Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Under Weather

If you open the Mommy Handbook, the first rule says, Mommies don’t fall sick. Obviously what ever virus or bacteria or [insert species] currently invading my throat and throwing all their friends and their mothers a gala party haven’t read the mommy handbook. Obviously. My throat hurts. Ok, that is an understatement. My throat is inflamed, I can’t swallow and it hurts like someone is pounding it with a hundred pound, spiked lead ball. I prefer labor pain to this. I have tried ginger teas, gargling with every liquid under the sun, homeopathic remedies. Nothing seems to be working. Which has now lead me to the conclusion this must be strep. I really should go see a doctor and get some antibiotics, but going to a GP here is a pain in the south. My GP is about 25 miles from where I work and 16 miles from home, making the trip with traffic and everything else a 2 hour deal. It’s not like I have tried to find a Family Practice closer to home. The last time I was down with strep I called EVERY family practice within a five mile radius of where I live. And the earliest appointment I could get was three months down the line. Three months. Ninety days. Yeah, I am just going to tell the strep bacteria to go hibernate till it’s time for my appointment when they will get hosed down with some amoxicillin.

Don’t even get me started with health care here. If it is a real emergency, you will thank your stars you live in this country. They work like a well oiled machine. But for things like strep throats and flu and minor aches and sprains it can be a nightmare. I should go to a doctor, but I probably will just ride it out. All I want to do is go home and sleep. Get some hot tea and antibiotics and sleep. Which brings me to another point. I feel horribly, terribly guilty if I have to take a day off for me, personally. I just can’t do it. I will fret and fume and imagine all sorts of scenarios where everything at work is broken and everybody is cursing me. Which of course defeats the purpose of the said day off especially when you are sick. My friend and neighbor V once took a day off after a party she hosted because she was exhausted. Sent the girls to the daycare and just slept or did nothing. Guilt-free. How I admired her courage! I can never do that. As much as I badly want to. The guilt will cause my body more harm that whatever trifling illness I am down with. And I think most mommies are like me. Feeling guilty for doing something just for themselves. Just being the operative word. We feel irrevocably selfish. One small day off. What is the big deal? Right? But it is. It means you are a bad mother for wanting a day off. It is true in its own silliness.

So here I am debating whether to go to a doctor because it will be such a waste of time if they find that it is not strep but just your regular garden variety viral cold. Then what? I am back to the ginger tea, gargle and riding it out. Sigh. Why does this have to be so complicated?


p.s. Did you like my new look? Grafx did it! I tweaked the banner but the rest is all her.

25 comments:

Altoid said...

Hello Dotmom

Very true words about doctors and appts in this country. But some strong medicine and sleep does do wonders, instead of prolonging whatever it is by denying rest. Whats the point of being ineffective for a longer period,if you can sleep it off and be more effective in less time :-).

Hope you get convinced soon enough and take care.

-altoid
PS : Like the soothing colors of the new template. Though there must be some reason, the archives and the rest all are way down at the bottom, after the posts.

Savani said...

altoid: i know. I should get them antibiotics. where archives are concerned they are placed 4th..is it looking odd to you? The blogroll is placed last because the list just keeps getting bigger.

I love Lucy said...

Oh dear dear.Sounds pretty bad.Maybe some good old haldi in hot milk with some pepper powder and a drop of ghee might help some?
Get well soon,DM.

Preethi said...

hey dottie.. first hugs to you.. get well soon!! As for the doc appts in this country.. this used to be me too.. but now I am proud to say I have a Family Practitioner so close to home, both they and my pediatrician accommodate me on a day's notice.. at least the PA at the practice is willing to see us.. thank god!! (knock on wood)
like i already said loved the layout.. it suits you!! :)

noon said...

Oh Dear, I feel so bad for you - I hate that feeling of piercing needles in your throat...when you just swallow a tiny bit even. Hate it...
you really should go to the doc. Not good anyway for you to have it and not get treated asap - esp with Chip around you all the time when you are home...you really should rest! Don't feel guilty. Like Altoid says - to convince you - you will be more efficient if you get treated. So forget the guilt and take the day off and get it checked!
Hope your throat feels better soon...

RJ said...

Hope you feel better soon. I(and my family - everyone) also had bad cold last week. Thank God everyone is better. You can also try GingerJuice with Honey (1 part ginger - 4 honey), works for us.
Oh, My OB gave me an appt. for physical 8 months from now.
Your new template looks great!

Cee Kay said...

I LOVE the new look. Meant to drop in and leave a comment earlier.

I think if you suspect it is strep, you SHOULD go to your GP. Strep is highly contagious and keeps bouncing from one person to another in the family until everyone has had treatment. I read somewhere that it is suggested that if one family member comes down with strep, everyone must take treatment for it to effectively stop it. Of course, this might not be valid today but what's the harm in chacking with your doctor?

Why don't you go to your GP this time and then when you are NOT SICK, look around for another GP? Schedule a physical with them and then you can visit them for emergencies once you are their patient.

Get well soon dearo. **hugs**

Mona said...

feel better soon.
love the new look!

Shobana said...

