It's not gotten much worse, thank God, but neither has it gotten much better in that time. Tomorrow's an optional day, and although I had been planning on going in, I think spending a free day resting and/or seeing the doctor is much more important right now, especially as I don't get paid time off for another couple of months. Alternately, we have Wednesday off as well, so that's a definite option if Monday's a no-go. The sooner the better, but with this being the holidays, I'm not making any expectations of open availability.