Not Dead Yet

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. The present I gave him? I didn't die.

He picked up a cold-like virus last week and passed it on to me. He's been sick a week now but still going. Still mowing hay and doing his chores.

I escaped until Sunday, when I started feeling a little puny. By Monday, I was in full-blown cold mode.

Tuesday morning, I had a lot of congestion and drainage. I went into the kitchen for another glass of water and started coughing.

At this point, I should also mention that I have TMJ, which is a problem with your jaw joint. Mine moves out of place almost every night. Most mornings, I just pop it back in with my hand, but some mornings it gets stuck in a place where I can't do that, and all I can do is not open my mouth, slip in some muscle relaxers, use ice and heat on my jaw, and hope it eventually unlocks.

Tuesday morning was a "locked and can't get it open" day. Having your jaw out of alignment affects your swallowing.

As I began to cough, my throat filled with mucus. I don't know if I coughed it up or if it came out of my head, but it lodged in my throat.

And I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't swallow it, either. Because I'd been coughing when this happened, there wasn't much air in my lungs, and I have asthma, too, so there's that.

I started seeing black spots before my eyes. My body took over and every muscle spasmed, and I turned around and threw up in the trash can.

That was my body saving me from passing out.

My husband got me a chair. As I sat there, I continued to cough, bringing up more congestion that I couldn't spit out, so my body spasmed and threw up mucus two more times. My jaw unlocked during the third spasm, thankfully, and after that, things settled down.

Panicked, my husband called my doctor's office, but she couldn't work me in. He wanted to take me to the ER but I felt like the worst was over. I agreed to a Teledoc call. The anonymous doctor that I spoke with over the computer called in a steroid, nasal spray, and cough medicine. She told me to use my inhaler regularly until this calms down.

Teledoc is helpful, but nobody can listen to your chest when you use it. That's the only thing I don't like about it when I have to use it for colds.

This morning my upper body muscles are sore from the coughing and retching.

But at least I'm not dead.

This is why I try so hard not to get sick. I seldom get "just a little cold." I get bronchial issues, near pneumonia, or possible death from passing out and hitting my head on the tile floor.