Sick In the Slope

When she heard we were a bit under the weather, my mom sent me my Sicilian grandma Rose's time honored cold remedy. By mail. No, not email. Snail mail.

While it didn't come in time for our last household outbreak of fever/cold/nausea/chills so you can't restishness, verily my fam has gone down for the count again. As have a posse of playmates and their unfortunate parents and neighbors. It seems that everyone is sick.

I'm getting to the point where I may have to don a mask and gloves around here because my husband just collapsed and I'm the LAST healthy person standing in a house of pestilence. I'm frightened, I tell you. I'm a ticking time bomb.

Echinacea and Acerola Plus were selling like hot cakes today at my Coop shift, which, yes, I went to a) because make-ups SUUUUCCCCK and also b) it gave me a valid excuse to get the phuck out of this cesspool of contagion. 

I need advice, quick: should I consign myself to my fate or can I beat this thing?

• Does that Airborne stuff work? Cold-Eze?
• Favorite pharmaceuticals?
• Techniques to sleep when you can't breathe?
• Do you go to the doctor when you're sick or just tough it out?
• Any hypochondriacs out there?
• Any doctors?
• Homeopaths?
• Food Coop know-it alls?

In the meantime, seems as good a time as any to do a review of what I do know.

A moment on etiquette and avoidance: walk with hand sanitizer (in honor of the Purell estate, which I just heard via Curbed NY bought the first penthouse at the Meier building on Grand Army Plaza for almost $4 mil). And wash your hands with real soap and water. And, for fuck's sake: cough into your elbow as opposed to ANYBODY'S FACE! Coughing into your hands is so 2008, btw.

As to quick fixes, I'm going to give you my special recipe.

Or you can schlep like I did—SELFLESSLY— to that soup place at Uncle Louis G's on 7th Ave by 9th Street (The Soup Bowl). By the way, they're closing at the end of the month. And also, their chicken soup is quite respectable: at least what made it home after the top collapsed, the bag broke and I had to tiptoe in mincing steps with my wide open quart of boiling soup for ten GD blocks!

• For barfiness, I'm going with ginger tea. Easy peasey: fresh ginger slices (3), boiling water, lemon, honey. 

• Ineffective but makes you feel better: servings of frozen orange juice.

• Belly aches: coca cola and the fetal position [ed. note: not ginger ale? That's my jam]. I'm still having flashbacks to the coke syrup my evil stepmother used to make me take for the stomach flu.

Are you still standing? How have you beat back this season of contagion in the Slope?