What do you do when...

you wake up to your throat hurting so bad, head feeling like it is gonna explode, aches and pains alllll over your body, swollen lymph nodes right below your ear, ears hurting so bad you can't put in your hearing aids, a fever, and sinus drainage out the wazoo?

I probably do things a lot different than most folks. First I got a hot cuppa tea to ease the pain in my throat. I was already feeling pretty bad but it kept getting worse.  I finally got up and chopped me some garlic and swallowed it with some honey.  After a nap I had two asthma attacks so I first sat back and opened up my chest and breathed slowly until they passed.  So I made some more respiratory support tea to drink.

A couple of hours later I was sitting there almost in a state of panic about herbal medicine not working.... I had to have been delusional, after all I had a fever.  When out of nowhere I was reminded of my very words I'd just lectured MrBeans with .... "Garlic and other herbs are just like modern medicines.  You can't take them once and expect to be better immediately.  You have to take them three times a day or more just like modern medicines.  Otherwise you aren't going to get better."  So I got up and chopped some more garlic to take with honey.

Later that evening, I felt a small pain in my chest like another asthma attack coming on so I grabbed a peppermint tea bag and started breathing it in for a few minutes (because I still haven't gotten any peppermint essential oil) until I dunked it in water to drink a cup of peppermint tea.  That felt so good!  Then I made a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and honey and followed that with some more garlic and honey a little later.  Followed by rinsing with a neti pot after my shower.

Around 4 am I woke up with my chest hurting and decided to go grab another peppermint tea bag to breath in for awhile.  I cannot even begin to describe the relief that brings.

I initially started feeling better a couple hours after my second dose of garlic.  I'm still sick but boy do I feel much better than I did yesterday!!!  I volunteered to read names of fallen soldiers today at the college for the Veteran's Day observance and I have a test to take at 9.  I really thought I was going to have to cancel on them.  That's how bad I felt yesterday - barely able to get up for feeling so weak, taking several naps and still going to bed at regular time.  The only thing I did was knit a little.

(March 18, 2014 - just saw this link is broken - will attempt to fix as soon as I can)