I've Been Blowing My Nose Wrong

I'm 45 years old and I can't believe nobody told me I was doing it all wrong. Well, my husband has expressed his concern over my technique, but I always thought he was just teasing me. When I get congested, I tend to put everything into trying to clear my nose. This winter's bout of illness really did me in. I had bronchitis and sinusitis, had a few days of feeling good, and then launched into another miserable mess of coughing, sneezing, and congestion. Things took a turn for the worst and I finally got the doctor to put me on a strong antibiotic. For a few days, I felt human again and it was awesome.  Unfortunately, my runny nose and congestion returned full force and I'm miserable again. I think it's due to the inversion - Utah's version of winter smog.

After boxes of tissues, machine gun sneezing, coughing that keeps me up, and a face that now feels like it was rubbed with sandpaper, I was finally desperate enough to do some serious internet research. I discovered that I was being too aggressive about blowing my nose. It's possible that I've been making things worse for myself. I've already taken care of letting my hubby know that he was right and now I want to pass the information along to all my friends. Life is tough enough without doing such a simple thing wrong.

Here's some advice on how to blow your nose correctly.

Essentials for Working Far from Home

Assuming you survived commuting to work, you're not exactly free and clear of problems. I went from a working at a location just five miles from my house to working 50 miles away. There are so many things that can go wrong during the work day and now I was too far away to be able to run home for a quick remedy.

Ibuprofen, lip balm, lotion...having these at your desk sure beats having to run to a nearby store when you need them.

Hygiene products like toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant...these are a lifesaver when you get rushed in the morning and forget to brush your teeth. I've had some very physically active days while preparing for events and was relieved to be able to reapply some deodorant.

Cosmetics, hair products...great for those days when you oversleep and had to skip a step getting ready. It's also nice for when weather messes up your look or you just need a little touch-up.

A change of clothing...surprised by this one? Have you ever spilled something on your clothes at work? Maybe you had to spend the day moving boxes and your clothing isn't fresh anymore. Any number of things could happen to mess up your shirt, pants, skirt, dress, etc. and you can't just run home to change.

Spare car key...very crucial unless you want to spend a fortune on calling a locksmith. It only took one close call for me to realize that I would really be stuck if I locked my keys in my car while at work. One of my coworkers went down the road at lunchtime to put gas in her car and ended up locking her purse and keys in the car. She called the office and I rushed to her rescue. Unfortunately, the only other person who had a key was her husband and it took 45 minutes for him to arrive. She couldn't just leave the car there since the gas station owner was threatening to tow it. Having a copy of your key made isn't usually expensive and it will quickly pay off if you ever need to use it.

That's my basic list. What are your work essentials?

The Middle Aged Woman's Guide to Commuting

The only thing I really don't like about my current job is that I have to commute every day to the office. Despite massive amounts of freeway construction (which I got to experience driving through), the traffic is absolutely horrific at times. My home and my office are very close to the freeway and about 45-50 miles apart. It doesn't take a math genius to figure out that driving 50 miles on a road with a 65 mph speed limit should take less than an hour.  That math doesn't work when you drive during rush hour...and I do.

Morning commutes run 1-1.5 hours and aren't too stressful unless there are weather problems (Utah = snow & ice) or traffic accidents are blocking the road. When I leave my office at 5:00 pm, however, it feels like the entire state of Utah decided to get on the road with me. Traffic just crawls and it sometimes takes two hours to get home.

In case you ever get stuck commuting to work, I'm going to offer some advice so you don't have to learn everything the hard way.

