If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too (Dr Seuss)

Photo by Sergey Vinogradov on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

All good? Great.

Me? Somehow, I picked up a cold in the middle of summer. I've tested each day for covid and it's negative. So, a common garden variety old fashioned cold it is. A non-covid style virus in other words.

It has had all the hallmarks of an upper respiratory tract virus: sore throat for a couple of days, sneezes, runny nose (onto my second tissue box), headache and zero energy.

A classic seven dayer (sore throat started on Saturday so Thursday was day 7), it made me wonder where all that river of clear fluid comes from.

By the way, the medical term for a runny nose with thin, clear fluid is rhinorrhea.

According to Doctor Google - A runny nose happens due to an increase in the production of nasal mucus. While a runny nose can have many causes, it often occurs due to inflammation of the tissues inside your nose. This is known as rhinitis.

Why does this happen? Well, the virus attacked the tissues of my nose and throat. In response, my nose produced more mucus to help trap and wash viral particles away. This caused a persistent runny nose with clear fluid.

Two boxes of tissues later (the dry-me-up meds didn't seem to help much) and seven days later it's dried up.

Someone obviously passed the virus to me at school. The incubation period for the common cold is typically between 1 and 3 days. This is the time period between exposure to the virus and when you begin to notice symptoms, and I spent all of last week at school.

In this instance, my immune system didn't kick in for some reason.

One of the amazing aspects of the immune system is that it is compensatory, meaning that when one part is weak or non-functional, typically another part can step in. Think of it like a trip to the grocery store. If you need to go to the store, but your tire is flat, you may go by another method of transportation — another motor vehicle, a bicycle or walking. The substitute may or may not be as efficient, but it still allows you to complete your task.

That didn't happen this time though. The virus slipped past my defenses and whammo! 

Meh. Just one of those things I couldn't prepare for (there's no vaccine for the common cold), or control (I'm no bubble boy).

Love and, sniffle sniffle, peace - Wozza