I am seriously tired of being sick.
A few days ago, I started feeling like my lingering cough that began in early October was worsening, and the nasal/sinus symptoms were returning. I chalked it up to perhaps allergies, with the weird heat wave that seemed to be hitting the bay area. But my cough was really starting to freak me out, sounding worse and becoming more productive.
I took Tuesday off of work, for I was feeling pretty crappy, and spent a lot of the day horizontally. The rest was most certainly needed. I tried pretty much all day to get in contact with a doctor to try and get this thing checked out that day, but response was incredibly flaky. I left multiple messages for my PCP, only to find out hours later that she was out of town, and I “could schedule an appointment next week”. Um, no. I am subsequently advised to call the Advice Nurse to try and make a same day appointment at the clinic. All I get is a voice mail, multiple times, and no callback. Grr. By the time she *does* call me back, it’s already the afternoon and they don’t have an appointment available until early the next afternoon. Double grr.
Took Wednesday off too, figuring it wasn’t worth it to go in to work only to leave 3 hours later. The doctor’s visit was pretty unproductive, she thought that I probably had another virus and sent me home with a prescription for some cough syrup with codeine. Whooo.
I was seriously getting fed up with this crap. I get an illness like this at least once a year, and no doctor has been able to tell me what the heck is going on. Allergists tell me their tests are “inconclusive”, doctors have given me rounds of different heartburn medications thinking that digestive issues may be causing my cough, others have given me antibiotics. At this point, I am frustrated and will try anything that might possibly help.
So I went and visited a friendly neighborhood herbalist.
No, not the ones that hang out in the park, duh… a Chinese Herbalist. My boss had been talking about taking me to one, for she totally swears by the treatments that she has received from them. So I figured, heck, it’s worth a shot… I don’t really have a lot to lose.
I was sent home with a big bag full of seemingly random twigs and branches, to consume the liquid made from boiling them in water over the course of the next few days. MAN is this stuff potent. Boiling this stuff in a big pot on the stove just fills the house with the strong scent of these herbs. The dark brown liquid that results after boiling it for an hour is nice(?) and stinky, and is really tough going down. It just tastes like dirt to me… reminiscent of taking a spill on a soccer field.
So I am only on day two of quaffing this stuff, and I’m already sick of it. Maybe it’s the thought of drinking it again that scares our bodies into getting better, heh.
We’ll see how it goes… I have to be swilling this brown stinky liquid till Sunday. Wish me luck.
Good luck! I’m all about the power of belief. I believe Airborne (See post), so it works for me. I also believe in Aleve. Do you believe in stinky brown liquid?
Since this post was made on Thursday, I’m going to say that I hope you’re better by now rather than just wishing you good luck.
My mother has drank all sorts of weird Chinese herbal soups and liquids, and on occasion she’s forced some of them on me when I’ve gotten sick, so I feel your pain.
I feel a little better now, but not 100%. I’m gonna give it a few more days, let my body flush out the bad junk which I think was prompted by the consumption of the herbal stuff.