Revolt!

My body is revolting, in both senses of that word: Astrid and I rolled back into town at 3:00 am Monday morning from an amazing spring break road trip down the coast and through the desert (more to come on that). I then had about four hours of sleep before having to work Monday, and then collapse and wake and start my third quarter at school on Tuesday. That morning, a bad sore throat came on, which I proceeded to medicate with mass quantities of ibuprofen. By yesterday, the pain not having abated, and with the additional symptoms of an annoying ringing in my right ear and head congestion that was making everyone’s voices, including my own, sound like echoing effects box noise, I decided to call in sick to work and head over to Kaiser to get screened for strep throat and ear infection.

So I went in, and the doctor was pretty convinced it wasn’t strep (no fever, and my throat was “pink” but not “red and beefy” (I loved this description) but we took a swab anyway, just to be sure. I did, however, have an ear infection, so I couldn’t escape the prescription for antibiotics (counting the days til the yeast infection hits). I also talked to the doc about some other chronic problems I’ve been having, most important of which are an on/off chronic cough, which I have been attributing to allergies or my acid reflux, and a recent wheezing with exhalation I’ve noticed in the last couple months. She ordered up a chest x-ray and some lung tests for me, and I spent the next few hours making additional co-payments and waiting around for the lab, the radiologist, and my scripts for amoxicillin and a generic for Flonase, as an experiment in seeing whether a post-nasal drip is causing my cough (“Flonase,” by the way, has got to be one of the most disgusting brand names ever! Every time I hear that word, all I can think of is mayonnaise made of snot).

I got home from the doc in the afternoon, still feeling shitty, but glad that I’d taken care of stuff. I watched The Big Lebowski, a movie I have always enjoyed, but had a hard time making sense of, and as it’s a movie that Astrid and DJ often refer to, I charged myself with becoming fluent. I can now say that I finally get how clever and funny it is, and how every seemingly random and unprovoked action leads to a necessary turn in the plot. I think I'll watch it many more times, actually. Unfortunately, throughout the day, another very annoying symptom was manifesting: I had managed to contract an eye infection. It couldn’t have showed itself when I had audience with the doctor, right? So, on top of the sore throat, ear infection and the lesser symptoms of coughing, snotty nose, etc., I also have to deal with a gunky, disgusting eye. Fun weekend.

DJ and I were supposed to see Ted Leo tonight, and I’m really bummed to be missing it. Loud rock show + ear infection = not so nice. DJ made the very tongue-in-cheek remark that the reverb effect in my head from the infection might make the show “trippier” – which we both agreed might have been compelling at Laser Floyd, but probably not an indie-politico-punk show. I probably also have to miss my dear friend Magna’s party tomorrow night in celebration of her white coat ceremony. She’s a D.O. student entering into her clinical training, and she and the gf, Dori, are having a wine party to encourage early staining of the white coat. I can’t believe I have to miss it. I may feel a bit better tomorrow, but I can’t quite picture myself socializing successfully with a pounding ear and a squinty, dripping eye. Great company I’ll make, no doubt.

Instead, extra Buffy episodes and finally writing a blog entry – woot!

xo - Bree