Anyone Need Some Penicillin?

I have been getting increasingly sicker and sicker for the past few days. I’m not alone in this; I suspect that many of us humans have been feeling like shit this winter. Just last week I was thinking that I must have an iron clad constitution to have avoided getting sick this winter. I wish I had kept my thoughts trapped in the mire that is my brain.

Years ago, when I got sick I would go over to the walk in clinic, sign in and within a half hour or so I would be talking to the Doctor and he would write a prescription or tell me that I would just have to suck it up for a few days. Easy peasy! Now, the minimum wait at the walk in clinic is a couple of hours and when you finally do get in they will often advise you to go to the emergency room at the hospital. I guess they are covering their asses from the growing number of people who like to sue doctors. The Clinic gives a less than desirable examination and will often be useless or just plain wrong.

I have switched to a family doctor and I am more or less happy with her. Not keen about getting the full physical from a female doctor, but I’m sure she doesn’t like it as much as I don’t. She is one of those doctors that will take time to talk to you and find out just how “you” are. She is concerned and thorough, making sure that all the tests are done and that I leave feeling like I will indeed eventually feel better again.

I have been sick for three or four days and I figured I should call and make an appointment. Well, Louise told me to call and make an appointment, but I’m just too sick to argue with her. The problem with family practice doctors is that they are always busy and often you need to book the appointment a week from next Tuesday. By the time the appointment comes around, you’re either better or dead. I fully expected to make the appointment and I planned to cancel it if I were feeling better by early in the week. The receptionist told me that they just had a cancellation and could I make it at 1:30? See the doctor when I’m actually sick, what a concept.

I walked into the office and up to the reception desk to tell her I was here on time. I brought a book to read because I expected to wait about 45 minutes. She said “Follow me” and took me to an examination room. I figured I would get to read the book there, but before I could get my coat off the Doctor walked in. I must be sicker than I thought; I am hallucinating early appointments, no waiting in the waiting room and doctors where doctors shouldn’t be.

I explained how sick I was and she said there is a lot of this virus going around. I thought “Oh, a lot of people are coughing up razor blades?” She looked in my ears and throat, making a comment about how red it was and then she listened to my lungs, took a swab of my throat and wrote a prescription for some penicillin. She said it will probably run its course, but if I don’t feel any better by Saturday then I should fill the prescription. She walked out and left me there still feeling shitty, but at least someone else knows how I feel. Small consolation I suppose.

Wait till Saturday? Fuck that! I’m an old hippie and I have a piece of paper that says I can legally buy drugs and that’s just what I’m going to do, even if I don’t need them. It’s always nice to have extra drugs on hand.

Anyone need some penicillin?