Posted by Racer on August 29, 2004, at 10:07:58
In reply to FREAKING OUT, posted by crazychickuk on August 29, 2004, at 7:36:14
OK, I'm in a weird place today, so I'm just going to say it and hope you'll take a deep breath and hear it as it's intended. (Trust me, this is the same tone as my 'self-talk' right now. If it's meant to comfort me, it's meant to comfort you.)
You're coughing because you smoke -- and you smoke more when you're upset and anxious. The blood is from your throat, which is irritated by the smoking. If you're getting that heaving cough, that's probably a sign that you're smoking more than you realize. You're scared about all this because it's a safer place to focus that anxious energy, rather than allowing it to float around you like an amorphous cloud.
Most people, anxious or not, have a lowish tolerance for uncertainty. That's why it's human nature, when the body is reacting in fear, to look for a FOCUS for that fear. Your focus, right now, is your health. That's a very common focus point, too. (I do it, my husband does it, and a number of my friends do it. I gotta assume that means that a high proportion of the population has done it at one time or another.) If not your health, it would probably find another focus -- global warming, acid rain, the next PM, the pain on the bench in the park, machts nichts as long as it provides a focus for all that energy.
Back to that cough. Do this for three days before going to the doctor again. Buy some fresh lemons, some honey, some nutmeg. Boil water, pour a glass, add juice of one lemon, one tablespoon of honey, and a shake or two of nutmeg. Drink it. Do that three times per day, and try not to smoke *quite* so much, so that your throat can remember you love it, too. If this helps, but not quite enough, do it a couple more days, but also steam yourself: pour that boiling water into a bowl, put a towel over your head to keep the steam in, and breathe that steam. It will make you cough more. When it makes you cough more, you will be frightened. You'll be scared, because it really is a scary feeling. It will also loosen some of that congestion so that you can cough it out better. Once you've got it loosened and coughed it out -- you will feel better. And you know what? You really *will* feel better. (I used to get wicked bronchitis, this is what I used to do. Always thought I was going to die when I did that steam thing -- without any history of anxiety. But it worked, it worked reliably, it worked quickly -- as long as I really did steam long enough to loosen things up, rather than stopping as soon as it got uncomfortable.)
Best luck, Ms Chick. I know this has been hard on you lately, and I hope you find peace soon.
poster:Racer
thread:383578
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040825/msgs/383612.html