• Make sure you have food and drink in the car. These are very handy if you break down or get stuck for extended periods of time. Keep them within your reach to partake while driving.
• Go to the bathroom before you leave. Yes, that's the same thing you keep telling your kids. Now it's time for you to take that same advice. No matter how short you think your drive is going to be, I guarantee it will double if you get the urge to pee. If you ignore this advice (or drink too much Diet Coke while driving), I guarantee you're better off getting off the freeway and going to a gas station to relieve yourself. Trying to hold it does not help your driving skills at all!
• Have a coat and a blanket in the car. My car broke down on the way to work one day. The weather didn't seem too cold until I was stranded in the shade of a cement wall in a car that wouldn't start. I huddled under a blanket I had in the backseat (from football season) until someone could come get me. Our current temperatures in Utah are below freezing and it's not worth getting caught without some way to keep warm.
• Keep napkins, tissues, cough drops, ibuprofen, trash bags, etc. handy. When you spend 2-3 hours each day in the car, there's a pretty good chance you will sneeze or have a headache or even spill something. Having these items where you can quickly reach them (without looking) could be a lifesaver.  And my car would be an absolute disaster if I didn't always have a grocery bag dedicated to holding the trash. 
• Bring music. When traffic starts to stress me out, I find that playing music puts me in a better mood. Plus, I keep hoping that if I bounce around enough (in an attempt to dance), maybe I'll burn off some calories. Nobody really knows who that crazy lady be-bopping in her car is...
• Know the best radio station for traffic reports. Most radio stations in a metropolitan area will give a few traffic reports during the rush hour drive. It's better to find the station that gives updates every 10-15 minutes. When problems happen, you'll know in time to reroute or let people know you're going to be late. You can't always avoid the traffic jams, but it helps to know what lies ahead of you.
• Find out what the alternate routes are. When the freeway turns into a parking lot, it's too late to go on an adventure to find a new way to or from work. Check out some of the alternate major streets and give them a try from time to time to see how viable an alternative they are. 
• If traffic is really bad, find something else to do. Sometimes you can run a few errands or work out at the gym before hitting the road and you end up getting home at the same time you would have if you had suffered through the traffic. Leaving a little earlier in the morning could give you time to fit in some errands or just get to work before all the phone calls start.
• Learn how to merge! One of the toughest and scariest parts of my commute is where lanes merge. I used to hate people who didn't get out of the ending lane right away. That was until I learned to do a zipper merge. As implied by the name, the cars carefully come together like the teeth in a zipper. Match your speed to the cars in the lane next to you. When the lane ends, carefully move over into a gap between cars. Some drivers may challenge you on this, but if you're not trying to race ahead, most people will let you in. I like to position myself so the car behind me doesn't speed ahead and ruin the good mood of a successful merge.

These are the things that have kept me alive during the daily commute. I also like to make phone calls to make the drive seem shorter, but that may not be legal where you live. In a perfect world, my job would be closer to where I live (or vice versa) or I would be able to work from home. Until then, I'll be dancing in the driver's seat!

Sick of Being Sick

Just after Thanksgiving, I started having some sinus problems. I attributed it to the inversion going on in Utah at the time. When it's really cold and no storms or wind are blowing through, the pollution in the air gets trapped down low and it can cause health problems. I tried toughing it out, but my sinuses were miserable.  Next came sneezing and then some horrible coughing. I finally gave in and saw a doctor. He determined I had bronchitis and a sinus infection. Antibiotics in hand, I was happy to have a long Christmas vacation to try to tackle and get rid of this illness.

My vacation was not as much fun since I was sick, but it seemed like I was starting to get better. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day found me getting sicker, however, and I was back at Instacare. Lungs and ears were clear and I tested negative for strep. The doctor pronounced it a virus. All she could do was give me cough medicine to relieve the symptoms. The inversion had gone away with various Christmas snow storms, but it returned for the beginning of the new year. The bad hair definitely didn't help!

It's bad enough feeling the way I do and going through boxes and boxes of tissues. Add to that the tasks and responsibilities that need to get done around the house. Our beagles have had to stay inside more because of the bitter cold. If I don't make sure they get enough potty breaks outside, I will be stuck cleaning up their kennels. The house doesn't clean itself and my family hopes to eat dinner every once in a while.

Everyone likes to share their recommendations for how to overcome an illness.  I've inhaled steam (fairly sucessful), used a neti pot (didn't work at all this time), and put a heating pad on my forehead (soothing). My brother suggested humming at a particular frequency to break up the sinus congestion. Many, many people recommended doTerra oils - it's very popular here in Utah, but I don't have any of the oils. As a kid, my dad used to insist on hot lemon juice with honey as a magic remedy. I hated lemon at the time so I refused to try it. Vick's Vaporub is mentioned a lot, too. I've applied it to my chest, under my nose, and even in my nose. I also tried applying it to the bottom of my feet (a Facebook friend suggestion).

I sacrificed the majority of my day today to trying to get more sleep in hopes that I can handle the week ahead. Feel free to share your own recommendations in case I haven't tried them yet.