#vapo rub

[lologoinsolo]

Part 6, Part 7

Cats and Their Men Masterlist

“ACHOO!”

You sneeze hard enough your ears ring. Sinuses have been acting up ever since the weather went from cold to hot in a matter of days. It’s been muggy and warm and bending over the grooming tubs is not helping that headache of yours. You’d call out if you didn’t need the money. You sneeze one more time, the husky in the tub tilts its wet head and then flicks off the water.

“Aw, Princess, no!” Covering your face from the splatter of water, your smock soaked with wet hair now. Princess barks happily and wags her tail. Sighing loudly before drying her off as best as you can with a towel to let her sit in the kennel’s blow dryer for a bit. You take a seat near one of the grooming tables, rubbing your temples of the ever increasing headache you’ve got. Getting sick does you no favors and when you get sick, you get sick badly.

“Hey, girlie,” one of the other bathers come around. She pats at your back, “you doing okay?” Marlisa’s, a short woman of Mexican heritage with long, black hair, she’s older than you by ten yours but runs absolute circles around you. You wish you had her energy right now. “You look tired,” before you can make mention of a headache she places a hand over your forehead, “and warm too.”

“That’s new,” pulling back, you touch your own face, patting away at your cheeks and you do feel warm. “I’m,” covering your nose as you sneeze into your elbow, “I’m fine.”

“Nah,” she snorts, grabs a grooming lead and gets Princess out of the kennel. The husky prances along and you stand up, “come on,” Marlisa motions for you, “I’ll help dry her up and then you can get a break. You’ve got another one right?” You nod as you go the drying station. Princess jumps up immediately on the table and you clasp the grooming helper around her neck like a collar so she won’t jump when the blow dryer turns on.

Your next dog is a chihuahua and maybe you can ask a manager to go home, your roommate came home sick two days ago. You blamed the weather then and you’re blaming the weather now. “You don’t have to help, Mars.” Turning on the dryer and you get to blowing the tufts of wet fur. She decidingly ignores you and turns on another blow dryer. Princess gets blow dried, brushed out, and finished being groomed in record timing since two bathers are working on her.

You’re feeling hotter and hotter by the time she’s all ready to go home. Just as your chihuahua is coming around, Marlisa is already asking if she can do the dog for you. Normally you’d tough it out but your eyes feel like it’s burning and watery, and you feel sicker than this morning. Jess isn’t here so you had to speak to the next manager at the store, thankfully they saw your sorry state and allowed you to leave.

By the time you clocked out, chucked your smock off and started walking out the door, a familiar man with a beard comes a walking into the store.

“Miss?” He calls to you this time, granted your ears feel like it’s stuffed with cotton and he has to walk right up to you to gain your attention. “Hey?” His hand on your back when you sway, “you okay?” Those blue eyes of his deepen with worry when he then places his other hand on your forehead. “Burning up, sweetheart.”

Smacking at his hand on your face, you groan. Why is everyone touching your forehead? “M’fine,” standing a little straighter to prove it to yourself as well, “just tired is all.”

“Looks like you’re more than that.”

Your lips pull to a pout, you can’t find it in you to say something witty or tell him to talk to someone else. He’s probably needing help with his cat and you’d jump at the chance to help but… your head hurts and feels heavy enough to mimic a bowling ball. “I can’t help you today, John.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes when you remember his name. “I’m sorry,” his hand stills on your back. Not able to push that one away when he guides you out the door.

“Need a ride home?” He offers, subtly adding after, “I’m sure one of your friends can drive your car for you later to your place.” You lean against him, nearly tripping over your feet had he not stayed firm beside you. His hand settling more on your waist to give support, “best get you home, yeah?” He doesn’t give you a chance to protest as he steers you to his car. Plopping you in and asks for directions, you mumble as you give them. Typing them in his maps despite there already being a star next to it.

You’re in and out of it by the time he gets you home, any other time and you’d be screaming at yourself for getting into his car or even letting him know your address. In your delirium state you manage to text your roommates to let them know you're heading home with a guy. One of them is bound to be home, probably the one that may or may not have gotten you sick. And you don’t want them to panic when they see him. You pocket your phone and close your eyes for a second.

“Up you get,” hands are under your armpits and it takes a while for you to realize he’s already parked, opened your door, undid your seatbelt, and is helping you stand. “I’ll make you some soup,” you hear him say, you merely nod your head against his shoulder. His arm anchored around your waist as you wobble like you were drunk. He’s so sturdy against you, doesn’t even blink when he does most of the lifting as he helps you to your door.

You’re pulling out your keys and twisting it in when he’s helping you through the walkway of the unlocked door. No one’s in the living room and it’s a small mercy that you don’t have to deal with any unwanted questions. You just want to sleep and maybe down enough Tylenol to kill a horse. You don’t bother to change out of your work clothes and he doesn’t press on it as pulls the covers over you. His thumb brushes away at the strand on your hair, he murmurs something you can’t quite catch. You’re dozing off by the time he comes back with water and some pills, he leaves them on the counter and takes a keen look around.

He takes a pen and rips a piece of paper from your notebook by the time you’re snoring. He’d rather ask for your number but this is the next best thing. Scribbling his number alongside his name, he takes mental note of the inner workings of your apartment. Noticing the back door, the amount of windows, and counting the shoes on the shoe rack by the door. Just as he’s finished putting it all in his head, “evening,” he nods when one of your roommates gives a weak, unsure hello to him. He didn’t think they’d come out but it’s good that they did. “I’ll come by with soup and food for her,” stepping towards the door, “make sure she eats it.” He orders, leaving no room for an argument either.

