Being sick is never fun. Being sick abroad, in a country where doctor`s don`t speak your language is even less fun. And of course mum`s missing too, she couldn`t drop by and bring tea and moral support :-)My throat started going sore on Monday evening. It got worse and worse and all I did was sleeping - all day pretty much - and taking the basic medicine that I had with me, Aspirine, Panadol-C and some candies that my colocator Tomoko sponsored. But my throat got worse and worse and I could guess what it was, tonsillitis, since I have regularly suffered from it since mychildhood. And I know that it does not disappear just like that.
Friday after a few days sleeping only and not eating a bite, I finally managed to crawl out of bed and go to a clinic in Shinjuku where supposedly there were English-speaking doctors. Since consultation is only from 8 to 11, I had to take a rush hour train (see post below...) and felt like vomiting in this crowd. Also I had pulled the wide rollneck of my dress over my head to keep my ears warm. It looked like a headscarf and with the long black coat I obviously was considered in the "terrorist bracket" which earned me suspicious look on the train...
At the clinic I first had to fill out a couple of forms in Japanese. The staff there didn`t speak English, but I somehow managed to provide the needed answers in Japanese and do the pre-work like taking temperature. My only 37.6 degree were considered fever and I was told that Asian people have a lower body temperature. Not sure whether that is true?
I had requested to see an English-speaking doctor, but she nevertheless started speaking Japanese. I pretended not to understand and she switched. Although I`m keen to practise my Japanese, not necessarily when I feel so sick... It was a tonsillitis as I had thought and I got antibiotics in the adjacent pharmacy after paying a hefty bill for the consultation.
The drugs kicked in quickly and my throat started to "unswell" immediately. I was absolutely starving after a few days without food and went to have a bowl of spaghetti. Ate them too quickly and felt sick after... The drugs made me very tired, but at least I was able to spend a few hours out of bed and could go out for my birthday.
1 comment:
I remember I got sick when I was in Osaka, right before I left back to Tokyo and then home. The shinkansen ride from Osaka to Tokyo was pure hell, I felt absolutely horrible, an could not eat. My friend Kenichi took care of me in his hometown a short distance from Tokyo, which was invaluable. Strange how keen the Japs are on powdered medication (I've also seen it in old Japanese films), like you open this small plastic envelope, pour it into your mouth, then take a swig of water and swallow it. The stuff was strong, I fell asleep shortly after.
Being sick in a foreign land is rather unnerving because you don't recognize the medication available in the pharmacy, and often your vocabulary isn't trained for explaining medical ailments.
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