Once uponce a time in a world far away (Mississippi!), November delivered a nagging cough, and it stayed with me until about March of each year. It arrived with the package of cold weather. Many people scoff and state, “Mississippi doesn’t have cold weather!” – but it does.
Late Februry 2015 – New Albany Mississippi – Photo by Charles Brunetti
Memories of ice storms and snow-swept landscapes marry well with other memories of burst water pipes that matched countless others when temperatures dropped below ten degrees Fahrenheit. I remember Mother awakening me with the words, “Look out your window,” and with joy in my heart I thought, “No school!” as I peered outside and admired the beauty of the snow. I often caught my horse and rode through snow-covered landscape.
Late February 2015 – New Albany Mississippi – Photo by Charles Brunetti
I remember attempting to capture the magic of flames flickering up from our neighbor’s fireplace. With pencil and crayons in hand, I failed miserably. I remember the warmth of a wood-burning tool as I etched primitive drawings on discarded scraps of wood.
My life-long friend the pencil!
Strong springtime winds usually triggered allergies, and using fans at night to stay cool produced a stuffy nose. Running during cold weather almost always prompted a cough, which I associated with a burn from the cold air wheezing down my windpipes. The perpetual wintertime cough hopped aboard when I reached my 40’s.
During a particularly-bad winter, the cough set up housekeeping, and nothing budged it from my throat. I often slept sitting straight up in a chair, which gave a little relief. I understood why smokers with chronic coughs were so lean – perpetual coughing is exhausting. (I have never smoked.)
Little Rock, Arkansas 27 – Dec – 2012
When an ice storm downed power lines, and our home in the Louisiana farmlands was one of many without power, a neighbor knocked on the door one day and handed me a mason jar of clear liquid. “Miss Lisa,” he gently stated, “drink some of this with a little lemon and honey, and you won’t have that cough any more.” I was ready to try all options, so I sipped that White Lightning, but the cough refused to surrender.
I saw a pulmonologist each week throughout that winter, and he often stated that I was his most-difficult patient. Sitting in a hot automobile on a sunny day often gave me the most relief. (Hold that thought!)
Costa Rica – Garden path from bodega parking to my studio along the stream.
Fast forward another four years, and my cough and allergies vanished when I moved to the tropical dry rain forest of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. For another dozen years I was symptom free as I experienced the varied climates and cultures of Latin America.
My Costa Rica Studio – Walden of the Tropics –
My old friend the cough returned several years ago and hung around for a month. It struck after a four-month three-museum show of my paintings, and I was tired. I had also spent a lot of time in polluted cities. At home I was again sleeping upright while fighting a strangling cough. The rattle got the local doc’s attention, and after X-rays, the radiologist diagnosed bronchitis and emphysema. The emphysema got my attention, but other doctors waved that diagnosis away. I mended, and the cough quietly faded into the background. Surely the coastal weather helped speed my recovery?
El Matal/Ecuador – Once the drop-off of the dry beach was over 50 paces away… A soccer field was once on the beach side of the road.
Recently recurring upper respiratory problems, fatigue and an occasional cough have reminded me to be grateful for good health and to be proactive in staying well. My friends at El Matal all but kidnapped me (I went willingly) and I mended at their home. We realized that my symptoms suddenly improved after they turned on the air conditioning one evening. Hmmm. Outside breezes were a definite trigger.
A pulmonologist in Quito sqeezed room in his schedule, and the next week my friend Silvana traveled with me to Quito. We also made some side trips between appointments; there’s always a silver lining!
Mitad del Mundo – near Cayambe
“Hey; we know that guy!”
Stay tuned on this one; Silvana said that she had never experienced this custom either!
Specialists agreed that allergens were most likely the trigger. To our disbelief, my body did not react to a single allergen on the skin tests! All blood work was normal.
I’m still mending, am now home and enjoying the birds, the sunshine (the rainy season skipped us so far – not a good sign.) and will be catching up when time and internet permit. Until then I’m taking it easy and will be off line more than on.
March 12 2014 – Rio Jama – Home Sweet Home
Following friends’ and doctors’ orders, I’ll remain in an artistic incubation period here on Rio Jama. My friends and I have decided that I should build a tiny pyramid-shaped room of glass at the top of Casa Loca. I can go there when the congestion is bad, and in that hot sterile environment, I can breathe!
