argh-- summer cold

So, I'm trying to edit about 200 pages by Weds. I was doing well, other than the occasionally distracting flies, and that's why, for the last two days I've been suffering from a summer cold. Really painfully runny nose, watery eyes, burning in the lungs and overall fatigue (no coughing yet). I can't sleep because laying down is too much like drowning.

Argh.

Things that have helped:

• Exiling myself to the computer room in my house. This gray, dim, utilitarian room contains my servers and has to have an aircondition running at all times (even for most of the winter) in order for the room not to become dangerously hot and ruin the equipment. Because of this, the computer room has had completely filtered air for many months.

• Drinking *a lot* of water. Avoiding tea because the caffeine stresses my heart.

• Taking large quantities of vitamins. Doing an organic multivitamin, then augmenting it with copious amounts of C, zinc and iron. I toss in some extra potassium and magnesium too, again for my heart. It seems to work.

• Trying to sleep, sitting up, as often as I can-- screw the book (I cringe when I say that but I just can't handle having pneumonia twice in one year).

• When the burning and pain becomes too much, I spray saline (especially for nasal passages people, not the canned stuff for your eyes) up in there and then blow it out. It really, really helps. I recommend it, even though it's kinda weird feeling. Always rinse the nozzle thing under super hot water before putting it away.

• When the stuffiness and aching in the sinuses begins to feel like an infection, I have been boiling water, pouring it in a cup with a drop of tea tree oil, and breathing in the steam. Be careful about the oil-- it really works but it hurts like hell if you use too much, ahh the burning, the burning....

• Using neosporin on the outside of the nostrils. Man, my stupid skin is so, so sensitive, that having a runny nose for maybe a few hours causes major redness and pain. It's surprising. Neosporin helps.

Things to be careful about-- geting cold in any way, especially my face. Beware of the direct cold air from the aircondition. Last time I was sick and sat too close to the AC output I got an ear infection (and that *really* sucked). I really can't sleep laying down so I am trying to sleep sitting up. Whenever I've had sinus problems of any sort and laid down to sleep I've gotten bronchitis or pneumonia. I have a really small torso so I wonder if it's simply easier for the infection to travel to my lungs than it is for other people?

And let's not forget, I have to keep typing through all this. OMG, why does this have to happen now?! Not this weekend, please not now.....