At this point, I was feeling awful. Memorial Day Weekend was in full swing here in the States, and I wasn’t fit to be around anything that wasn’t in a biohazard suit. My mom came by and showed me this bit of healing lore she learned in nursing school that was a remarkable cure for a nasal drip, which was a large part of the problem:
- Take a piece of cotton (100% cotton), like a tshirt. Fold it so it will wrap around the neck, then dampen it with water so that it’s cool to the touch. It doesn’t have to be ice-cold, and it doesn’t (and in fact shouldn’t) be dripping wet. Wrap this around your neck, making sure that the affected area is covered. Ideally, you’d pin it so that it stays in place, but I had no safety pins.
- Next, take a piece of wool (I only had a scarf), and wrap that around the cotton. Again, ideally, you’d pin this in place.
- Lastly, take a piece of flannel (Again, scarf), and wrap THAT around the wool and cotton layers. The insulated, damp cotton will become warm to the touch with your own body heat, creating improved circulation in that area without risk of burning (as it’s really only as hot as you are), and helping the troubled area heal.
This was surprisingly effective. Nevertheless, the malady was determined to keep me in its grip, and I didn’t sleep much that night, despite being exhausted from not sleeping the last two nights:
