1/8/05
I don't usually talk about getting sick on the blog, mostly because:
a) it's boring
b) it's boring
c) it's unbelievably boring
d) and,
e) if I wrote about every time I was felled with the flu or some shit, you'd all have me zipped up into a plastic bubble. I get pretty much everything that is going around, regardless of a flu shot, regardless of Purell-ing my hands until they squeak with sterility. I did have a period in 2003-2004 when I went about 18 months without getting ill, but usually, my body is a willing receptacle for whatever airborne crap you've got going.
I don't like being like this, in fact, it pains me to write it. There's always the judgment that I could be doing more: changing my diet (yawn), getting to sleep at a different time, scarfing down anti-oxidants, "having a better attitude," whatever.
One thing I do know is that my threshold for misery is about .008, so even the little things fell me completely. Perhaps other people get the same amount of sick and just don't know it. If that's a flaw in my character, then, well, you got me, soldier.
There is one thing I'd REALLY like to complain about, however. I am suffering through the worst sore throat of my storied career - every swallow is agony, and there are white spots on the back of my throat. I've been careful: never breathing directly on Lucy, handling food away from people, not even hugging Sean and Jordana when they came over tonight.
That's not even my complaint. My beef is thus: I woke up with this thing on Saturday morning, and I knew what the weekend had in store. I knew this was strep throat and I knew I needed antibiotics. But just because it was the weekend, there was no way I was going to get them. The only recourse would be to sit in some hospital emergency room in Brooklyn for seven hours behind four gunshot victims. Even the urgent care centers had 5-hour waits. No fucking thanks.
I have good insurance, and I know lots of people. Why did I have to wait for this thing to worsen before getting any kind of treatment? The last two days have been well nigh unbearable, all because of the LUCK of getting sick on Friday night, and that's pathetic. My car runs on corn oil and rabbit poop, and I can't get a Levaquin unless I "Drugstore Cowboy" my way into an Eckerd.
That's it for today's entry. I'm pissed off, tired and my throat is shredded. Please, bacterial agents and viruses, can you just fucking leave me alone for a decade or six?
Wow - I'm actually the first to comment, and I believe that is only due to the fact that it's a Sunday...am I right? I don't know. I have the flu. I brought it home to NY from San Francisco this last week. I actually started feeling in on the plane home. The dry throat, the achy trachea (ode to Billy Ray Cyrus) the headache, etc...
I have had cough, phlegm, snot, fever and aches since Monday Jan 2, and I'm over it. I totally sympathize with your condition. I actually added a large vodka shot to my medication tonight hoping it would help me sleep (NyQuil lost its affect on me in the early 80s).
I haven't felt this way since I was a smoker about four years ago (I stopped smoking sometime in 2002). Even though I miss smoking I don't miss being sick 8 times every year.
I hear your complaint loud and clear, though, and I hope you receive the treatment you need. Better health to you and quick recovery.
It's 1:30 am and I'm up with Crankypants. Second night in a row he's jostled me out of sleep wailing like someone was in the nursery beating him for his last veggie puff. I hope this is teething, otherwise I'm completely clueless and feel like the worst mother in the world. And an extremely exhausted one at that.
At any rate, I hope you feel better soon, Ian. I have some leftover zithromax if you want it. I can even arrange for you to pick it up in Chapel Hill. ;-)
A modern dilemma: we know we need an antibiotic. But they just can't let us keep an extra dose around the house, because then people will use them improperly and the enemy will grow resistant. Besides, you don't know if you need penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, Cipro, C3PO, etc...
I used to get strep throat 2x year, by the way, and my doctor said I should have my tonsils out. He also said I should gargle with Listerine a lot (preventatively, not during). I started gargling more and I haven't had strep throat in years. But now I have sticky green stains I have to clean. Oh well, pick your poison.
You boys don't have anything to complain about.
I am like you. Always sick. Always cranky about being sick. You should at least find solace in the fact that Lucy has been so healthy. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that you have not commented on Cutie Cutiekins having any major virus. Helen was in day care from age 9 weeks on, and she caught EVERY VIRUS that came through the door of Cloverleaf Child Development Center. And, I am talking viruses with horrifying names: Rotavirus, 5th's disease, ear infections, hand-foot-mouth disease, yada yada yuck. By the time she was 1 year old, she had probably an ear infection every month, which lead to ear tubes, etc. The pharmacist knew us on a first name basis. My nerves were absolutely frayed with every illness, not to mention I always ended up with the adult version of whatever she caught.
Of course, now Helen is INDESTRUCTIBLE. She has battled with every virus known to mankind, and she is superhuman. She rarely gets sick these days. Anyway, be glad Lucy is healthy. I always thought that my baby being sick took a worse toll on me than me being sick.
You need a doctor friend! I usually go through the appropriate channels first (calling my internist, etc...) but if it is on a weekend or if the nurse on the other end of the phone isn't getting my desperation I get my husband to call something in. He will do this for family only usually and as long as it doesn't involve narcotics.
LFMD- I have now started to "enjoy" all the things little toddlers bring home and my kid isn't even in preschool yet. Ugh. Kids bring home violent illnesses...at least that is how they affect me. Oh the joys of toddlerhood!
Sorry you're feeling so crappy. We have something around here called a "prescribing pharmacist." Anything like that in NYC?
>>We have something around here called a "prescribing pharmacist." Anything like that in NYC?