Thanks, as always, for your support and your genuine interest in my life and my work. More stories soon! Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
I hope that you overcome your cough! I too have been sitting up in bed at night due to a cough…Be well Z… ^..^
thanks amiga.. that’s not fun sitting upright and trying to sleep; it’s exhausting.
maybe i should build the little pyramid on the flying carpet so we can make house calls.. want to sign up for some sterile air in the magic pyramid?!!!
no joking, hope you’re better soon. thnks, Z
I need that too! How I would love to have just one day in my life where I can breathe like a normal person. My nose is always stuffed up due to allergies.
i never dreamed that when i moved to central america, my cough nd congestion would vanish.. but it did, molds and all during the rainy season… two people/docs said that it probably took that long for my body to develop sensitivities to the new allergens.
i hope that you find relief; you have my sympathy. z
I hope that you find relief too Z! Hugs! ^..^
So sorry that you’ve had this trouble, z. My husband had a cold last spring that resulted in a coughing/throat clearing period of more than six months. The docs finally diagnosed asthma and gave him an inhaler. He’s able to breathe clearly now, but like you, it was worrisome and inconvenient. I wish you good health soon!
Thnks, Ruth, and I m glad that your husband is getting some relief. Inhalers have never helped me, but like the moonshine, i’ll try anything few times in hope that it works!
Right now the cough is gone, and I hope that it stays gone!
I still love your recent post w/the watercolor of the barn and the newlyweds… so beautiful!
My amiga, so sorry to hear that nagging cough is back. The rainy season with no rain and the humidity off the charts will generally affect me the same negative way. More dust, more pollen hanging around puts my sinuses into “fury” mode. Get well soon, hugs and love
Thanks, amiga. Yes, we definitely need the rain, nd I’ll gladly extend the suffering if our landscape received more healing waters.. yes, it’s very humid today..
Be well, Lisa. My blood pressure medication and my asthma inhaler seem unnecessary here in San Clemente but my Nasonex for a chronic sinus infection has not been retired, and the longer I am here, the more I seem to need it. We are always breathing in irritant-laden dust.
Thanks, Barbara; it’s good to get feedback from others living in this climate. Congratulations on being free of blood-pressure meds and the inhaler. Sinus infections are not fun, and I don’t blame you for keeping the Nasonex nearby!
Hope you stay well. Thanks again for your feedback! Lisa
Be well, please. Knowing is half the battle….just doesn’t make recovery any easier or faster. My thoughts are with you. Always.
Raye
thanks, amiga! compared to many, my ‘complaints’ are tiny. i’m lucky for so many reasons, and being sick reminds me to rejoice in wellness – when i am well again! truly, i’m much much better.. thanks! i love our new companions!
Take care of yourself. Come back when you feel better!
Thanks, Hugh! I’ve caught many of your posts but haven’t been able to comment. (I read most posts offline..)
How’s the weather up there? I’m wondering about the snow melt and what the rivers will be doing later this month.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Take care of yourself, dear friend. Your journey is not for the fainthearted.
ha! thank you, and i hope to shake this pestering problem soon. i often think of you holding down your patch of the world in the nw part of the usa! happy springtime! z
Z, of all people, you could make the most of an “artist incubation period.” I hope you can shed the lingering cough. It follows you around like a shadow. I am curious about the White lightning cough medicine; any side effects? All the best. I worry about your lack of rain based on the article you sent me. BTG
thanks btg; here’s one more log to shove on the fire.. scroll to the next-to-last paragraph, “If the greater portion of this range is correct, then we are now breathing air that none among our species or even our hominid relatives have ever breathed since their setting foot on this world.” from : https://robertscribbler.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/entering-the-middle-miocene-co2-likely-to-hit-404-parts-per-million-by-may/
maybe my lungs are like the canary’s, and they’re screaming, “do something before it’s too late!”
thanks for all that you do from your n/carolina post! z
Thanks Z. The article was both interesting and scary. It is funny, I did not experience allergies until about ten years ago. Now, every spring and fall, I have to take two weeks of Claritin. The spring starts sooner and, in spite of the snow, the winters are hotter. I just hope we are not past the point of remedial action. We are ten years too late here. Obama has done some good things here, but we need to be move even more dramatically. Here is to better breathing. BTG
ps: as for the white lightning? i don’t remember too much about it, but i mixed it with lemon juice and honey, so it was most likely like a very strong margarita!
