Trying to get back on the horse after so long off. I have been sporadically contributary, but not much. This second of the two back-to-back colds is almost gone now. Whereas the other one lasted most of 2weeks, this one was more intense for 3 days and is now fading.
I had a hint that it might be there on Sunday evening, May 17. Then at almost precisely 9:30 on May 18 - bam, I knew I had it, and was I pissed. I just had a cold, dammit. I can't have another.
But of course I knew that sitting next to me, my SO had just returned from Europe on the 14th, and a cold had manifested in her that day, no doubt caught and incubating during her trip. So I realized, she having been away longer than the rhinovirus incubation period, her cold must be a European variety... or at least a different one that the 2-week-nasty from which I had just extricated myself.
What does that mean? It meant I had no antibodies to that new virus, and there I was, 3-4 days after her return, with first symptoms. Classic incubation period, new virus guaranteed.
If there was any silver lining, it was that she had remained reasonably functional through the virus, so it didn't seem a virulent a bug. Plus by day 3 she came out for dinner with a group of us and wasn't too bad. Okay, I thought - this might not be another two week special.
So here we are on my day three, and sure enough, it's subsiding drastically. The headache phase kicked in pretty good by last night, and I pummeled it with Tylenol 3's through the night to get my first sleep in 3 days. The headache nips at me now and again through the day today, but I'm largely feeling better. Yesterday was rampant fever day.
All of this to say, that the researcher in me thinks that someone should be classifying this rhinoviruses based on symptom patterns. Sure, it's not going to be identical in everyone, but I'm guessing that we have pretty different immune systems, and if the symptomatic order was so similar in both of us (though the severity higher in my case) I wonder if we couldn't characterize the virus based on symptoms. The previous 2week bug, I think I picked up on a trip to NY. It was a longer duration, slower changing bug.
Anyway I hope I can get back to regular research work and development on my project now. I've missed too much time this past 4 weeks. Gotta get things in gear! Let's jump back on that horse rather than admit defeat after having been thrown, twice since mid April.
Researchinator is chomping at the bit, tho' perhaps I should give that back to the horse...
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