Like Clockwork

There are certain things you can always expect to happen in October.  The leaves start to change, the weather gets colder, the kids overdose on candy, and I get sick.  I can't remember the last October without me being sick.  It isn't just a little cold sick, it is lose my voice to sound like Marge Simpson's sisters sick.  It is head ready to explode, sinus pressure to the max sick.  It is sleep all day, up all night coughing sick.  It is waking up all wet from a high fever sick.  I could go on, but I think you have the idea.  The worst part is that I love October and being sick stops me  from really enjoying it.  I hate being sick.  

Last year I was so sick I called off work and went to the doctor.  Two things that I very rarely do.  I was prompted to go after a really tough night.  I usually cough like crazy when I am trying to go to sleep.  I stack my pillows up and try to sleep sitting up.  This never works.  I have a permanent place in my mouth for a cough drop, and once I have sucked it down, I cough uncontrollably.  This particular night I ran out of cough drops and tried to suck down water every time I started coughing.  I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to sleep with the full glass of water on the mattress beside me, but I did.  I later woke up in the middle of the night with a soaking wet mattress and a drenched lap.  The first thing I thought was that I had coughed so hard I had wet the bed.  You would think that after coming to that conclusion I would have sprang out of bed and jumped into action, cleaning my sheets and taking a shower.  Instead, I sat there sick and weak wondering if it was really that gross to sleep in your own pee.  A few minutes later I realized it wasn't my pee, just the tipped over glass of water that I thought was a good idea to sleep with.  I was so tired and sick that I just stayed there hoping that it would dry up by morning.  The next day I called off work and went to the doctor. 

I feel like there are two types of people in the world when I am sick.  Those who have loads of advice as to how I can get better, and those who are sicker than me.  I let most people know when I run into them that I have lost my voice and that I am not contagious.  I have no idea really if I am contagious or not, I just want them to feel better about me coughing all over them.  They then tell me one of two things, how I can get better, or how much sicker they are than me.  I usually just listen quietly while they tell me about the latest pill or humidifier or rub I need to get, or they let me know that I am lucky only having the few symptoms that I have since they are clearly worse off  with all their aches and pains and rashes and what not.  I don't know what it is about my expression that makes people think I want to hear any of this.  All I really want to do when I am sick is go to bed with a tall glass of water and a hand full of cough drops.  Let's just hope I don't try to put the glass on the mattress beside me or Lincoln might have a interesting surprise in the morning.  

Here's to feeling better and enjoying the beauty of October.