An early bed

For the last few days I've had a nasty sore throat which has been interfering with life. Actually it might be more than a few days that I've had it for now that I think about it, maybe a week. So anyway, I was having a coughing attack - I don't get ill often so when I do I make sure to make it sounds as dramatic as possible - in the kitchen tonight and Anna-Lisa offered to phone America for some advice. "Sure," I said, thinking that American advice would probably involve therapy and root cause discovery. Her mum was a nurse ("and a damn good one") so her professional input coupled with my own mother's knowledge of how to deal with me when I decide i'm ill combined to make a formidable road to recovery. And her mum is Finn who only happens to live in Southern California so the advice was all European and, by implication, sensible.

Mrs. Sandstrum (as I call her) advised plenty of fluids and aspirin (she's obviously got me figured out as a hypochondriac) and to my relief it is still OK to sleep with the window open because cold doesn't affect it, though I should stop smoking. Advice I liked. Then she called back to let me know that it could be whooping cough, it's on the go amongst young people apparently. And I should definitely stop smoking. She probed for my symptoms and suggested I see a nurse/doctor/practitioner who would be able to listen to my lungs and tell for sure. Being a Scottish male however I am culturally obliged not to go to the doctor until I physically can't go to the doctor. So I promised that if it didn't clear up in a day or two (working days, the emergent lawyer in me assumes, so that gives me until Tuesday) then I'd definitely see someone. I'm waiting for her to call back and tell me it could be pneumonia or bronchitis.

My remedy for a good nights sleep was to drag A-L to the Northern Bar round the corner and drink alcohol. Alcohol, I heard, will kill the germs. So, no more stories for tonight it's still before 2am, and I'm having an early bed.

Posted by Paul in Miscellaneous Entertainment at October 22, 2004 01:59 AM | 2 Comments | Browse Related Books