Despite all attempts not to, I managed to get sick this weekend with what appears to be some sort of upper respiratory infection, most likely caught from a co-worker who has had it this past week. In my case, it seems to have manifested itself in laryngitis and a complete loss of my voice, with no idea when it will come back. I've been drinking plenty of good hot herbal tea sweetened with honey, but that doesn't seem to help much. I just continue to feel lousy. If this continues unabated, I may have to see my doctor to find out if any sort of antibiotic will be needed to knock this thing into submission. I generally don't like taking those things or even asking for them, because we have too many superbugs in this country that are now antibiotic resistant due to too many people popping antibiotics for even a sniffle or a sneeze, and not finishing prescribed antibiotics when they really do need them. Many people I know tell me they stop taking them when they feel better but the doctors always say to finish the entire thing. Trouble is, most people don't, allowing germs to mutate and become resistant to modern antibiotics. My doctor stopped giving me the standard ampicillin or penicillin or amoxycillin that used to be the gold standard for any sort of bacterial infection. Now, it's either ciproflaxin or good old sulfa drugs like Bactrim or other varieties that were more common in days of old. I'm assuming that this is nothing more than a very bad chest cold but if I feel worse or if the voice doesn't come back anytime soon, then I'll have to give a call to the doctor to find out what's going on. I'd really rather not, because I'm loath to pay the $20 co-pay to see him and whatever co-pays are there for medication, especially this close to Christmas. Call me a cheapskate, but I'd rather try home remedies, like herbal teas and such, before breaking down to see the doctor. I'm not one to seek medical attention for every little sniffle and sneeze, so I'll stick this out and see if I can knock it out myself. Hopefully in a few days, I'll feel more like myself again and have my voice back. After all, my sister is due home for a visit next week and we have a LOT of chatting to do!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Feeling crappy
Despite all attempts not to, I managed to get sick this weekend with what appears to be some sort of upper respiratory infection, most likely caught from a co-worker who has had it this past week. In my case, it seems to have manifested itself in laryngitis and a complete loss of my voice, with no idea when it will come back. I've been drinking plenty of good hot herbal tea sweetened with honey, but that doesn't seem to help much. I just continue to feel lousy. If this continues unabated, I may have to see my doctor to find out if any sort of antibiotic will be needed to knock this thing into submission. I generally don't like taking those things or even asking for them, because we have too many superbugs in this country that are now antibiotic resistant due to too many people popping antibiotics for even a sniffle or a sneeze, and not finishing prescribed antibiotics when they really do need them. Many people I know tell me they stop taking them when they feel better but the doctors always say to finish the entire thing. Trouble is, most people don't, allowing germs to mutate and become resistant to modern antibiotics. My doctor stopped giving me the standard ampicillin or penicillin or amoxycillin that used to be the gold standard for any sort of bacterial infection. Now, it's either ciproflaxin or good old sulfa drugs like Bactrim or other varieties that were more common in days of old. I'm assuming that this is nothing more than a very bad chest cold but if I feel worse or if the voice doesn't come back anytime soon, then I'll have to give a call to the doctor to find out what's going on. I'd really rather not, because I'm loath to pay the $20 co-pay to see him and whatever co-pays are there for medication, especially this close to Christmas. Call me a cheapskate, but I'd rather try home remedies, like herbal teas and such, before breaking down to see the doctor. I'm not one to seek medical attention for every little sniffle and sneeze, so I'll stick this out and see if I can knock it out myself. Hopefully in a few days, I'll feel more like myself again and have my voice back. After all, my sister is due home for a visit next week and we have a LOT of chatting to do!
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