Four days before my wedding I woke up at 1am with a headache. It had been weeks since I slept through the night, so at first I didn’t think much of it and moved myself to the couch. I get head aches fairly often (tired, stressed, dehydrated). I took Tylenol, did a few yoga stretches, made herbal tea, sat on the couch and waited. It didn’t take too much longer for me to realize I had a sinus head/face ache…and I started to PANIC. I knew I was probably getting a cold, but how?! Almost a month before the wedding Mike and I started taking multivitamins. A week before the wedding we both started taking Zicam because we knew a few people with colds. Clearly, neither preventative pill helped me out. To make matters worse I also had a horrible pimple even though my skin was super clear for months.

I was supposed to work one more day before taking off for my wedding, but I knew if there was any day to take a hardcore sit-on-the-couch sick day, Tuesday was that day. I pretty much texted my boss,”SOS I’m sick. Say a prayer. See you in a week!” Never have I ever, tried SO hard to get rid of a cold. I drank endless amounts of water and Gatorade. I went to a salt therapy spa. I ordered the “Cold Buster Tea,” from Starbucks. EVERYTHING. But by Tuesday night I wasn’t feeling better and took myself to the walk-in clinic. The doctor actually said it was too soon to give me a clear diagnosis and she didn’t think I had a bacterial infection. Fortunately, she sympathized and want wanted to help me feel better in time for the big day. She gave me medicine to knock-out the sinus pressure and inflammation. I am so happy I went to the clinic because by Wednesday afternoon I felt SO much better.

I definitely think stress contributed to my pre-wedding cold and pimple. Overall, my skin is usually pretty clear. I had really focused on my skincare pre-wedding and was getting facials regularly. I was shocked when I woke up with one of the worst pimples ever, so I immediately made an appointment with my dermatologist. Although it’s not something you should do frequently, I got a cortisone injection which deflated my pimple within 24 hours. From what my doctor has told me and what I have read, frequent cortisone injections can cause damage to your skin’s texture and elasticity, so they’re really supposed to be used for emergency events…like a wedding!

Fortunately, by the end I the week I was feeling great for my wedding. It was the best day ever and I enjoyed every minute. If you wake up the week of your wedding with a cold, here are some tips that worked for me:

1. Drink A LOT of water. I hate drinking water. If I can do it, you can do it!
2. Rest! Take a sick day and actually relax.
3. Visit a doctor. Even if you’re not huge on doctors or medicine your wedding is no time to mess around.
4. Try a salt spa to help soothe your sinuses and relax. I definitely think it helped me sleep better.