First Cold in Over 10 Years

Back in the day, ’99 thru ’00, I went through 24 consecutive weeks of chemo. Then I went through the routine of building myself back up, stamina and health-wise. I overcame the expected anemia. 

And we teased that after all that chemo, six full, very steady, very consistent, doses, no decent germ would ever live inside me again.

The only health issue I’ve had is the normal joint pain for someone my age. For the first time, last year, I’m also dealing with slightly elevated blood pressure. All my childhood years and my young adult years, I actually had the opposite - low blood pressure. I often fainted or passed out because of it.

But I have not had a real cold in well over 10 years.

It feels rather comical, in a way. Sneezing, coughing...appetite is just fine. It’s just a cold. Plain old garden variety. 

I grew up in the 40s. Back then, a cold did not stop us from work, school or play. It was not the flu. It was not anything serious.

We took normal common sense, sensible action. The old sayings were, “When you have a cold, and you do nothing, it lasts 14 days; if you take something for it, it lasts two weeks.” So, we knew about how long we’d feel less than up to par.

And we also made sure to drink fluids (soups, juices, other liquids), stocked up on tissues, and went to bed with tons of extra clothing because we wanted to “sweat it out.” If we had a scratchy throat or cough, we’d mix up some honey and lemon juice and sip a teaspoon a few times a day. We gargled, either with Listerine or warm salt water. Vicks or Musterole for stubborn coughs or stopped up noses. Like I said - sensible.

That’s exactly what I’ll do with this. It’s just a cold.

I’ll also be sure to avoid hugging anyone else. My immune system might be fine just now, but almost all my friends are having issues. I don’t want to compound them.

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for keeping me free from colds for so long. Thank you that it is not something like the flu (for which I’ve already had my shot). And please watch over any friends I run into, that I might avoid passing it to someone who might suffer unnecessarily from that contact.