i'm finally not so sick

the night before last, i took an expectorant. and it worked. when i wasn't watching tv sideways, propped up by pillows and surrounded by used tissue, i was literally running to prop myself up on the toilet, to let God knows what pour out of me. my sinuses throbbed like my heart was in the front of my head. everytime i took a deep breath, i would cough so violently, it sounded like my chest was made of steel and filled with rocks. when i sneezed, it sounded like a minor sonic boom. the very idea of eating anything made me want to heave. it was all i could do to drink water and clutch the remote.

last night was more of the same but much improved. more expectorant. very effective. it definitely shook some more rocks loose from the crevices in my sickness. at one point, there was an avalanche, a fit of coughing that made my chest burn and rumble. i was grateful that could breathe but it felt like someone had been wringing on my nose from the inside out and after awhile it began to burn. so i breathed through my mouth but it dried out my throat, which is horrible for my vocal cords. and surprisingly -- thank God -- they are unaffected.

i woke up this morning in my favorite flannel pajamas, able to take a deep breath, able to breathe and able to sing a clear tone. (Yay.) my one real joy in all this was creating a kind of makeshift steam bath by taking extremely hot showers right after i took my medication. what i should do is hit the russian-turkish baths this week and wring the last of this gunk out of me...

i have to say that i am hardly ever sick. ever. as a matter of fact, i can't remember the last time i had so much as a simple headcold. whenever i do get sick, it doesn't last long -- probably because i take preventative measures every day, and i take them very seriously. this sick thing knocked me down for three or four days, though it will probably linger for the rest of the week, disappearing well before the end of the month.

i had to work through this because i needed the money, and i had to sing. i don't know how i did it.