Where is that? Do you have to go into the pharmacy and sneeze and cough? I'm curious.
Good question. There is one in my neighborhood Pharmacy - but I've never been to see him -- I've just heard about him.
I read an article last week that CVS (Osco, Eckerd, etc) are going to start officing a contract nurse with its pharmacies. "Minute Medic" or something like that. The idea is to go in, be seen for the minor stuff, get your scrips and leave.
I assume the prescribing pharmacist does that...but I may be wrong.
I feel your phlegm. Get better.
Okay, I am compelled to comment here. As a primary care doctor, frequent patient, and Mom to a frequent patient I can very strongly agree from all sides that our medical system sucks hugely at the moment. I have decided to work for a more "boutique" practice that offers longer appointment times and more personal service, but we are really struggling to break even. There must be some practices like that in your area. Also, even here in Chapel Hill we have a group called "Doctors making house calls" who charge a bit more but always available and probably worth every penny.
I love my job and it is very rewarding but I hate what our medical system has made it into - short, impersonal visits that are unsatisfying to both doctor and patient. This is just one problem with the medical system today. I haven't even started on all the access issues. Anyway, try theraflu and or nyquil and email me next time you are in a fix,
Neva
My sympathies on the strep throat. I know how much it sucks. As for the medical care system in the US... if Ian was Canadian he could expect to get seen by, oh, March something.
ian you need to have a relationship with a physician. you cant use ERs or those doc in a box places if you want to have responsive health care. and gargling with warm salt water seems to help the pain of a sore throat. drink lots of h2o and get more sleep.
>>>if Ian was Canadian he could expect to get seen by, oh, March something.
Any Canadians care to dispute this?
Neva, can we all have your email address? I find myself in a medical fix every winter.
What do you think about this Airborne stuff that it being advertised? Does it really help, or am I wasting my money?
Click on the URL to see what I am talking about. It was advertised on Oprah, so of course I have been buying and ingesting it regularly. Curiously, I still get sick. Have I been duped?
LFMD, here's what the New York Times just had to say about Airborne:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/magazine/08wwln_consumed.html
This too:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/health/01cons.html?ex=1136955600&en=8da37d702ce75982&ei=5070
And speaking of Oprah:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html
Feel better soon, Ian!
Don't know much about Airborne except to say it has no evidence behind it but I wouldn't mind having stock in it given that so many people like it. The only supplement I know of with evidence behind it to prevent/treat colds is zinc which you can get in Coldeeze lozenges.
There is also an herb called astralgus that comes in something called Deep Defense than a lot of my more "granola" patients swear by. I personally love aleve and chicken soup.
To the other Oprah issue - I feel redeemed by the info about James Frey as I never felt like A Million Little Pieces seemed real. Now, I need to go lay down because I, too, have flu like symptoms today!
Neva
Beth -- NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved James Frey's book! I just finished "My Friend Leonard!" Say it isn't so, James! Even if the memoir is not so accurate, I still think the books are awesome. Does that necessarily make it bad? I still am blown away by his storytelling and his way of writing.
Ian, you must have sent some kind of voodoo curse out with this post, because Tim had to pick up Helen from school this afternoon. We took her to the doctors' and guess what she has? Full blown Strep! So much for being indestructible. She was a little sick this morning, but we sent her to school anyway. We thought it was just a cold. By the end of the day, she was crying in the nurse's office, waiting for her parents to pick her up. Doesn't that just break your heart? Load on the mommy guilt. . .
Call it brotherhood (or schadenfreude) but it does make me feel a little better that other people are sick too. Except for poor little Helen - Laurie, make sure the whole house is on alert. My doc said that kids under a year are bizarrely immune to strep a lot of the time, which gave me some relief.
I was put on the Levaquin 5-day Pak, as suspected. I could have done this two days ago. *sigh*
Glad you got your drugs. And, Helen started to feel better, once she got home and into her pajamas. In the meantime, I am getting ready for "Strep Throat - The Adult Version." I know it won't be pretty. . . but it is inevitable. I always catch whatever she has. You should have seen us during the Rotavirus and Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease Outbreaks! It was truly hideous.
I hate winter.
good god, ian. as a strep-magnet, i've suffered this fate more times than i care to recount. my only suggestion is keeping a set of anti-biotics around, however you have to get them. sheesh!
get better soon!!
p.s. it's 80 in LA...
To my reality show sister LFMD- Know what makes strep throat feel better?
An all new season of The Bachelor in Paris!!!
Salem's Little Sister -- where have you been? I have missed you! Thanks for the tip! I had no idea there was a Bachelor in Paris! I am SO THERE! Did you watch the Robin-Jodi-Mark drama on the Gauntlet 2? You know, Mark is pushing 40 like me. . . he has already been married and divorced. . . he is TOO OLD to be competing on the Gauntlet! I watched a good episode of Wife-Swap last night! Did you watch?
hey ian. i just had the same damn thing. i had my doc call in a tri-pak which is the shit. it's basically a z-pak (zithromax) but it's condensed into 3 days. it will keep you near a bathroom for a day or two but at least you can breathe. started working in about 5 hrs. amazing.
anybody had one of those night of the living strep bouts? where you kill it and it comes back and you kill it again and it comes back, etc.? one tip i picked up from that is to change your toothbrush A LOT.
That there were no takers is no surprise, CL.