I like the whole look...very eye pleasing...and sorry about the throat condition....have u tried haldi and black pepper in warm milk? Or maybe it's just time for antibiotics...take care Dotmom and some rest too...please!

~nm said...

I hope you throat gets fine soon. I've a very sensitive throat because of enlarged tonsils (by birth) and I can TRULY UNDERSTAND what you must be going through right now. Its hell when it gets bad!

And hey, the new template looks good! simply awesome!

P.S. In your blog links, you have written Bart instead of Brat in the link to MadMomma's blog. At first I was like wow, a Bart fan! :D

rayshma said...

aww... go see the doc! NOW! and this, coming from me... i'm practically allergic to all docs & most meds! *considering that half of peternal family is into medicine, i wonder why* :D but DO go see a doc... one way of convincing u... u may pass it to chip!!!! so, hurry... scram!
and yes, as i sed... me LOVE new look! :)

Tharini said...

Dottie...just GO! Go see the doctor. Let them have a look. If its not strep at least you know its now. that knowledge itself will pave the road for curing you. Stop making silly excuses and go! Shove that guilt aside, while you're at it. You deserve a day off!

dipali said...

My sympathies- a sore throat is my worstest illness ever. I rarely get a fever now, which I feel would justify my staying put in bed. Do take time off and visit your doc._ Altoid's advice is very sound.
I love your new template, by the way.

Savani said...

i love lucy: will try that. doesn't that stuff make you umm queasy?

preethi: Chip's pediatrician is close to home and fantastic. I always wonder if they will see me :)

noon: i am much better today.. so I guess it was not strep. Taking homeopathic remedies..

rj: it's the godawfulk water. It was 41F yesterday and then 17 this morning. @OB appmt- 8 months from now?? ridiculous!

gtn: i don't think its strep.. i am much better today. Just curious.. do they put the whole family on antibiotics as a preventive measure?? I thoght antibiotics did not work pre-emptively... I tried scheduling a physical but like RJ I got one 9 months from now :( but I suppose I gotta do it.

mona: thanks!

rayshma: hahahaha. now see.. laughter is the best medicine:)

tharini: this is sooooo you :) I am better now. don't think its strep. The homeopathy magic is working :)

dipali: Me too.. I never get a fever. I feel like I am in hell, but no fever. I just wosh for a fever so I can lie in bed and get sympathies :) But in all earnestness BigGeek cooked and cleaned yesterday :)

I love Lucy said...

Actually it dosent...it tastes heavenly and it does help too.Thats the only form of milk M and I will drink without fussing as we get a good night's sleep.

AA_Mom said...

Ouch! it really sounds bad. Don't get saddled with the smaller picture, don't look at it as a day off. Look at it that with antibiotics and some rest you will back on your feet in no time and back to giving your 100% to Chip.

It is always easier to advice:)

AA_Mom said...

Your template looks nice.

Alternately you can always opt to see the nurse practitioner, it is easy to get her/his appointment.

Mystic Margarita said...

I see from your previous replies that you've been feeling better. Hope you're back to feeling great like moms should! :) Bad throats are the worst - hugs to you. Btw, which homeopathic medicine have you been taking? I usually go with Aconite or Bryonia

Mystic Margarita said...

And the new template is beautiful - it's calm and soothing - goes with the name of your blog. :)

Savani said...

aa_mom: I usually see a nurse practioner... for things like this.. they just do a swab test, give you a presction and done!

mystic: long time, no see and no post mystic. bad girl. I take tonsilon. It's a combination remedy - hepar sulph and belladona. there are a few more on the list.. will go home and tell you what they are.

Anonymous said...

I am going thru the same thing right now but I am almost recovered. Its some sort of viral infection so no antibiotics are prescribed. Plenty of rest and lots of fluids.. green tea works best. Plenty of halls through out the day. It almost takes 4 weeks to recover (mhanje agdi thanthanit bare vhyala)
Tylenol kept the throat pain bearable.
Hope you feel better soon.

Love the new spring look of your blog.

Vinita

Anonymous said...

That's rough. I had what I thought was strep two years ago, and it turned out to be a regular virus. I couldn't even breathe without my throat hurting. Sure, tea helps, but what good is that if you can't swallow? So I asked for a strong painkiller/anti inflammatory, and I was fine in a day. (And I NEVER take painkillers.) Good to see you're doing better, but strep isn't something you should take lightly. It can have serious consequences for the heart over the long run.
-Raindrop

Savani said...

vinita: chaar aathavdey? aie-ga! me sadhya children's benedryl var aahe:)

anon: Thanks for cautioning me about strep. Just looked it up on wiki and found that it can lead to rheumatic fever that causes problems with joints and heat valves. Thanks so much for sharing the severity of strep!

Choxbox said...

hey i've missed a lot of posts. will check every day henceforth.

but hey get well soon. the healthcare system in the UK is also totally unbelievable.

Unknown said...

Love the new template and hope you're keeping better. I guess I should thank my stars that we have a doctor at every corner out here in this country and doctors who will come home at any odd time the event of an emergency...just yesterday I had to rush brat to the doc and he was running a high fever that refused to come down, and he is prone to febrile seizures. And yes, we found a good doctor who treated him asap. On Sunday.