Hello, how are out? I'm not so good. I've been sick for the past few days. Just on the tailend of a holiday weekend, I managed to catch a really nasty cold - congestion, splitting headache, ears ringing, fever, the whole shabbang. It feels like years since I've been sick like this. Since I was afraid it might be swine flu, I decided a prompt visit to the hospital was in order. To say I was nervous is correct, but thanks to my good buddy google maps (whose father google may turn into or already be Big Brother according to this guy) I found the closest general hospital. I always knew there was a plethora of clinics (small Dr.'s offices, often specialists) in my town, I never realized that a 5 minute walk in another direction from the train station would bring me to a legitimate general hospital.
Oh, but before that I had to hit up the chiropractor, because I'd strained my back trying to use that stupid exercise wheel again! I felt like the floor of a taxi cab but made my back-massage appointment, trudged down the road and went through the motions at the hospital, receiving a test for the dreaded swine flu.
The results? Tune in next week to find out!
Many foreigners have to seek out English-speaking doctors which is not only a hassle, requires traveling but will probably be more expensive, even in Tokyo. Despite how bad I felt I was at least happy that my Japanese was far along enough I could fill out forms and speak with the nurses, doctors and pharmacy people with little to no trouble. However, when asked about whether or not I wanted to take the Swine Flu test I heard a word I was unfamiliar with, some fancy medical way of asking if I wanted to "receive the test." Not knowing this one word apparently convinced the nurse to go the "bull by the horns" route and she tilted my nose back and shoved a cotton swab really, really far up it with like no warning. I felt like Shwarzenegger in Total Recall, when he gets the tracking device removed from his nose.
Shudder.
OK, I didn't have swine flu (quickest week of your life). However I have turned into a strange cross between the invisible man and a zombie. I'm approaching my third day of sick leave, and have been playing Grand Theft Auto 4 to pass the time, since anything that takes much thought or concentration really hurts my head.
Incapacitated on the Island,
-Ben
2 comments:
I can relate on the feeling like shit part. I had my two lower wisdom teeth removed wednesday. One I cracked and it only took 20 minutes tops to remove, but my other one was sideways. The procedure was to take both out was only suppose to be an hour and a half, but it ended up taking more than two hours because two of the roots fused together on the one that was all sideways and mangled.
Luckily I have a bunch of vicodin left from my injury earlier this year.
Get plenty of sleep and drink some fluids.
Do they hassle you about sick leave?
That sucks dude! Getting your wisdoms out is no fun. I can't believe it took 2 hours!!
I'm slowly recovering. I made it into work yesterday with some difficulty, btu managed. My work has been really cool about it. I think the general stance of Japanese companies is if you have manageable symptoms (cough, headache, runnynose, congestion) you should be at work. If you have a fever or really bad pain you should stay home.
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