Speeding Violation

Just a little tired today. Far more reliable than any ground hog, spring has nearly sprung judging by the fact those annoying little colds are sweeping the workplace. Mine showed up out of nowhere. Fine and dandy at 7 AM, by 7 PM my frontal and maxillary sinuses are draining into my schnozola like a water feature at a Las Vegas hotel. Enter Advil Cold and Sinus.

I'm not one for medication but enough is enough. After emptying a box or two of tissues, and with bedtime rapidly approaching, I decided I would take an Advil Cold and Sinus in the hope of being able to get to sleep without having to pack tissue in my nostrils. I got it half right. Lying there with a dry nose, tired, fully awake and frustrated at 2 AM, it finally dawned on me that the medicine was probably keeping me awake. After all, pseudoephdrine is the building block of meth. Once I made that connection I was dry nosed, tired, fully awake, frustrated, and peed off at my own stupidity.

Then again, I remember a time when I was a medical student. I was on a family practice rotation and had started to have cold symptoms. My mentor said, "Here, try one of these. They're new on the market and work great." Those didn't keep me awake. Within about 30 minutes of taking one I was so sleepy I almost fell asleep and off my chair while interviewing a patient! I was in Long Beach and was facing a 90 minute rush-hour commute home. I was simultaneously in a panic and falling asleep wondering how I would safely navigate three freeways in my condition.

Fortunately, the drowsiness passed within an hour or so. I was good to go and made it safely home. I think for the remainder of my present misery I'll stay drug free...at least after 5 PM. Until then, I may need a little stimulant today. It was a very short night.