5 de febrero del 2001

I am in hell.

I have the worst sore throat I've ever had. Okay, it's not the worst it just feels that way because it's been a long, long time since I've had one.

When I woke up and tried to swallow it felt like cotton balls were stuffed down my throat. Not that it was cushiony soft, no, it was because I couldn't swallow. After the first attempt and the subsequent pain I went back to sleep thinking it was just my mind playing tricks on me. No such thing. Since I couldn't swallow I couldn't breathe with my mouth closed. Blah. It just went downhill from there. When I tried to talk (to myself of course) nothing came out. So I finally got up, filled up the tea kettle and showered while it warmed up.

If there's one thing I remember from any childhood sicknesses I might have suffered is that lemon & honey work wonders.

Thank God I'd bought those huge lemons last week. They were still waiting to be consumed. So I started slicing while the water boiled. I found the biggest, friendliest mug I could find and squeezed some fresh lemon juice in it. Then I dolloped some honey and with the water ready I added it to the mug. I also found some herbal lemon tea bags.

When my remedy was finally warm and not scolding hot I took a sip and was transported back to my childhood... my dad forcing me to drink his version of the above only it was more honey & lemon than water so drinking it felt like you were drinking pucker-your-lips-and-cringe-in-pain medicine syrup. I also remember it didn't help much except for making me loopy all day from all the sugar. Heh.

Anyway, I'm glad to say my remedy was delicous and it mellowed the pain until I got to work. The little walk from the parking garage to the office made it all dry and painful again.

But I came prepared. I brought my herbal lemon tea bags and honey.

I'm feeling warm all over again.

My throat still hurts though. Blah.

PS - While looking online for herbal remedies for my sore throat I came across this -

Like honey in your tea? Try some spiked with a few cloves of garlic, a potent natural antibiotic. Herbalist Terri Merriken suggests 2 teaspoons a day of garlic honey. To make, just add several cloves to your favorite jar of honey. (from Vegetarian Times)