Sickly

When i was about three I had the chickenpox swiftly followed by a very bad case of pneumonia for which i was hospitalized overnight. I remember the chickenpox. In fact one of my earliest memories is getting out of my baking soda bath and walking naked into the living room whilst scratching only to hear my mother call out, "Carolyn! Stop scratching, you'll get scars!"

I don't remember the pneumonia at all. My parents have never talked to me extensively about it so I don't even have manufactured memories to cover it. I only know that it had to be pretty bad to warrent a trip to the hospital because we were pretty broke then and rarely went to the doctor, especially the emergency room since that cost more than a typical copay. As a result of that pneumonia (this is my theory anyhow) I have always, since I was wee, had the biggest most horrible cough in the world whenever I get even a little bit sick. Colds always center in my chest and take me over. I sound like I've smoked two packs of cigarettes in two hours every time I get a cold or fluy thing ever since I was a kid. It was exacerbated by a really bad bout of bronchitis when I was 11 (this neccesitated a trip to the ER where I threw up my pink bubble gum flavoured antibiotics, I think, that my actually be something I made up, but i definitely had to go to the ER). And then once I actually did start smoking I was on the fast track to chronic bronchitis.

Now, here I am, living a relatively clean life, but I smoked a few times the last couple weeks plus the germs ar everywhere at my office and on the bus so I have been saddled with this miserable cough again! I hate this cough! It makes my chest ache and sometimes it makes my stomach hurt. Sometimes it goes on for so long that my eyes water and I turn bright red. And it always, ALWAYS, hits at the most inconvenient times. Important meeting, coughing fit. Exam, coughing fit. Romantic moment, coughing fit.

Cough syrups are useless, so are lozenges and water. Sometimes herbal tea will help, but never for long. This is the curse of the sickly child. And it's a pain in my ass!

Today I was trying to sort out some files up in the pristine quiet of the Legal Department and I almost fell over from the coughing. I had to rush to the tea point with everyone staring at me like my lungs were about to burst forth from my chest.

I think I also had the croupe or the whooping cough or something equally pioneer sounding when I was little. If life were more like Oregon Trail I never would have made it to other side of our new United States of America. And I'm not even mentioning the Mono I got without even having been kissed!