Doctors...

Oct 08, 2003 04:00

Whoa... For some statistics, that last post was: 3,114 words long, and contained 17,081 characters (including spaces). It turned out a bit longer than I had originally expected O_o.

After I woke up on Monday, I had to cancel the job interview at Sears that I had scheduled after completing the application online, a tough feat considering my voice, which I had lost shortly after drinking on Saturday night, was not back yet, my words barely coherent through my hoarse and gravelly voice. After talking to the woman who finally answered the phone after automated voice hell, she took down my phone number and told me that the woman in human resources would call me later, and let me know about taking the interview sometime in the future.

Having finished the first item of business for the day, I called the doctor's office, planning on arranging an appointment as soon as possible, as my throat had been hurting me from the very beginning of Thursday morning, and the only reasons a previous visit wasn't arranged was due to realizing my throat was infected until after the office was closed on Friday, and my being at Rutgers during the weekend. However, the first twenty or so times that I called, the line was busy. Damned Mondays. Finally, I got through, explained my past/current situation on the infection, and arranged an appointment for 3pm.

After the call, I decided to continue watching the Japanese live-action TV show, based on one of the funniest animes I've seen. Sometime in the early afternoon, after two or three episodes of the show, the woman from the human resources department of Sears called back, and left a message on my machine that said the home improvement manager wanted to interview me sometime on Tuesday evening, after dinner, if I was feeling well at that point, and to call back later Monday afternoon, if possible. I decided not to pick up, that I would call back after the doctor's appointment. I continued watching the show until I had to leave for the doctor, getting to the office about ten of three.

I walked up to the checkin and erm.. checked in. After sitting down and waiting in the lounge for five or ten minutes, the nurse called me back, weighed me (damned infection and inability to eat without pain resulted in me losing a few pounds), then led me back to a room and took down notes on what was wrong, then proceeded to take my blood pressure and temperature before leaving me alone. It must have been fifteen to twenty minutes before the doctor finally came in, all the while my bored eyes reading and re-reading every label and poster in the room, scanning over and evaluating the pictures, tools, and room layout until she finally graced me with her presence. She then read the notes from the nurse, and asked me what had been going on, then checked out my ears, nose, muscle tone, and glands of my face and neck. After commenting on swollen glands on my neck, she told me to stick out my tongue, immediately gasping as she saw the infection's white coating of my tongue, which had been much worse earlier in the day. She grabbed a pair of cotton swabs and took a sample from the back of my throat, then left the room and said she had to 'cook' the samples. After another five or ten minutes, she returned and told me that it wasn't strep throat, but that she didn't know what it was. She told me it was viral, and that I should drink a lot of liquids, gargle a lot of warm saltwater, and take pain killers as need be. She also said that they have to do a more extensive test of the other sample, and will let me know if it's anything treatable with a prescription drug. I was also told that if, after her recommended regimen of treatments didn't help after a week, that I'd have to return. She then gave me the papers I needed to go back up front and sign out.

In conclusion of her assessment, -+I did not have strep throat.+- I could have told -her- that from the beginning, I already knew I didn't. -+I was diagnosed with viral pharyngitis.+- The supposed viral infection sure left bacterial enough signs, most prominently a fungus-like coating of first my throat, then my tongue. -+I should gargle warm saltwater, drink plenty of liquids, use pain medication as need be.+- No shit, Sherlock, it's what I'd already been doing. I go to a doctor expecting a way to kill the infection, not just manage with it. In -my- conclusion of her assessments, she is utterly worthless. Doctors are utterly worthless, unless you're looking for a good way to get rid of time and money.

After leaving the office, I swung by Wendy's, and ordered my usual: a trio of Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers, and a medium lemonade with light ice. Upon returning home, I found, to my delight, that I could once again swallow food without massive pain. After finishing the food (currently, I've had 19 JBCs since September 1st), I returned to watching more of the Japanese live-action TV show for the rest of the evening, forgetting to call back the woman at Sears.
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