I fear that we are reaching/have reached a tipping point, and it’s in every single person’s interest to become proactive.. the small changes can start at home, in the neighborhoods, schools – simply by planting trees. lots of them, not a token few.
we should all plan to post a few days before earth day and get people to act now.
Re: reaching “tipping point”~ is it universal law that says “what is in one is in the whole?”. And if so, could it be we’re well past that point of no return? Like our interconnected global economy, i wonder if the only remedy is to crash and burn? Then we rebuild. At least for those still around. Still, in belle Ecuador, life can be a fairytale. Hugs dear Lisa/z.
Oh, Lisa, so sorry to hear that you haven’t been feeling well. A cough can be most exhausting. Combined with whatever underlying causes, whether allergy or virus, the entire system weakens. Please take good care of yourself, my friend!
thanks, Cindy; I’d rather be sick here on the equator than up there where it’s cold with lots of snow! i’d be living in a hot tub!
when i think of ll that you’ve faced, my problems seem tiny. hopefully springtime will bring you lots of surprise smiles. z
I used to get bronchitis regularly, but it was a dry hacking cough. I always felt better in a hot steamy shower…or sticking my head over a bowl of hot water and covering it all with a towel. Amazing how many distinct types of cough there are, and no wonder they’re so hard to diagnose and treat. At one point my doctor sent me to bed for a week with instructions not to get up except to go to the bathroom. I felt good after that week, but after being up for a day or so, not so good. Ridiculous, no? (PS–I’ve been fine now for years. Can’t figure that out either, living in the MIdwest)
Ahhhhh; yes, I’ve recently used warm steamy face cloths for a bit of comfort. doesn’t help much but certainly feels nice. your doctor’s advice is interesting, but i think sometimes if we don’t slow down our bodies find ways to slow us down. your doctor was probably very wise, and i’m glad that it helped.
glad that you’re doing better.. i hope to get back on the sniffle/cough-free road again soon! z
Take care of your health, my dear Z! Elementary!!! 😉 Will be sending you allergen free and all shiny and positive thoughts! 🙂 xx
if you’re sending it from your serene heart from your beautiful country, i’ll surely be well asap!
it was and it still is! Better I hope already! 🙂
Your medical history is quite harrowing. I can only empathise. I wonder if as a child you were reacting to airborne fungi in a closed-up winter house which set up a circle of inflammation and reaction. That could have sensitised the mucus membranes of your lungs and cause histamine release whenever you meet an appropriate stimulus – which could be cold air. Not all allergens show up on skin tests. If you like, email your next chest X-ray and we’ll see if it can be turned into a personalised artwork. Meanwhile – I wish you well.
Thanks, Tony! That’s some very interesting feedback.
I look forward to sending you an Xray, which you will tranform into an amazing work of art!
Looks like the oceans/seas are getting grumpy again over there. Will be watching the maps….
I look forward to seeing it! – You’re right the Sea Gods are hurling everything they’ve got at the islands, and sideswiping northern Queensland at the same time. It would be nice if they gave a gift of rain to the inland farmers who are suffering – if it isn’t one thing it’s another. Here’s to you in your glass pyramid! Keep well!
Yes, the weather on this side is abnormal as well. We’ve ‘missed’ the rainy season – or the rainy season has snubbed us. I hope that your farmers benefit from the weather, and I hope that your country is spared any damage.
You’ve brought back memories of my childhood. Everyone was sure I had a constant cold, or some sort of bronchitis. Then, it was figured out. An Iowa child, I was allergic to corn pollen! The solution for that was easy enough. My parents bought a room air conditioner, and when it got bad, I would go and sit in front of it, breathing the relatively pollen free air.
Since moving to Texas, it’s been cedar pollen that annoys me, although my primary symptom is a week or two or laryngitis. Some people consider that a very good thing!
