Zicam does nothing for me, but then I already take zinc as a supplement. What I have found to be helpful (and was mentioned in one of grainlady's links) is breathing steam, especially when I first start to feel something coming on. They way I do it is to get a very large mixing bowl (glass), add crushed eucalyptus berries (which I get from the Marina bike trail) and the pour a large amount of boiling water from the tea kettle over the berries. Then I put my head over the bowl and cover both the bowl and my head with a large bath towel, to prevent the steam from escaping. I inhale as much steam as possible and as deeply as possible, and allow any nasal draining to fall into the bowl. I generally have to come up for cool air several times, but the heat from the steam is what can kill the germs in my sinuses. This method gives you a facial at the same time, as it opens your pores from sweating. You do not need the eucalyptus berries - they are there for fragrance, and so you can substitute whatever you like, or even put Vicks in the bowl. Sometimes I use lemon zest. This will not cure a cold, but it will help clear your sinuses, much as nasal irrigation or spicy soup will, but the heat is helpful to prevent a cold from taking hold, if you catch it soon enough. I haven't had a cold in a while, and I felt that the dry air at Death Valley was theraputic. Visiting a sauna might be helpful. Lars

Thanks everyone! Last night I had another hot glass of theraflu then went to bed in the guest room with the window open a crack. I slept really well, but had weird dreams. I woke up feeling like an elephant was sitting on my chest. Seems the nasal congestion migrated to my lungs. So this morning I had another dose of theraflu (it's what we had on hand) and went back to sleep for another 90 minutes or so, then when I woke I took a prednisone. That helped clear my bronchial tubes so I could breathe, and I took a couple puffs off my inhaler. And I've been drinking vigilantly. DH bought me some more drinks and a bouquet of flowers. I've been able to get rid of a lot of the gunk in my system (will try not to be graphic!) I think I can sleep ok tonight if I dose up before bed. I've been dozing off and on all day. Talked to DD, she's got no symptoms, so maybe I didn't pick it up at the school, but at the store I stopped at later. Either way, I'm glad she's ok as she has bad asthma and colds are horrific for her...she sometimes ends up in the ER for breathing treatments. So I've got DH taking the Zicam, and he just cooked up a bunch of veggies with garlic & onions. I can't smell it, but I can taste it in my mouth...isn't that funny? He's drinking lots of OJ, too. He's being a much better nurse to me than I would be to him!

Dr. started me on antibiotics and instructed me to take 1/2 a vicodin every 4 hours as it acts as a cough suppressant and will alleviate the pain. He said it's essentially the same thing as the prescription cold medicine, and since my cough is not productive (the mucinex didn't help) I needed to suppress it rather than try to make it move. Combined with the prednisone and albuterol I'm feeling a lot better. Should be able to quit the prednisone by Friday. Found out that the reason I felt so especially bad yesterday is that I accidently took one of DH's medications! Couldn't harm me, but did make me feel really sick. I am hoping that I can sleep thru the night tonight instead of waking every few minutes coughing! Yeeps. And keep up those great suggestions...kinda liking that four poster bed idea...

I'm organizing the info. for future reference ***** Yes to black-peat humus as topping to buffer acidic rain, plus NPK of at least 10-10-10 for pots. Tested black-peat-humus plus horse manure (both alkaline) in 2011 for roses in the ground (clean past Nov), plus black-peat-humus potting soil (mixed with alkaline sand) for roses in pot in 2015 (Perle and Cloudert Soupert, both healthy until snow). Humus can hold the equivalent of 80–90% of its weight in moisture, and therefore increases the soil's capacity to withstand drought conditions.[32][33]The biochemical structure of humus enables it to moderate – or buffer – excessive acid or alkaline soil conditions.[34]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus Above pic. is Perle d' Or, own-root in a pot with snow, winterized in my dark & unheated garage. Pic. taken the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, 2015. It's 100% healthy, no pests, no diseases. Things I did right this year: Own-root from a tiny-rooting is wimpy & small. So put a 4" layer of soil mixed with alfalfa pellets ON TOP. That for constant release of nutrients, plus to lock in moisture. This was wet year. To buffer acidic rain, I put 1/4 cup of pea-gravel, for slow-release of calcium & magnesium & trace elements. Advantages: Pea gravel magnifies the fragrance. Pea-gravel scatters out and doesn't block out rain like big-chunk red-lava rock. Pea gravel is alkaline, so it neutralizes acidic rain. It rained so much I didn't bother with SOLUBLE fertilizer. I followed U. of Kentucky success with Omega 6-6-6 (blood meal, bone meal, sulfate of potash). I put high-bone meal fertilizer NPK 4-10-7 in the potting mix. Also topped with 1/2 tablespoon sulfate of potash, 1 tablespoon gypsum, and 2 tablespoon blood meal. This lasted for 2 weeks of constant rain.