“And you are?” A woman pointedly asks, probably the one that got you sick since she herself sniffles.

He turns to her, “John,” making it short and to the point when she gives him a look. He shuts the front door behind him before she can ask more questions. Taking a quick look around the apartment complex and his brows furrow. It’s not up to his standard, that’s for sure. The gate to the entrance is wide open, anyone can walk or drive through. The bus stop you take doesn’t put you directly in front of the apartment building either. You’d still have to walk a good 10-15 minutes to get to your door. And god only knows what could have happened if he didn’t take you home today.

He’ll need to check the surrounding areas and run a background check on your roommates as well. John’s glad you were sick enough to let him take you home, he would have rather a different reason for you to do that. Maybe somewhere along the lines of a nice dinner, expensive champagne bottles, and a pretty rose bouquet meant for just you but this will have to do. For now at least.

He sneezes softly, “son of a bitch,” pinching his nose in annoyance. He’ll need to make two soups, he gets a text that pings on his phone, he gives a quick read and sighs.

Three soups…

[clatterbane]

I actually ran across some of thebibliosphere's other warnings about certain aromatics commonly used for breathing problems not being safe for young kids only a few weeks ago. (When somebody was loudly going on about how "problematic" she was with the essential oil safety PSAs, and I got curious enough to look through archives.)

That actually made me really mad, too. Because, yes, that does include Vicks. It contains enough menthol, eucalyptus, and camphor to be dangerous for kids who are sensitive to any/all of the above. And this really should be better known safety info.

On a personal level, which really got me going? After I started school and got exposed to every cold/flu in the world that way, I spent at least half the time with really nasty-sounding "asthmatic bronchitis". No actual chest congestion involved; it was all undiagnosed asthma flares from colds/flu (with tons of inappropriate antibiotics that did nothing to help). I still get that for weeks after a cold, but thankfully a new doctor listened to the wheezing and finally decided to try treating the asthma symptoms when I was like 15. Amazing the difference just access to a rescue inhaler makes.

Anyway, my mother was a huge believer in Vicks salve. Especially at night, when sleeping was already hard enough with the coughing and wheezing fits. I could tell that getting slathered in it was actively making my breathing worse, besides the burning being hellish with my sensory issues.

But, of course that was ridiculous, I was just being Difficult--and worse breathing was proof that I really needed more Vicks to loosen the chest congestion! Which didn't exist, yeah. Plenty of awful croupy-whooping cough hybrid sounding coughing, very different cause. And those fumes did the opposite of calming the asthma spasms.

I didn't die, obviously. Though I'm not convinced now that it didn't help with some of the blacking out episodes 😦

Anyway, I imagine that's a far from unusual scenario, even when nobody ends up in the ER or worse.

In this particular case, I am at least pretty sure they were not yet having to include label warnings not to use it on kids under 10 back then. Less excuse now.

But, even if you think you're Doing The Right Thing, with good intentions? Please pay better attention to what other people are saying about their own bodies and health. Yes, even if they're children and you don't understand how what they are saying could be so. It's not your body.

And the main problem probably lies with you if you want to turn that sort of thing into some kind of power struggle, maybe especially dealing with a very sick child. No matter how annoying you find it when they're sick and keeping you awake! Better to be honest about that and deal with it in some other way on your own, than to take it out on the other person. Much less under the excuse that it's For Their Own Good.

(Besides the general PSA that no, Vicks salve is not good to slather on younger kids. Please don't do that, even if they're not telling you it's causing worse problems.)

[voicesofreasons]

if no one else got me I know vapo rub got me

[ilooklikeannakendrick]

Vicks vapo rub is a literal gift from the gods.

[netxnic]

.

[mgpayton]

Smearing Vicks Chest Rub On Your Feet Could Cure Your Cough...Apparently

People suffering from coughs have been smearing Vicks VapoRub on their feet instead of their chests.

This peculiar application of the popular chest rub is being encouraged online through Facebook and internet forums.

A woman known as Julie wrote on Netmums: 'Yes have done this… it really does work. I put some on my feet last night as I have a cough and had a great night's sleep.

'Within a few minutes of putting on my feet, putting socks on and lying in bed, I can feel the vapours reach my throat! This only works when going to bed and never works for me during the day.'

(Picture: Rex)

Doctors have said this unprescribed approach is at best a ‘placebo’, stating that there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness.

Dr Lynne Jordan, a chartered psychologist, told MailOnline: 'One theory could be that it helps reduce stress.

'By concentrating on something else, i.e. the process of putting Vicks on with the socks, you are reducing your stress levels.

Procter and Gamble, the producers of Vicks VapoRub, said: 'It is not in line with what the product is for so we would not endorse it being used in this way.'

[qwertishy]

I was planning on going to walmart to get some eucalyptus oil and a burner or something.. Idk. But I just saw online that it's like insanely expensive -relatively speaking. They give you this teeny bottle and charge you nearly ten bucks for it. Hmph! I've got non generic vapo rub and I put a good little scoop of it in a small container on my humidifier (so as to melt and help get into the air), but I feel like that's not good enough. I want to be swimming in the stuff! Somehow my son got sick which is a total mystery to me, and then gave me his symptoms 😞 not that it's not awful to be sick, but I would take 2x this feeling if it meant my son not having to feel it at all. He's just a baby, I feel like it's pretty rough on him.

[michaelawaffles]

In this video, I am Monica.