 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2005-10-30 16:18
I'm in the middle of a lovely cough/cold/respiratory virus, and I have to play in a concert on Wednesday. The concert is being recorded in a concert hall, and I don't want to be heard coughing/sneezing on the recording.
Sorry to be graphic, but I'm taking an expectorant to get the congestion out of my lungs. It's working well, but it's a productive cough at this point, and the last thing I need is it to develop into bronchitis.
I'm doing the usual "take care of yourself" practices of enough rest, fruit juice and other liquids, chicken soup, etc. LOL , but I'm wondering what OTC meds you all take when you have to perform despite having respiratory difficulties. I just want to be able to breathe onstage without wheezing or coughing. Any suggestions?
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2005-10-31 00:14
It's a very good chance that you'll be much better by Wednesday. Any fever, check with an actual doctor and not us. Lots of steam, "throat-coat" tea will help you resist the impulse to cough, take sick days and sleep. Drink, drink, drink water and juice. Good luck and take care of yourself.
Sue Tansey
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2005-10-31 01:54
3dogmom wrote:
> Any fever, check with an actual doctor and not us.
Nope, luckily no fever or other unpleasant signs of infection. But I only have about half a voice right now. Anyone who finds the other half can please email it back to me pronto. I did have my 1st graders look for my voice on Friday, but none of them could find it. 
I've always wondered (but never asked) the correlation between reeds and health. How long do "sick germs" stay on reeds?
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2005-10-31 14:10
Disinfect them. Just as you'd wash your dishes well when someone in the family is ill, you can take extra steps to be sure your reeds don't cultivate the virus. You could add a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide to your reed water, for example. Our doctor suggested this therapy as a gargle for sore throats - it's bubbly, but it disinfects and doesn't harm you. Others may have other ideas.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2005-11-01 23:44
brenda do not use hydr-peroxide long term . it breaks down skin membrain over time. better to garrgle with warm water and salt
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2005-11-02 06:23
Actifed works extremely well, it is both an anti-histamine and decongestant... HOWEVER it can cause extreme drowsiness.
I use it as a sleeping aid when stuffed up, could never survive a work day while taking the stuff, but it is the best thing I've ever taken when sick and need to get over it... to sleep.
You could probably try it an hour before you would normally go to bed to see how much it affects you as far as drowsiness goes.
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2005-11-03 02:18
Thank you for the helpful suggestions and disinfecting discussion. The concert's over and it went ok. Even "The Hounds of Spring," and may I never play that piece again...Great tune, but not when ya can't breathe!
I tried almost every cold remedy at the pharmacy and my body finally preferred Tylenol Severe Cold. While it certainly may not work for everyone (as TheraFlu didn't do a thing for me except make me nauseous), that med was what finally did the trick for me.
Lisa wrote:
> The concert is being
> recorded in a concert hall, and I don't want to be heard
> coughing/sneezing on the recording.
...but I'll bet the recording will pick up the cap that rolled off my stand and onto the floor between movements. ![[mad]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie9.gif)
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2005-11-03 03:57
"but I'll bet the recording will pick up the cap that rolled off my stand and onto the floor between movements."
This reminds me of a wonderful (very short) story Abe Galper posted on the Klarinet list about his days in the Toronto Symphony. You can find it here:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/1997/08/001195.txt
Next time you'll know what to do when the cap falls.
Best regards,
jnk
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