Yesterday I had planned to tell you all about our fabulous mini-break to Nashville, complete with restaurant and honky tonk recommendations.
Things did not go according to plan.
As we were on the plane home (one of those small regional get types, the claustraphobic kind where it’s too small to stand fully upright) I was felled by the first stomach flu I believe I’ve ever had as an adult. Holy GOD I am ill-equipped to deal with constant nausea and its effects. I can take the searing pain of a sinus headache or the incessant burn of a sore throat for days, but after just a few hours of feeling on the verge of puking I was ready to call it quits.
I’ll spare you the details, but I do want to share the one positive discovery I made during the following two days of abject misery: Coke, regular Coke, is a miracle drug.
We are not regular consumers of regular Coke around here. We sometimes have diet in the house, but I generally view the regular stuff as too tempting and too full of unnecessary sugar, and since I do the food shopping- it’s generally not here. As I was whining about my certain imminent death to one of my friends, she said “make John go to the store and get you a Coke.”
So I did, and let me tell you: when even water is making your stomach feel like death, a few sips of regular Coke is like magic elixer. It stays down. It makes you feel revived. It causes you to reconsider all those unfriendly things you’ve said about high fructose corn syrup and unnatural caramel coloring over the years. It is, in short, miraculous.
(According to a doctor friend, if you’re so sick that you can’t keep fluids down at all, you should dissolve a little salt into a room-temperature Coke and drink it slowly to help your body regain its water and salt balance. I believe him, but that sounds gross, and I wasn’t on the verge of hospitalization for dehydration or anything, so I skipped the salt part. I tell you this in the interest of thoroughness.)
I’m not back to 100% yet but I’m feeling better, and a big project at work went dramatically wrong yesterday, so I’m going in today. I think I should make it the whole day. Who knows, by the end of it I may even be ready to tell you about what we ate and drank in Nashville without feeling like I need to hurl.
I didn’t know this but now I’m going to stock an emergency supply of Coke! Glad you’re feeling a little better.
Absolutely! A tried and true college time hangover cure was a REAL Coke and McDonald’s french fries. Always works.
If you think regular Coke is good, you should try regular Coke made with SUGAR. Elixir of the gods, indeed. I can find Mexican Coke in glass bottles…I hear Kosher Coke is also made w/cane sugar. Mmmmm…
Glad you survived yesterday!
When I was a kid if we got a stomach bug, my mom always broke out the Coke syrup. You used to be able to buy it at pharmacies. It was the best ever.
here’s a link to it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola
and how to make your own:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4503614_coke-syrup-settle-stomach.html
I also found a product called Nauzene which helps with nausea and the main ingredient is fructose.
Guess sugar IS good for you!
I drink Coke Zero by the gallon. But about twice a year I have hangovers that leave me practically lifeless. The only cure is real Coke. And fries from McDonalds.
urrggg, you poor, poor, thing. the only silver lining i can think of is at least you got this over with now, and not.. say.. next weekend? WHEE! almost time!
Oy, I am sorry you were feeling so icky. I am glad you are feeling better.
Coke, huh? I hope not to have to try it out anytime soon, but damn, I am glad to know of it.
Thanks!
Agreed, there is something in that syrup that coats your stomach.
Glad you’re feeling better!
THIS should be the next Coke ad. Seriously! Makes the world a happy place in more ways than one!
I have heard this about Coke so many times. I kinda think it must be true for regular, flu type nausea but not for morning sickness, because the sugary flavor makes me gag. I crave tart things, which I realize makes ZERO sense, but it helps.
I’ve heard at drugstores you can even get Coke syrup, like all concentrated and flat, and that a few spoonfuls of that stuff will stay down for even the barfiest flu patient.
Sorry you were sick!