What does an ear infection, a sinus infection and brochitis have in common?

I started the year out without a voice. Literally unable to squeak and barely able to whisper. In fact, I ended last year the same way. Not a good way to start out the year. We were at my daughters to celebrate the old year and ring in the new. By ten o'clock we were home, by eleven, we were sound asleep. We had the TV on and I did hear them count down. Upon the shouts of Happy New Year, I turned over and instantly fell asleep.
New Year's Day, I was running a fever. Great, just what I needed, the flu. I couldn't speak for four or five days, but the fever subsided and I really didn't feel bad. The worst part was the runny nose and I soon developed  a cough. 
Full blown head cold - yuck. I knew colds lasted anywhere from a week to ten days, so bought several boxes of tissue (the soft kind with the lotion, because already my nose was sore from blowing) and drank plenty of water. I still cooked, cleaned, and did laundry, because like I said, I didn't feel sick. 
After ten days, the cough got worse. I was gagging and coughing up a lot of junk. But it was clear and I wasn't concerned. After all, I wasn't running a fever, and I didn't feel sick. Most of the time, my temperature was lower than normal. 
Two weeks and two days later, I started gagging so bad, I was throwing up. That scared me. Besides by two weeks this darn thing should have been gone. So even though I felt fine otherwise, I called the doctor, who by some miracle got me in that same day.
Diagnosis - ear infection -What? my ear didn't even hurt, Sinus infection - Okay with the way my nose was running that didn't surprise me, and Bronchitis -No way would I have believed that one, Other than my ribs hurting when I coughed, my chest seemed fine. 
So now you know what they have in common. I have all of them. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and a kicker (as he calls it) cough medicine. I could take one to two teaspoons every four to six hours. Of course, I took two teaspoons. I wanted this cough to go away. Boy he wasn't kidding about the cough medicine. It has codiene in it and about ten minutes after I took it, like a miracle, my nose quit running and the cough was gone. However, about three and half hours, the nose starts running and the cough returns. I've been on it for three days now and unfortunately, the cough still returns. Not quite as bad, and I'm trying to wait six hours between doses. I might make it to five. If I'm not better in four days (that would be Sunday) I'm supposed to call. Unfortunately, they're not there on Sundays or Mondays, so I'll have to wait until Tuesday. I'm hoping I won't need the cough medicine by then and won't have to go back. 
Needless to say, I've not been writing much during this time. The cough medicine has two side affects - drowsiness and dizziness and I'm experiencing both. I hope to get back to my writing next week. I have a couple ideas brewing.