One unexpected upside of this sinus infection: it’s forced me to quit vaping nicotine cold turkey. I hadn’t planned to stop so abruptly, but the dehydration was getting worse—and the nicotine eliquid wasn’t helping. Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, the base ingredients, are humectants that pull moisture from the body. Add that to the inflammation and congestion, and it’s a recipe for misery. So I stopped. Not out of virtue—out of necessity.

Like I said the other day, the sinus pressure’s loosening its grip, but something else is stirring. Maybe dehydration, maybe the start of a kidney infection—I can’t quite tell. My back protests when I bend, and it’s not the usual ache. It’s sharp, misaligned. Like my body’s trying to warn me in a language I haven’t decoded yet.

As usual, sleep won’t come. The pain’s too loud, too constant. So I do what’s left—overthink everything. Every silence, every omission, every ache that won’t name itself. It’s not rest. It’s a loop.

For now, I’m going to have some chicken noodle soup. Not because it fixes anything, but because it’s warm, familiar, and easy to swallow. A small gesture of care in a body that keeps flaring.