Mid-February I was scheduled to have surgery. A few days before the surgery, 3 days to be exact, I came down with a terrible head cold. Two days before surgery I was miserable, the doctor said we would probably have to reschedule if I wasn’t better and I saw no way that was going to happen. However I was very determined not to reschedule, I was stronger than any cold! FIrst thing I did was hit the cold with a strict regiment of Sudafed (the good kind), Robitussin and Tylenol, in addition I was drinking 3-4 16 oz glasses of fluid an hour, plus Airborne several times a day. Since my stomach was fine, I could eat so I consumed the hottest, spiciest food I could get. It was painful but amazingly helpful for the congestion!
Basically I created what I like to call a hostile work environment for whatever bug had taken up residence in my body. To my wonders, it worked. Less than a day and a half after I began my super cold regiment I had surgery with just a tinge of remaining congestion, which surgery seemed to clear up, probably from the oxygen and anaesthesia. From past experience I have no doubt that if I had not been so aggressive my surgery would have been rescheduled. Was it the regiment, a sort lived cold or just dumb luck? Guess I won’t know for sure until the next time I get a cold, though I am in no hurry to find out!
Here are some of the resources I found to help me come up with my cold remedy regiment:
Get Rid of a Cold Naturally Fast
How to beat a cold in 24 hours
10 remedies that do not treat a cold
Cold Remedies
Here are two other neat health tricks that helped me out:
Clear Nose Congestion
While Sudafed works it isn’t always practical, especially at night. Here’s an easier, quicker, and cheaper remedy to relieve sinus pressure: Alternate thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. Basically you are massaging or rocking the vomer bone in your nasal passage back and forth which helps loosen and breaks up your congestion. It takes about 20 seconds for your congestion to start to drain and you to feel some relief.
Cure a Tickling Throat
A healthy remedy for that tickle in your throat that can cause you to cough and gag. There is a better way to scratch your throat itch other than a lozenges: Scratch your ear! That’s right scratching your ear creates a nerve reflex in your throat that can relieve the tickle causing muscle spasm.
As always, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, drink plenty, get plenty of sleep, exercise, eat healthy; basically live a healthy lifestyle, this is the best way to prevent a cold. But when the inevitable happens, hope these help you as much as they have helped me.
