Japanese colds are no joke.
They aren't like wimpy American colds where you just take some ny-quil and cough for two days and then you are better. Japanese colds are sneaky, putrid and surprisingly debilitating.
Last Thursday I thought I had just a sore throat, maybe a little bit of a headache. I bought some cough drops and said I can make it to the weekend and then I'll be fine. I told myself, it is just a cold, don't be a wiener! You don't want to or need to see a doctor anyway... So I croaked through Thursday's and Friday's classes. On Saturday, I rested ALL day. I thought I was getting better. What was coming out of my nose was clear. I felt well enough to go to a matsuri on Sunday. But then...
Monday came. I woke up with what felt like a brick in my sinuses. I don't even want to describe what came out of my nose... I would blow my nose and 5 seconds would pass and my nose would be filled with goo again. There was seemingly no end to it. I went through two boxes of kleenex.
Well, the cold bested me and I went to the doctor's on Monday. I was by far the youngest patient there... Everyone else was at least 30 years older. I waited quite a while even though I had an appointment. Then, I went in, spoke with him briefly - in very slow, calculated Japanese. He swabbed my throat with some red goo and then felt my throat and belly, listened to me breathe, the basic fare. Then, he gave me some meds and sent me on my way.
Today was the last day I took the meds. 3 pills and some powder that I mix with water that tastes really, really bad. I took it 3 times a day since Monday... and indeed I do feel better. It took all 5 days for me to get to this point. For a while, I was coughing up some interesting balls of goo when I woke up in the morning. I have developed a methodology to nose-blowing that is unparalleled. If I could draw pictures and scan them, I would... but I'm thinking that would be excessive.
I hate it when people go on and on about being sick. I am better now. The moral of the story is, if you are in Japan and you start feeling sick, just go to the doctor. Don't be stupid and tell yourself it will go away by itself. Japanese colds are hardcore.
Also, some have claimed that I've approached this Japan thing with rose-colored glasses. Not so! See, bad things happen to me along with the good things!!!
They aren't like wimpy American colds where you just take some ny-quil and cough for two days and then you are better. Japanese colds are sneaky, putrid and surprisingly debilitating.
Last Thursday I thought I had just a sore throat, maybe a little bit of a headache. I bought some cough drops and said I can make it to the weekend and then I'll be fine. I told myself, it is just a cold, don't be a wiener! You don't want to or need to see a doctor anyway... So I croaked through Thursday's and Friday's classes. On Saturday, I rested ALL day. I thought I was getting better. What was coming out of my nose was clear. I felt well enough to go to a matsuri on Sunday. But then...
Monday came. I woke up with what felt like a brick in my sinuses. I don't even want to describe what came out of my nose... I would blow my nose and 5 seconds would pass and my nose would be filled with goo again. There was seemingly no end to it. I went through two boxes of kleenex.
Well, the cold bested me and I went to the doctor's on Monday. I was by far the youngest patient there... Everyone else was at least 30 years older. I waited quite a while even though I had an appointment. Then, I went in, spoke with him briefly - in very slow, calculated Japanese. He swabbed my throat with some red goo and then felt my throat and belly, listened to me breathe, the basic fare. Then, he gave me some meds and sent me on my way.
Today was the last day I took the meds. 3 pills and some powder that I mix with water that tastes really, really bad. I took it 3 times a day since Monday... and indeed I do feel better. It took all 5 days for me to get to this point. For a while, I was coughing up some interesting balls of goo when I woke up in the morning. I have developed a methodology to nose-blowing that is unparalleled. If I could draw pictures and scan them, I would... but I'm thinking that would be excessive.
I hate it when people go on and on about being sick. I am better now. The moral of the story is, if you are in Japan and you start feeling sick, just go to the doctor. Don't be stupid and tell yourself it will go away by itself. Japanese colds are hardcore.
Also, some have claimed that I've approached this Japan thing with rose-colored glasses. Not so! See, bad things happen to me along with the good things!!!
posted by Margaret at 06:37
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