Monday 15 June 2009

Strep throat Monday

I woke up this morning with a really sore throat, actually I'll rephrase that appropriately, I woke up with a really fucking bastard sore throat, pardon my french.
It been a long time since I've had one so bad, I was gagging because my tonsils were so swollen. I used to get sore throats a lot when I was a kid but recently I've been fine.

But like the good wifey I am, I still got up and made Ryota's bento, although it was a 'pull anything out of the freezer and shove it in the microwave' kind of bento. I did the housework and made curry in the morning, but by lunch time I knew it was bad. I couldn't swallow properly and I couldn't eat anything. In Aussie I never took my temperature, but since I've lived in Japan I've joined the 'fever-obsessed' hoards and checked this morning, it was 36.3 which is normal for me, when I checked at lunch it was 37.4 so it was definitely on the rise.

So it was of to the clinic I went. I so miss the days of strolling into my local medical centre where all illnesses are treated, swiping my magical medicare card which ensures the government will pay for my consultation and strolling out again loaded up with my penicillin. But no, in Japan there is a clinic for every single illness, you have to pay, and you end up with 588 different types of medicine and sprays, or they tell you to sleep. Err, with a four month old???

When we got to the clinic I filled out the little paper and the nurse took my temperature, it was 38.2 at the clinic, I don't do Fahrenheit but because I love my yankee friends so much it's about 101. The nurse gave me the 'talk to the hand gesture' and was all like, "Get your foreign ass in that isolation room right now girlfriend" except she said it in a really polite way... She insisted that I was shindoi and I should lie down but I was stressing too much from all the googling on buta influenza I'd done and insisted I wasn't that shindoi and was just fine in the chair.

The doc we go to is very interesting, he had mouth cancer so now talks through a microphone, kids (and me) are terrified of him. He is also the doctor that discovered Junpei's leukemia so we all have much respect for him but the bastard scared the hell out of me.
As soon as he saw I had a fever and learned I was from Australia he whipped out the giant cotton bud and proceeded to shove it down my throat and up my nose while informing me that Australia was now phase 6 in the flu stakes.
The test results took about 10 minutes and I was stressing the whole time. When he called my name, I swear he was so non-Japanese, I don't think a Japanese doctor has ever screwed around with my head but the doc made a big dramatic silence and kept me waiting for what seemed like forever before telling me I tested negative for flu and was still chuckling at my terrified expression when he told my I did test positive for strep throat.
Again, Bastard.

I was very relieved and went and got my medicine, I'm feeling a little better now but still can't eat anything and my tonsils are still huge. Being sick with a baby is so much worse, escape to bed is impossible! Ryota was a sweetheart though and brought home ice cream, pudding and vitamin drinks so I'm gorging on pudding guilt-free!

8 comments:

  1. aww you poor thing!!! feel better soon!!
    is Ash going to be ok or will you be having to medicate him as well?

    silly dr. for freaking you out like that and rolling my eyes along with you that the fact that you are Aussie makes you a prime candidate for swine flu even though you haven't been there for oh... 3 months before the outbreak even started

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  2. Sara~ haha, I know, I litened to him telling other patients that Australia and New Zealand were so dangerous to travel to when I wa in the isolation oom too! haha.
    Ash should be fine, breasteeding gives him a prtty strong immunity apparently, but I'm scared and not getting too close, no kisses for a few days!

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  3. Hope you are feeling better soon! It is especially rough getting sick with a baby.

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  4. Beamies~ Thank you! It really is horrible :( My tonsils are so big I can't even eat pudding anymore! Noooooo!
    I'm lucky though, the in-laws are pretty much taking Ash for all the time he's not drinking milk.

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  5. I hope you feel better soon!! I always wonder what it's like to be sick with a small child - I could imagine that it isn't very fun at all..

    I'm glad to hear that your in-laws are helping out with Ash. Having some help around should definitely give you some time to rest. Hopefully the medicine kicks in fast!

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  6. Nay~ Thank you! It is pretty scary, just because I don't want to give him anything :(
    But i am incredibly lucky for the in-law help. I'm a little dubious about the Japanese medicine, it will probably take time more than anything else!

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  7. Hope your feeling better soon! Not being able to eat pudding must be a nightmare, I can't even imagine it. At least you've got the in-laws to help out with Ash. I'm not sure what would happen to KK if I got sick...

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  8. ChomChom~ Thank you! I do feel much better today. i am really lucky with the in-laws, although I think if I had to look after him by myself, the motherly instincts would kick in, don't worry!

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