OK, so I kicked the plague that kept me in bed for nearly a week but haven’t yet managed to shake a very persistent cough. Ralf, who usually refers to me as Sweetie or Schatz (‘treasure’), has started calling me ‘Pestilence’. I can’t really blame him since my nocturnal coughing has kept him awake for three weeks.
Remember the EUR 200 inhaler the doctor prescribed that I didn’t buy? It turns out that wasn’t such a weird recommendation after all. When my German friends heard about my lingering cough I was showered with offers to loan me these amazingly expensive hospital grade inhalers. We ended up borrowing one from Berndt and Elizabeth next door. It jets medicine right into your lungs where it can supposedly do the most good. Unfortunately, the medicine gives me a splitting headache and has so far been about as effective as killing a chicken while muttering incantations would be.
Last night I was introduced to a new German medicine: Capval Tropfen. No idea what’s in it but it’s supposed to be the king of slime melters. We got it from Ralf’s mom, who works in a doctor’s office. When I took my first sip I gasped in horror and croaked, ‘Your mom must really hate me!’ Seriously, I joked about the repulsive taste of German medicine in a previous posting but it turns out I had only scratched the surface of vileness: Capval Tropfen tastes like toilet cleaner. Word - it’s unbelievably disgusting. On the other hand, within minutes of forcing myself to drink it my nose started running uncontrollably so it at least seems to be melting something. No change in my coughing status but whatever’s been lurking in my nose is finally on its way out.
L has a bit of a lingering cold as well and her nose has been running non-stop for two weeks but she has a natural advantage because she can lick her own nostrils. She’s very cute so this is not quite as disgusting as it could be but we have nonetheless been trying to discourage this habit.
I have another doctor appointment tomorrow and we’ll see what nasty, useless concoction he or she prescribes this time.
I will kick this cold. Maybe not until summer or next year but it will happen. Someday. I vow this.
December 29, 2008
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Yeah, Capval is an opiod and we've had it prescribed before but I also found it didn't work at all. Maybe ask your doc to prescribe Paracodin - it has codeine in it and I've found it to be really good when you went to get some rest at night.
ReplyDeleteGet well soon!
i hope you feel well soon
ReplyDeleteSo sorry, we are making our way through the same maze too, but I am far less sick than you.I hope to learn through your efforts the least vile medikaments to request!
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