I felt a general malaise, and knew that something was looming. My brother-in-law had been sick the week before, and it seemed like every one of my kids and coworkers was sick. It was only a matter of time.
So when I felt feverish on Saturday and developed a dry cough, I wasn't surprised. Sunday didn't bring relief either. In fact, I knew my voice was on the cusp of flying the coop, and I felt like poop.
The problem is, it's so hard to be gone from school. It's harder to be gone than it is to be there. And I couldn't leave what needed to be done today to a substitute. There is no substitute for me. Ha!
After a very fitful night of sleep Sunday night, I knew I probably wasn't going to be at school very long today. I went down to see the school nurse first period and she told me she would like me to see my doctor, since my throat had been sore (sore would be the understatement of the year -- I feel like I'm swallowing shards of glass) for the past 2 days and I was running a low-grade fever.
So I called my doctor. I love my doctor. She's incredible. Really understands her patients and works hard to make things easy for them (ie she always tells me where I can take my prescriptions to get them filled the cheapest). She makes everything easy for her patients, except her office hours. Understandably, she has school-aged children and keeps office hours that allow her to be at home with them before and after school. Any time a school has a holiday, she doesn't have office hours. Which really sucks for a teacher. Because you can never get in to see her if you keep similar hours, like I do.
Miraculously, I left work early and had an 11:15 appointment today.
Now, most medical procedures do not phase me. Needles? No problem. Blood? Bring it on. But the one thing that freaks me out is a Strep culture. And I knew that Dr. Z was going to want to do one. So for the 35 minute car ride to her office, I practiced my yoga breathing and convinced myself I would be ok.
It's not just that I'm a giant baby when it comes to strep cultures (because I will admit that I am), but I have a justifiable reason why. I have the worlds worst gag reflex. I'm talking, I gag myself while brushing my teeth. It's bad news.
And low and behold, the nurse pulls out the giant q-tip and wants to shove it down my throat. And I tell her I'm a big baby, that I have a really bad gag reflex, and almost start to cry. To which she tells me I can swab my throat myself! Glory be! So I muster up the guts and stick the swabby down my throat and nearly vomit, not once, not twice, but three times.
It was a rapid strep culture, so it cooked while my doctor was doing the rest of the exam. Yes, I had a fever. Yes, she could see blisters in my throat. No, my strep test did not come back positive. Why you ask? Because self-swabs aren't very accurate. Which then leads me to think she's going to want to do another.
But here, friends, is where Dr. Z is a saint. She tells me she'll just write me a script for an antibiotic and vicodin, since the pain is so bad, and send me on my way.
Truly, she is a godsend.
And on account of me not having a voice, and my throat still feels like it's being cut by samurai swords, I have taken the day off tomorrow.
Calling the sub line with no voice is no small feat, rest assured.
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