In the days since coming back from Manchester I’ve been plagued by a stuffed nose. At first I just thought it was a really bad hang over and I started to think that one day makes a lot of difference once the new number after turning older somehow registers in the body making it feel much older. I dismissed this theory as being illogical and not based in fact. One day is just a day. 

Monday was a terrible day at work. Not only was I tired from poor sleep but the nose was running making me look and sound like some kind of sickly addict after a weekend out. When you have that sinus pressure on your nose your eyes feel like they want to burst out of your head and thinking is distracted by the need to breathe and keep the snot invisible to the people around you. All that I wanted was relief but the box of tissues didn’t offer any and to top it all off I felt like Rudolph. 

My mind was made up to go and get some medication from the shop. I sat there on the train on the way home suffering but then something miraculous started to happen I could breathe! I felt the liquid shrink away and it seemed like it is work that has been the cause of my misery. “Workitis” is a thing as many would agree. It is an affliction that plagues most of us at some point in our lives. I felt good enough to walk right past the shop and get to the flat. A good nights sleep is in order. 

My “man-flu” was in full effect when talking with Ba(r)be. My worst sickly performance was on display. Just a few days ago I felt great but now when we spoke my mind kept telling my nose to hold the fluid in snarl. If she likes me at this point it means something 😉. 

There is a heat wave moving over this island. The air has been humid and hot making the atmosphere muggy and sweaty so I tossed and turned for a while trying to fall asleep. I woke up with the rhinitis again. Head heavy from the effort and dehydrated from having to breathe through my mouth. Funny how much more fluid is lost through just this simple change. 

Getting to work was an excercise in motivation. If I had sick time I would have called in but as a contractor there is no safety net to fall back on. Financially speaking every penny counts right now. I have something to look forward to that helps me move forward. There are just a few weeks left until Ba(r)be gets here’s do then we are off to wander around Europe. 

At work I still had to perform at a high level. It’s been busy and there are lots of injections to be done. I’m just moving along with whatever comes. My colleagues playfully didn’t have any sympathy for me. Towards the end of the day Em gave me an anti histamine to see if this is just hay fever that I am suffering from. I don’t have any allergies that I know of so it’s worth a shot. There was a conscious evaluation of its effects on me. It wasn’t working. As I headed back on the train that was late and delayed sniffling the whole way back. I wish I had some tissues. 

The sun was beating through the window and there was an older man with some sort of behavioral condition standing in the gangway between the trains. It was probably the hottest day of the year so far and here in the UK heat causes problems for the trains. There was some sort of signaling problem that was causing issues somewhere south of Stafford. The agony of such a train ride is being still on the rails. 

When I finally did get off I headed straight for the shop to stock up on provisions and something to ease my breathing difficulties. I was going to get an anti histamine but decided against it as it didn’t do anything for me.  What I did get is a couple of different types of nasal spray. One of them did the trick as did a cold and sinus tablet from my stock that I’ve carried with me from Canada. 

I have some kind of sub clinical infection that my body is defending against. I’m trying to take care of myself in order to combat this problem and get myself back to form. The rhinitis comes and goes. I can feel the pressure in my joints so I know that some kind of inflammatory condition is underway inside my body. I hope it passes soon.