Wow, first, this is great and useful looking stuff, and second, misery does love company and I had to sing this weekend with my nose swollen and my chest full of mucus and it is in fact comforting to know there are other people struggling with the same problem. Petty of me, but there it is....

I steamed my head (just water), avoided sugar, milk & caffeine, etc etc, and also, I went over my repertoire and picked the least demanding songs I could find that would still be entertaining to my audience.

I also coughed for about ten minutes straight once the set was over. They were very nice about it.

This has been a problem for me for years and I'm very grateful to all the people who made suggestions here.

BTW, if you have any possible heart problems, avoid sudafed. My doctor always said it is the safest thing, but this time, it gave me atrial flutters, shallow pulse, rapid pulse. The doctor (a new one) said it has caused fatal heart problems in some people. I know, most people will have no trouble with it whatever, but if you're sensitive or have allergies, be conservative with the stuff.

This makes me especially grateful for ideas like the onion steam treatment which are unlikely to be toxic.