I have what most moms dismiss as a head cold, what Spanish people describe as a ‘flu, and that which brings most men to their knees. Before you think I am dissing both men and the Spanish, let me explain – I don’t do colds, ok! Break my wrist, slip my disc, make me go 24 hours without sleep, or put me in the middle of a motorway pileup, and I’m tough as old boots. Give me a common cold and I crumble.
Now, don’t get me wrong I’m not looking for sympathy here. I just want to curl up and watch soppy movies or re-runs of “The Gilmore Girls” or “Friends”. Unless Joe Fox is going to turn up with some friendly daisies (if you don’t get that reference, how well do you know me?!), I’m best left alone to wallow.
All day I’ve been oscillating between a profound craving for Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream (and there are two shops within a five-minute walk selling it) and an equally profound lethargy, and laziness So, how deep is my affection for Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream, not on the same scale as my lethargy it turns out. You might as well expect me to hop on the next space shuttle as step over my threshold. It’s almost ten at night and I didn’t go yet. One of the shops is closed now, and the other will be closing soon.
Why is it that nasopharyngitis, acute viral rhinopharyngitis, or acute coryza (no wonder it’s so bad with all those fancy names!) turns me into a whingeing, self-absorbed sad case, when neither a recent tooth infection so bad I thought it was a brain haemorrhage, nor an excruciating, old whiplash injury, which necessitated an MRI the other week, has had even a passing mention in my blog? Apparently, most adults suffer between 2 and 4 of these infections per year, (and a child can suffer between 6 and 12! I get my info from Wikipedia – I don’t vouch for it!) …… not this adult. My average is one roughly every two years, which is perhaps why I take it so hard. I like to think that I’m immune. Indeed, I’ve worked in offices where all around me fell……and brought their nasty germs to work to spread it around a bit……..and not even had a sniffle, which is why mind and body are now screaming, “Whyyyyyyy?”
Remembering the “good old 9 to 5 days” makes it seem even more unfair. I don’t recall being in the company of anyone with a cold within the last 10 days, probably just someone sneezing in the supermarket or a café then. Why won’t they learn to stay home at the first sign and keep their nasties to themselves? Which, you see, is the excuse for my lethargy. I really shouldn’t go and spread this around, so I’m just going to crawl back under the covers. Now where did I put “You Got Mail”?
Islandmomma 
April 26, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Sorry you’re feeling crap too. I think you’re right about not going out and infecting others – the rules of karma suggest you’ll get it back anyway – but I hope someone can bring you ice cream. I guess calling 112 for a Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream deficiency isn’t really a valid type of emergency! 🙂
April 26, 2011 at 2:45 pm
LOL! I wish I could get takeaway ice cream! Actually Roy’s Pizza would deliver Haagen Daas, but minimum order of €25 to come to El Médano, and Haagen Daas don’t do Chocolate Brownie, only my local heladeria (the BEST!) or Ben & Jerrys ….which Hiper Dino now stock :=) I might succumb today because I need dog food, or, on the other hand, Trix can have pasta tonight.
And you see you put the whole thing in perspective for me, because all this is is a very heavy cold. Ain’t even flu, as lots of people claim when they have a bad cold. But it’s nothing really is it, compared, I know. I’m such a wuss.
April 27, 2011 at 2:27 pm
It’s the same in France and Algeria. Everyone has “une grippe” which is flu, whilst the worse they have is ” un rhume” ( a cold). Someone once told me if you saw a stray ten pound note and could get up from your sickbed to pick it up, then you didn’t have flu. It sounds as though you do have it then, if you can’t even get up to get ice-cream!
Another thing about the French – have you ever heard of a “liver crisis”? In French it’s a “crise de foie” and everyone who is anyone has one from time to time. From what I can gather, it’s what my Mum used to call a bilious attack, but I’ve been assured it’s far worse than that! I hope you feel better soon anyway! xxx
April 27, 2011 at 3:01 pm
No, honestly, it’s just a really, really bad cold, the worst you could get probably. I just caved in and called it “gripe” because my Spanish friends will think I’m being nesh if I don’t!! Actually, in some ways I’d rather have gripe. that I can just sleep off, but every time I nod off with this the cough wakes me up. First two days were ok, but the cough set in late yesterday :=( poor Trixy is terrified for some reason, she hates coughing!
Nope, not heard of anything like “crise de foie”. Kidney infections, yes, but not liver, at least not mostly self-induced. May have had one from time to time in the dead end jobs I had!
April 28, 2011 at 10:24 pm
daily Echinacea helps me avoid the state you’re in. When all else fails make a hot toddy and retire under the duvet. Come out only for extreme emergencies and after a couple of days get some chicken soup down you. that’s all cultures covered and don’t forget the vaseline for that poor nose.
April 29, 2011 at 12:06 am
Can’t afford echinacea any more, but advice is not to take it daily or there is no advantage when your immune system does need a boost? All things considered mine has been pretty good of late, which is why I am so irritated by the cold……and I couldn’t imagine who had given it to me (one of the advantages of not working!), then I remembered my dentist, who had a cold when I was there last week. He wore a mask, but clearly it wasn’t sufficient! I am so mad at him!
May 4, 2011 at 3:13 pm
I also like to wallow and disappear into romantic chic flicks ad magazines when I’m sick and of course ice cream. I don’t get colds very often either, but I agree, they are the worst. Hope you’re feeling better soon.
May 4, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Thanks I feel lots better. I started to get back to normal on Sunday, but only today really feel anything like myself! Nasty one! Glad I didn’t spread it around! Since other people rarely have sympathy for colds I think cosseting oneself is excusable :=) I just wish I knew to whom I’d lent “The Devil Wears Prada,” but happily I found a new tv channel, which was showing reruns of “Sex & the City”. Not quite the same in Spanish, but fun to watch the clothes! And Sunday I finally got my ice cream :=)))