When to Quit
Today is day eight in the battle of the "itis-es". Since my jaunt over to urgent care this weekend (after five days of throat pain), they told me that I was simply a victim of pharyngitis (aka infection of the throat), laryngitis (inflammatory of the larynx) and an upper respiratory tract infection. Glory be! The part I especially loved was how the doctor had me diagnosed before he'd even walked in the door to the examination room I'd been camping out in.
I had gone in in desperation, since I had completely lost my voice and had spotted the yucky tonsil action going on in the back of my throat. Yuck! I had suspected that maybe I had some sort of strep throat or something, especially since it was going strong after five days. But apparently Dr. Expert knew better by simply reading my chart. No throat check. No tonsil swab.
I have to say that I was really put off (or maybe you can tell by the amount of sarcasm I'm throwing out). I mean, talk about bedside manner. After telling me that I didn't have strep, but only a virus that had to run its course (that will be $155 dollars, please), then he went through the motions of checking me out. I think it was more for my benefit than for his. He literally took a split second peak in my mouth and in each ear before listening to me "breathe" by playing hopscotch on my back with his stethoscope - while I still had my fleece coat on, mind you. I don't think that he actually kept the thing still long enough to here a single muffled full breath, thank you very much.
So, his verdict was that I wait three to five MORE DAYS to see if it goes away. THEN I could fill his prescription for amoxicillin, just in case it ended up being a bacterial infection. So, here I am now at my pain tolerance's end and four days later. I've had it. I'm going to get my drugs. I didn't want to have to get them if it was just a virus (I hate being a baby about things like this or run to the doctor every time I cough), but enough is enough. I quit. The virus or bacteria or whatever it is has won. I want my throat back. I better see progress, and soon.
I had gone in in desperation, since I had completely lost my voice and had spotted the yucky tonsil action going on in the back of my throat. Yuck! I had suspected that maybe I had some sort of strep throat or something, especially since it was going strong after five days. But apparently Dr. Expert knew better by simply reading my chart. No throat check. No tonsil swab.
I have to say that I was really put off (or maybe you can tell by the amount of sarcasm I'm throwing out). I mean, talk about bedside manner. After telling me that I didn't have strep, but only a virus that had to run its course (that will be $155 dollars, please), then he went through the motions of checking me out. I think it was more for my benefit than for his. He literally took a split second peak in my mouth and in each ear before listening to me "breathe" by playing hopscotch on my back with his stethoscope - while I still had my fleece coat on, mind you. I don't think that he actually kept the thing still long enough to here a single muffled full breath, thank you very much.
So, his verdict was that I wait three to five MORE DAYS to see if it goes away. THEN I could fill his prescription for amoxicillin, just in case it ended up being a bacterial infection. So, here I am now at my pain tolerance's end and four days later. I've had it. I'm going to get my drugs. I didn't want to have to get them if it was just a virus (I hate being a baby about things like this or run to the doctor every time I cough), but enough is enough. I quit. The virus or bacteria or whatever it is has won. I want my throat back. I better see progress, and soon.
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