So I'm sick...what a surprise.....

I have ended up catching a cold likely from one of my students at Oxford, where I tutor twice a week. Parents keep them home from school, but send them there at night anyways. So I have been getting coughed and sneezed at (despite my protests and telling them to cover their mouths and wash their hands--i am right near the bathroom). So NOW I have a cold. No fever, so at least it's not the flu.

So this cold has made me think back to previous illnesses that I have had.

When I was in college (the first time), I continuously had strep throat. It was terrible. And since I was away from home, with no means of transportation I would go to walk in clinics. Doctor's kept giving me erythomycin, which I told them would not work since I was on it for years for acne, so my body seemed to have developed an immunity to it. Well, apparently that's not possible. Well, tell that to my throat that never healed. I finally went home at christmas and went to the doctor on call. She looked at my throat--actually JUMPED away from me- apologizing that it was an unprofessional reaction. I told her I understood, that it was terrible. My throat was unrecognizable as a throat, and just looked like a giant puss ball. Hmmm, I wonder if that erythomycin worked? *rolling eyes*. Well this doctor gave me Biaxin, noting that erythomycin should not be used for strep throat anyways. I started to feel better within a couple of days, and was able to eat solid foods in a week. I also got blood tests for mono which came back positive.

A few years ago I had a sore prickly feeling in my throat, which was very familiar with my continual issue of strep throat. I went to go to my doctor but they were closed, as it was new year's eve. They had a sign on the door indicating to go to the General Hospital. I got triaged, and the nurse indicated that I had a low grade fever. Which was a symptom that I normally got with strep. I got to see a doctor, and he said there was nothing wrong with me but that my blood pressure was elevated and wanted to know what I was stressed about. Possibly that I had seen white spots in my throat that morning and that's why I was there. He said that there were none there. I left and went, again, to a walk in clinic. This doctor took one look in my throat and said "yep, it's strep". I asked if he saw the white dots. He said "yes, there's no doubt that there's infection". I told him that maybe he should call the doctor at General Hospital and tell him he was wrong. He could not beleive that another doctor would not diagnose this. Again, Biaxin and I was healed in no time.

More recently I ended up with a bad cold in October. It was mainly in my sinuses, cause pain around my eyes and temples, and eventually going into my ear. I went to, yet again, a walk in clinic because I couldn't get into my own doctor's. The doctor there looked at me, told me I didn't need antibiotics and gave me nasal spray and a pain reliever drop for my ear. The nasal spray was causing nose bleeds (and I never get nose bleeds) so I talked to a pharmacist and they said go back to your doctor, it should NOT do this and that I need to discontinue use. I finally got an appointment with the nurse practitioner at my own doctor's office. She looked in my nose and my ear, telling me they are both REALLY red and enflamed, which points to a sinus infection. She asked about my sinus pain around my eyes, forehead, and in my nose. So then, I again was given Biaxin and was fixed within a few days.

I understand that doctor's aren't supposed to give antibiotics out for the littlest thing. But when there is obviously an infection (ie white spots on throats, red inflamed nasal passages with loads of green stuff coming out of me) then they might want to give a patient SOMETHING to get rid of it. Infections aren't something to play with. They can move into the body and a patient can end up with a blood infection. It scares me that I have to go to several different doctor's to get the appropriate treatment. Maybe they should do more swabs and tests. I haven't been swabbed for things for any of these (except the really bad strep that I had)....they would conclude whether or not I needed antibiotics.

If a doctor can't diagnose a simple infection, what's going to happen if I get something more serious?