Just one note could cut my throat...

Monday and yesterday, I had a scratchy throat. No big deal, just a minor irritation. I figured, I'm sleeping with the fans blowing over me, maybe that has smoething to do with it, who knows?

But in the middle of the night last night, I awoke and my throat was burning! I got up and got some water, which was difficult to swallow. SO i took some Advil and then swallowed some couch syrup. When the alarm went off, I did not feel like going to work, but there was a few things I HAD to get done today. So, I called in and told them I'd be in at noon.

I did get there about noon. And after being there just a bit, like not even 45 minutes, I went to the nurse and had her look at my throat. I had strep throat back when I was liek 12 or 13, and that was like swallowing glass, so I knew this wasn't strep. But every since then, i regularly get two to three sore throats a year, whereas before I never really got any. At any rate, I knew this wasn't a regular sore throat either.

So the nurse looked and said, 'Oh, well, your tonsils look like two raw sausages. you should call your doctor." THAT made me feel better, ya know? Immediately, I went to the worst possible scenario: tonsil removal. Ewww...I've never had surgery (well, I did have a supernumerary tooth removed from behind my front two teeth when i was like 10, and I had my wisdom teeth cut out, but I don't count those), and i wanted to go as long as possible without having to experiencing it.

SO i made an appointment with the doctor for 2:45. So that meant that even though I only got there at noon, I had to leave at 2:00. I don't mind working two hours a day...except that I had to use 6 hours of leave...that sucks. But whatever...

After waiting the prerequisite 45 minutes or so, I was taken back. The doctor checked me for fever (99.7), but I said that was probably cause it's so stinking hot outside. He looked in my mouth and said he wanted to do strep culture. I told him it wasn't


So, I was taken out for a nurse to do it. Now when I had strep all those many years ago, I remember them taking the culture, and it SUCKED! I gagged and coughed and fought. The nurse (a Nurse Cratchett clone, looks and personality wise) had to take two, since I wasn't cooperative on the first. And you KNOW that made me more cooperative the second time around.

So I was remembering that lovely pleasant memory while she was preparing everything. I saw the long swabs she was gonna use. And it occured to me that I had had something longer, and thicker, than that with Jason last Tuesday. I thought to myself that I CAN suppress my gag reflex (have done it plenty in the past) and would just have to do so agian. And thusly I did, and had not a BIT of problem with the gathering of the culture.

The results cameback and the doc was surprised to find it negative. He said, "Well, I can tell ya two things. One, you don't have strep and two, your tonsils are REALLY angry." So he wrote me out a prescription for amoxycillon. That was it.

I said I feared a removal, and he said in adults we have the 6 Times A Year Rule. That, he explained,was if and adult got really bad tonsils like this 6 times in one year, then they'd take em out. Otherwise no biggie.

So, knowing that I still have 5 more occurances (and this being the first one EVER), I felt quite relieved. And all was right with the world.

POLT = listening to "Orange Crush" by R.E.M.

"All the good ones are either gay or married." "Or sometimes both." - Kathy, The Kids In The Hall