Since starting this blog, I decided that the only way it
would be effective is if I made posts as often as possible, in order to insure
that nothing about my findings and excursions would be left out. The only problem with that was I never
considered getting as sick as I did this week.
Now, if anyone knows me well, they
should know that I NEVER go to the doctor’s. Not just because I don’t like hospitals, and I believe home
remedies work just as well, but also because I barely ever get sick. Looking
back, I did not step into a doctor’s office once in 2012, except for a regular
checkup. When we were listening to
orientations about hospitals in the UK, I naturally tuned part of that out
because the likelihood of me needing a doctor was slim to none.
I
could not have been more wrong.
On Monday I began feeling ill. I won’t include any of the details of
what it was I was sick with because illness itself is not the most glamorous of
topics, but I will say it was something that I had suffered from before and was
able to defeat simply by staying hydrated, resting a lot, and having just the
slightest tolerance for pain.
After being irritated for four
days, by Thursday, I was in full sick mode. Even standing in a hot shower for hours on end couldn’t take
the pain away.
I
felt like I was dying, and I was far from my mother’s cuddles and infinite home
remedies.
I
was doomed to die….
Luckily, the afternoons weren’t so
bad, so I knew if I got myself to work, I would be fine and by night, I could
home to curl up on the couch and scream with pain. My flatmates
went out to the pubs on the Friday, while I stayed at home and watched The Gladiator waiting for death to
come.
*Side note, the UK is more likely
to edit out violence than sex.
This made The Gladiator the
perfect movie to watch while sick.
It’s such a good story with a great score but the violence is a little
intense, especially for someone who is on his or her deathbed. So with that gone, my Friday night was
not too shabby. (Except it was)
I knew I had to go to the doctor’s
on Saturday or else it would just keep getting worse and become a much more
serious problem. Through all the
pain, I dragged myself to the A&E (Accident and Emergency) at a nearby
hospital. Since it was a Saturday
this was really my only option, and I knew they had a ward for the less serious
cases that came to the A&E called the Urgent Care Centre (UCC). Also, it is free to be seen.
Between the pain and my emotional
need to just be taken care of, I pretty much fought back tears through the
entire process. It’s pretty
embarrassing when the only other people crying in the A&E are sick
children. I filled out the paper
work needed since I did not have a general practitioner and I was not a UK
citizen. Somehow, through my tears and pain, I must have made the mistake of
marking “Male” rather than “Female” on the sheet of paper. I did not realize this until it was too
late and had already gotten my hospital bracelet. After a brief meeting with a doctor I was sent to the UCC,
as expected, and waiting for about 2 hours. This wait would have been a lot shorter, but the doctor on
duty thought she was looking for a male named Janelle in the waiting room. Seeing as I was the only one there, she
finally called my name, and realized the mistake that had been made.
The appointment only lasted about
15 minutes. I had been correct
about the sickness I had throughout the week, but along the way I also seemed
to have picked up tonsillitis, which is why I was also feeling quite achy and
getting headaches. She prescribed
me an antibiotic and gave it to me on spot. Slowly, I walked away, I kept waiting to be stopped and
asked to pay for it, but nothing.
Part of me is expecting a bill in
the mail for £400 antibiotics, but for the time being all I’m thinking is
“WooHoo!!! FREE DRUGS FROM THE UK!!!”
Still, this is quite odd to
me. The doctor had talked to me
about my stay here. She knew I was
from the states. Although most NHS
services are free to the British, as someone who is practically an immigrant
for the next four months, I feel this service should not have been free to
me. Being seen should have been
free, but the medication? No.
Luckily, the insurance CAPA
supplies for us reimburses us for any medical expenses, so if I do get a bill,
I will be covered. So it’s nice to
have a backup plan.
ANYHOW, that was my experience with
being sick overseas. It was the
least fun I hope to ever have while studying abroad, but if it had to happen,
I’m glad it happened early on. Seeing
as I don’t get sick very often, I am hoping this is the last time I will get sick
for another year and a half or so.
Today I am relaxing, which is really quite a shame. It’s actually sunny outside and is
nearly 50 degrees so a quick walk through the park would be so nice. I have to be smarter than that
though. I’m still pretty achy so I
want this recover process to be as speedy as possible, which means putting any
excursions on hold. For now, I am
going to sit back, read my book, drink lots of liquids and listen to the buses
pass by my flat every 20 seconds. What
a perfect Sunday.
Cheers,
Janelle
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