But your kind of cough? No fun. I had bronchitis just once, and once was enough. It was truly terrible, and I feel for you: for the exhaustion it brings, and the energy it drains. Here’s one interesting thought: when I had the bronchitis, my doctor told me that muscular tension often makes cough worse. The very thing that helps us to relax, a nice, deep breath, is impossible in such circumstances, because that deep breath often starts the cough again. So, she said, the trick is to learn how to relax rather than to tense up when the cough starts. After paying attention, I realized that feeling a cough coming on did make me tense up, and learning to relax did help.
Perhaps you could talk to your cough, and see if it would like to come up to the States for the spring. I’d be willing to take it in as a boarder for a few weeks, just so you don’t have to deal with it.
Oh my; you surely used that ‘palm-to-the-nose allergic salute’ when you were young. With all of that corn surrounding you, it must have been difficult to stay well. I’m gld they figured out the trigger and were able to give you relief via the A/C.
That’s great advice – to relax. Two years ago when the cough was really bad, I went to the balcony in the late night hours and couldnt stop coughing/strangling.. Finally I exclaimed to myself, “STOP! it’s not helping!’ and miraculously, the coughing stopped.
You’re so kind to offer to host the cough. Perhaps we can put it to work sanding and prepping the boats!
It sounds like your cough’s been tough enough to take it on. You’ve had an 80 grit cough, instead of a 300 grit! I’ll bet your lungs have felt like it, too!
I’m all for odysseys, but your coughing odyssey, which has gone on twice as long as Ulysses’, is an epic I’m sure you’d rather not be able to recite by heart.
Oh so true, Steve! It’s time to close the book on this one, as long as it has a happy ending,
The pyramid is a great idea. Will look good on casa loca, too!
It would be a fun project, but then I gaze up at the roof and wonder, “How in the world can we make this work?!”
Very sad to read how ill you’ve been – you kind of let on, but not really. Okay so now that we know, you’ve got to take care to stop a bit and let your body heal through sleep and good foods. From Texas I’m sending all good wishes for a complete recovery of whatever this might be!!
thanks, amiga.. on a scale of one to ten, i’m about an eight right now.. the fatigue is what keeps me ‘from full throttle, and i’m not fighting it. the cough isn’t bad, but the main thing is to dodge it/not grant it permission to step thru the door.
it’s sunny today, and i’m heading ouside for a heathy dose of vitamin a while i water the thirsty yard and enjoy the surroundings of nature.
i might paint a few ‘garden items’ that have been waiting my attention.
Dear Lisa/, even at your worst, you’re definitely at your best! Such a rockin’ riot, you are😊
What I see: snow in your pictures. Thank you for your story Z. And I hope you recover well and soon.
After reading through all the comments, it does sound like new allergens and your body’s resistance to fighting them off. As much as I love our house wide open to the breeze, we suffer from whatever is in the air. Who knows, maybe even blown up from the Everglades. We end up with the air conditioner. Lots of rest and yes, build that pyramid.🌴😊🌴
I had no idea! You always look so smiley and I imagined you a bundle of health and energy. I’m so sorry that you’re not. Please look after yourself, Lisa. The blogs will wait. 🙂
Like Jo I was so sad to hear of your health problems Lisa, your posts are always full of positive and happy thoughts, art and photos, I had no idea how you suffered for ever with the cough. My thoughts go out to you. Take it easy, relax in your lovely retreat and as Jo says, the blog can wait till you feel better.
Oh Lisa, I am so sorry to hear this. Sending healthy and healing thoughts of coughless days and nights. Sometimes these things are so difficult to diagnose. Do you think it could be a mold spore? I wrote a post about my friend who contacted a black mold spore and it took forever for her to heal. She had to seal her bedroom from the rain and repaint everything. Love you and hope you are resting in your artist incubation retreat.
I hope you feel very well soon! ⭐ !!!~ All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
So sorry to hear about your health issues Lisa. I will be sending positive thoughts your way.
Lots of Love, Dear One — Self Love, the Ultimate Healer. Thank you for sharing your healing journey. ♥
I’m so sorry to read about your health problems, Lisa. Constant coughing bouts are so debilitating and exhausting. I really can empathise with you, as I have also had similar problems over the years. Thankfully, my night cough has gone to ground for the moment, and in the daytime it’s not bad now, and only seems to be triggered by cold dry air, or iced drinks. I do hope that you are soon well recovered. I so enjoyed each of your photos, especially the very green Costa Rica one. *hugs* Sylvia
Take good care of yourself.