How Are You Doing? What're You Doing?

It is Labor Day, not much as it is cloudy and may rain. Went to a good Latin Music festival (mostly caribbean) yesterday though.

Today is my first day of quitting smoking, it's been two hours now...

I'm doing laundry, playing games on the computer, will take a walk, later.

BTW, Bear, how about you?

Just got back from a 10 day trip to Boston to visit relatives and my dad. Weather was hot and muggy, the beaches were beautiful. If it is possible, dad is even more stubbornly pigheaded then he used to be and fighting to prolong his independence for as long as his failing body will let him. Was reminded of why I've always been so envious of the relatives on the East Coast. They truly don't appreciate the gift they have in each other. The elder generation of relatives is almost gone and it will soon be my generation's turn to play the role of patriarch and matriarch. I feel like I really missed out on one of life's experiences by not having any relatives on the West Coast.

Yesterday I thought I was having an allergic reaction to being back in the Valley, but today the sneezes have bloomed into a full blown head cold. First cold I've had in over 3 years and this one is promising to be a doozy.

What's the latest opinion on dealing with colds? Take medication and have the cold last longer or let the cold go its own course and move through your system faster?

Right now I'm drinking lots of OJ, taking aspirin and holding a bucket under my nose to catch the drip between sneezes and coughing.

I made the mistake of going to a Bingo parlor with my aunt. The thick cloud of second hand cigarette smoke irritated my lungs something terrible. (I won $40 btw!) Really really hoping it doesn't move into my chest...last time I had a cold it turned into a bacterial lung infection that lasted for several months.

Petunia, on behalf of all of us non-smokers, thank you very much for making the effort to quit. These continuous colds are one of the reasons I quit smoking nearly 10 years ago now. Keep us posted on your progress and let us know if there's anything we can offer in the way of support.

Here are some websites and tips I often recommend to friends who choose not to smoke any more. Hope they are helpful to you.

I highly recommend the QuitNet site and the recommended preparations for quitting smoking. Without a prepared plan you'll doom yourself to failure. Don't skip any of the steps. They may sound unimportant now, but they really are helpful.

How To Prepare to Quit Smoking -
http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/quitting/ht/preparetoquit.htm

How To Get Through the First Week (Hell Week) -
http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/quitting/ht/Get1st_Week.htm

Gross Photo Gallery - http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/gallery/

Good things About Not Smoking - http://quitsmoking.about.com/library/weekly/aa052801a.htm

How to recognize "Junkie" Thinking - http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/quitting/ht/Recog_Junkie.htm

Top 5 triggers to smoking - http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/cravings/tp/triggers.htm

101 Replacements for smoking a cigarette - http://quitsmoking.about.com/library/weekly/aa021601a.htm

Second Hand Smoke - http://quitsmoking.about.com/library/weekly/aa092799.htm

QuitNet.com, a community of quitters - http://www.quitnet.com/

Free Smoke Free Quit Meter - http://alft.net/software/sfs.shtml

Since you ask --- rotten. Picked up some kind of bug which went to my bronchials and has knocked me out.

Aside from that...swell!

And how's by you?

I am packing up for a trip out West. I promised myself that I would not take enough "stuff" for an around the world trip.......I lied. Just finished packing up the car. Right now I wish that I had a van.

my entire family has been sick with it and they're now getting better...I avoided it altogether, not unusual for me...I am a pretty healthy Bear with an iron immune system....after the way I lived in the sixties through eighties only God knows why....but I do not question, merely appreciate.

i'm not high
i'm not lowly
try to fly
beat my wings
too slowly.

Had tropical rain all week end and today. Went to Garden Ridge Pottery store to walk around with my wife - They're all decked out for Christmas. I don't mind. I enjoy holiday trappings and the like.

Last box is unpacked. Last of the crap leaning against the house is stowed in the basement. The last of the beer sits in the fridge, waiting to be drunk, and there's a bit of smoke tucked away somewhere...

Pretty good, all things considered.

I'm doing well today, thank you for asking. I'm still working on my massive writing project, but it's taking very nice shape and almost finished. I'm about to be let out of jail..........yay! Then it's back to the relentless pursuit of pleasure and good works. Feelin pretty good today.

Congrats Lola!

Yay patiodog! (That moment of first feeling somewhat settled is a nice one!)

Sympathy to my fellow bronchitis sufferers. If you can get some perscription cough medicine, do. It rocks.

(I'm almost better, but still not quite there. Been the name of the game since this started 2 weeks ago, but 3 days into antibiotics and showing some real improvement.)

Congrats petunia, too!

Hey, thanks for asking.
Had a great weekend! Went to the Ex - the BIG fair - on Saturday - 12 hours of walking, eating and going on rides. I love the Tilt A Whirl! There is nothing like a good scream. Setanta stayed at the house with the dogs.

Entertained my friend and her kids (we went to the Ex together) on Sunday morning. Did some little stuff around the house. Sat outside a lot. Went out for dinner with BoGoWo, cavfancier (Mr. Buttercup), mrs. cavfancier (Buttercup), wenchilina and Setanta last night. It was lovely! Everyone was a wonderful surprise/not surprise. I knew I'd like them, but I LIKED them! We got home waaaaaaay late for my schedule.

We took the doggies to the beach this morning. They had a grand romp. Cooked an enormous breakfast for Setanta (and the doggies of course - they got more of the eggs than I did). Lolled about with the dogs and a pile of books, while Setanta came here to relax before he started his drive home.

Waved good-bye to Setanta. The dogs are napping, and I'm playing and trying not to cough. (thanks for getting me that water, mrs. c!)

Medication won't prolong a cold, Butrflynet. Won't shorten it either, except for zinc and maybe vitamine C. I use the Cold-eeez brand at the onset, and it does seem to help.

anti-biotics are for secondary infections....

anti-biotics for bacteria
Flumadine and zinc for virus

There are actually some very effective anti-viral medicines on the market today, much better than Flumadine so many years ago now. They really work, but mostly on type A flu, that's the really bad one. Begins with a high temperature......etc. Just ask Dr. Lola

Thanks for that zinc reminder, Lola. I've probably got a bit left over from last year. Those Fishermen's Friend zinc tabs absolutely slapped an incipient cold into the ground last year.

it has worked many times for me too. But damn, those things taste nasty.

So the Toronto gathering DID happen! I was confused! (I thought it was Saturday night, nothing much seemed to happen Sat night, couldn't remember where I'd gotten that impression, shrugged.) Off to search for pics/ blow-by-blow...

Type A flu sounds like what I've got. Fever hit 102 this afternoon and the cold has definitely moved to my chest during the third day after the onset of symptoms. Heading to the doctor tomorrow for some help with my breathing if there is no improvement. The wheezing is getting pretty bad and my lungs feel extremely raw. Thought it was from the excessive secondhand smoke, but may be the flu instead. Took a decongestant but it hasn't helped much.

Do the newer anti virals have the same time limitations as Flumadine's requirement to be taken within 18 hours of onset of symptoms?

I want to go swimming, there's no food in the house (groceries delivered tomorrow) and I want my mommy... :::whine:::

Awww...

The secondhand smoke could still be the cause... I get bronchitis when I breathe in bad stuff and my immune system is at low ebb (stress, sickness.)

I had a cold first, then the bronchitis. Not a viral bronchitis, with the fever et al. More of a settling in the chest kinda thing. Definitely wheezing involved.