PG has one piece of advice – don’t develop pneumonia. He has discovered no discernible benefits from the experience.
Yes, you do pack 14 years of normal coughing into a few days, but despite this high-intensity training, PG is no better at coughing than he was at the outset of his illness.
He has lost a lot of weight in a short period of time, but since it’s coughing weight, he’ll undoubtedly start putting it back on since he’s coughing less now.
PG isn’t quite ready to ramp up the well-oiled machine that is The Passive Voice yet, but (cough) he can at least (cough) imagine the possibility. (cough, cough, cough . . .)
I once choked on a chip at a friend’s birthday when I was seven and had to be sent home, as I’d broken my collarbone coughing.
Stella Young
Jerry Pournelle recently battled pneumonia. He felt tired but the pull of work drew him back to his writing computer. He relapsed.
This is a cautionary tale. I suggest that when you think you should go back to work that you do not. Spend another day, maybe two, resting.
Health to you and yours.
I got food poisoning in Hawaii (why not – who wouldn’t want to spend a week in paradise feeling like he’s dying?) and lost 17 lbs in 7 days.
I’m so fat in my old age I sometimes find myself wishing for food poisoning….
Feel better and stay away from shell fish. Just sayin!
I’ve heard it said that knowledge is its own reward, but that could just be a vicious rumour. Please stop taking a PhD in coughing and get better soon. 🙂
The pneumonia vaccine does NOT protect against all types of pneumonia, just the dangerous pneumococcal type. Just so you don’t get false hopes if you’ve had the shot.
And PG, think of what marvelous tone your chest muscles will have once you’re well! All that exercise!
Pneumonia is awful. I had a severe case about 7 years ago that they called MRSA pneumonia. I picked it up in a rehab facility where my husband was getting physical rehab. I was down for over three months, had surgery to clear my lung. It was very dramatic and scary. Then this year in late February I got pneumonia again. (I had the pneumonia vaccine.) It is not fun. I didn’t have long bouts of coughing, more the elephant on my chest can’t breathe or move without exhaustion were key symptoms.
So from experience, I am saying, please do not rush yourself, take your time and heal completely. We’ll all be here when you’re healthy and ready to come back. Sending healing thoughts & vibes your way.
Pneumonia sucks. The coughing ends up being so painful and I can recall coughing up blood. I got pneumonia a few times (bronchitis I used to get several times a year at my worst) when I was younger (hospitalized once) and a couple more times when I was an adult. It’s very scary to cough up blood. But not being able to sleep or stop coughing is worse. Takes me 4-7 weeks to get over it (I am not a fast healer.)
But if the coughing’s better, then your immune system works well. You’re mending.
Keep resting, fluiding, getting the gunk out.
ROFL! I’m sorry you’re so miserable, but you made my day, PG! I’m still giggling.
I hope you get better soon!
I had bronchitis from December to March this year. Coughing is no joke. Don’t rush … we’ll all still be here when you get back. 🙂
Actually, there is one benefit to this sort of respiratory illness. If you’ve been looking for the perfect opportunity to quit smoking, this kind of coughing/difficulty breathing will do it. (That’s how I did it.) Other than that, you’re right. No upside at all.
I quit smoking for six weeks when I got a light case of bronchitis. Sadly, I went back to smoking after I was better.
Only upside is that I never got bronchitis again.
May 3rd was 19 years since I quit for good.
prayers for recovery – and KUDOS for finding the humour in such a miserable plight!
Sorry to learn of trouble on trouble, PG. You’re amazing that you can manage to spin pneumonia and make it funny. I wish you all the best and lots of rest.
NOT a fun experience – I had it 4 times. Finally got the Prevnar shot last fall, and I’m hoping that I never get it again.
My husband had TWO cases this winter, and he said, in surprise, after a month into the first case, “I can’t believe that I’m still so tired all the time.”
Yeah, honey – that’s what I tried to tell you all those years ago, and you told me I was just being lazy.
We’re still married – I did forgive him. However, I did enjoy the psychic retribution this winter.
We’ll store up the snark, no problem.
It’ll come in handy as the BPHs are about due for another “brainstorm”.
Please, don’t do too much too soon. Follow your doctor’s advice, rest, drink lots of fluids, and stock up on patience and positive attitude.
Rest up, PG, and get well.
Hang in there PG. Heal well and take as long as you need; we’ll still be here when you return.
You need to eat a lot of fried pork chops with cream gravy if you want to put that weight back on. ;^)
Hope you get better soon Pg, and try not to worry too much about the passive voice.
After all, we still have the archive of six years worth of content to pick through If we get bored.
Having coughed for 13 weeks straight starting last November, I can attest there is no value to the experience other than wondering that it can be done.
REST.
It is so true. I had hoped it would give me abs of steel, but for some reason this did not occur. *shakes fist*
On the other hand, I got to drink a lot of hot toddies, so there was that. >.>
Feel better, PG! 🙂
A non-alcoholic hot drink alternative that helped me with coughing related to GERD (which alcohol makes worse) was traditional Korean citron honey tea. Sweet, sour, kills mucus and has lots of vitamin C and supposedly healing powers. I swear by it whenever I get sick.
https://www.amazon.com/HANASIA-CITRON-HONEY-TEA/dp/B0051D8530/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497333878&sr=8-3&keywords=Korean+honey+citron+tea
Hope you feel better soon!
And if yuzu/citron is too sour or the peel bits disagree with you, Asian pear tea is also good for coughs.
Jujube/red date tea, also, although it is better for energy.
Yow… hope you get well very soon.