Fighting a bad cold

It is now Sunday and I am feeling so much better than this time yesterday. Last Monday I had the slightest bit of a sore throat. It came on very slowly and not until Thursday did I really think that I was dealing with some kind of virus. By then I had started to increase my vitamin C intake a bit, probably taking about 10 grams that day by the time I hit the sack. But Friday when I woke up, I was definitely sick with a cold. I still went to work even though my energy level was a bit low. I started taking about 2 grams of vit C every 1 or 2 hours but it wasn't enough. By the time I came home I was feeling very sick with lots of head congestion and my energy level was low. I stopped by the store on the way home to get some vitamin C powder. Using powder (sometimes sold as vitamin C crystals) is the most effective way to get the ascorbate into you system quickly. When I got home, I took 5 grams immediately and then another 5 an hour later. My stomach was tumbling just a bit. This is the telltale sign that you are at the max level of vitamin C that your gut can absorb. Taking any more is just asking for some diarrhea runs to the toilet. Now it was just a matter of waiting and keeping it up. I also took a 500 mg capsule of Niacin. I backed off the vit C just a bit through the rest of night, taking perhaps 3 to 4 grams each hour. I was absorbing this without any loose stool which means I was dealing with a pretty strong virus.

I woke up Saturday feeling just a bit better but still somewhat week. I had to keep the pressure up. I took some Niacin with more vitamin C and fish oil as well. I had to stay in most of the day and rest as well as keep taking vit C, making sure I was getting in as much as possible. I was feeling a bit week when I went to bed Saturday night. I was wondering if it was a lost cause and perhaps I should break down and take some cold medicine. But I really hate the drug like haze you get from that. Got to sleep around 9:30. I woke up around midnight. I was feeling maybe a bit better but I had a bad headache. I took some migraine medicine and then I had to stay up as the caffeine in this makes it hard to sleep. Well that was Ok, I could now make sure I was topping off the vit C every hour until I was sleepy enough to go back to bed.

I finally went to bed around 4. When I woke up (a bit late), I was feeling greatly improved. My head was much clearer. I was still slightly week feeling so I decided to stay home from church. I also had some loose stool which indicates that less vit C was being absorbed from my gut and I could reduce the dosage. It is now early evening and I am well on the way to recovery. I should be able to go back to work tomorrow without any trouble. Still taking a bit more vit C than normal for a while just to make sure. This was a tenacious cold. One of the strongest I have dealt with in a long time. I have a friend who was sick for 2 weeks recently. Taking vitamin C in the correct amount can really help reduce and lesson cold symptoms. Give it a try.