Hey! Hey! We're the Monkees...

Day 487 of this cold.

Ok, so it's really been about a week.  But it feels like a lifetime.  How is it that a cold can make the days feel like months?

I feel like I have an elephant sitting on my chest.

The thing about colds is that they linger forever.  You have the first day where your throat is a little sore and scratchy, so you pump yourself with vitamins and fluids and make sure every room in your house contains a box of Puffs with Lotion.  Then the constant nose-blowing begins  - I mean, really, where does all that stuff come from??  Then comes the coughing that keeps you up all night and makes your body feel like your insides are coming out.

I will be the first to admit that I probably don't take the best care of myself during a cold.  I try and take it easy and drink as much water as possible, but I don't load up on the vitamins, and I'm not much of a Nyquil person.  My husband, on the other hand, is the poster child for Vicks.

Whenever hubby's got a cold, he will take great care lathering himself up before coming to bed.  Then he'll put on a long sleeve shirt, pajama pants and socks (he is a firm believer in "sweating out sickness").  When he finally gets into bed, he has this less than sexy smell about him. 

I mean, it fills the room.

It's all I can do to kiss him on the cheek and let him roll over to sleep.

Every time I get a cold, etc., the hubster encourages me to join him on the dark side and lather up the Vicks.  Each time I scrunch my nose and tell him he's crazy.  Apparently, this particular cold has affected my brain.

I caved.

After a body-wrenching day of coughing up my left lung, I decided to smear Vicks VapoRub all over my aching chest.  I could not, however, bring myself to fully dressing before bed.  I had enough night sweats while I was pregnant - thank you very much!  The Vicks would have to do the work itself.

And it did.

I had the best night sleep I could remember in a long time.  Not a cough or sneeze or sniffle. Heck, I didn't even have to get up to pee.  I liked it so much, I did it the next night too, with the same results. 

My husband is elated.  Not so much that I got a couple good nights of sleep during a horrible cold, but that I joined him on the dark side.  I can no longer turn up my nose at him.  In the words of Davy Jones and the Monkees...

I'm a believer.