The Unanticipated (But Not Unpleasant) Side-Effect of Mucinex

I'm not feeling very pretty this weekend*. Not that I usually feel elegant under normal circumstances, but this weekend I'm trying to get over a cold. I'm in those last stages when you have a cough that takes you by surprise as you're talking to someone, and then you feel obligated to say "I'm getting over a cold" in the event that they suspect it may be cholera**.

These are the kinds of coughing fits that take on a life of their own. They don't hurt, but when they start I have to say to myself, "Well, let's see where this goes...". I am completely at their mercy. And they usually end with my throwing up a little bit, but, more alarmingly, I have started to PEE myself during the apex***.

I suppose I should be ashamed at admitting that. But it's just a LITTLE pee, and it only happened twice. Only twice, probably, because I spent the rest of the evening sitting on the toilet watching Nurse Jackie, coughing and peeing without a care in the world. It was strangely liberating.

It was during this pee and mucus fest when I noticed something that, in all honesty, I've noticed before. I simply hadn't had the forum to state it publicly: taking Mucinex makes my crotchel area smell like mint****. It's not a spearmint or peppermint smell; more a medicinally-mint smell. I actually googled Mucinex to see if they referenced this side-effect on their website, but I didn't find anything about odors. I also tried to find a comment field to alert the company. I guess I was thinking that while it's not the first smell I would CHOOSE to smell like, it's not unpleasant. I mean, it might make for interesting marketing. Companies have made millions selling products that smell questionable. Take Axe for example.

After I got bored with googling "Mucinex makes my crotch smell", I just googled "crotch smell". Here's a quick PSA. Don't do that.

But, I did find this interesting info-graphic, although I was disappointed that "Mucinex" wasn't on the list.

I also found it interesting that of the 6 possible reasons cited, the one I said "Ewwww" to was "Forgotten Tampon". Hey, I'm a busy lady. I know distraction. But really? I guess I assumed a "forgotten tampon" would show itself the door, so to speak, before too long. In any case, save that image, print it out, and hang it in your office. Don't say I never taught you anything.


* Despite this whole blog-thing starting out as a "How to Entertain Yourself When You Live in a Boring State", I'm telling you how I spent my weekend. It might not be exciting, but it was slightly entertaining. So suck it.
** I say cholera as opposed to whooping cough or TB because said coughing outbursts are accompanied by vast amounts of roiling mucus that I try to daintily wipe from my mouth-chin-cheek-forehead as if nothing resembling an Eva Carrière ectoplasmic event just occurred.
*** I know, I know...women pee themselves.  Eventually. But this is not a problem that I've had before, and I purposely chose to have two C-sections to avoid this issue. And to avoid hemorrhoids. And to avoid a flaccid vagina. I can say with assurance that I have now only dodged one of these. So far.
**** No shocker that this topic hadn't come up organically in prior conversations