The Ring of Fire

For the last two weeks I have been coughing up a lung day and night. Its actually a fantastic diet aid because I'll cough so hard I vomit up whatever happens to be in my stomach. The down side to this marvelous cough is the inability to sleep and the dread ring of fire. The muscles all around my rib cage, and to an extent, of my abdomen, absolutely ache all the time--when I have one of my paroxysmal bouts of coughing it is quite literally like a ring of fire encircling my torso. In addition, my left temple is threatening to explode with each cough. That aside, I don't really feel ill. Its more a hassle because its uncomfortable and folks around me think I must be carrying some dread contagion. I wonder how many calories one expends in protracted coughing fits? I'm thinking its got to be akin to situps, since your entire rectus abdominus spasms.

If anyone finds a lung lying around, let me know so I can stuff it back in where it belongs.