Right upon waking this morning, I had a hacking coughing fit. My mouth tasted really funny in a gross way as soon as I hacked, so on the next coughing fit I spat into the sink and blew my nose and examined the tissue. I was coughing up semi-coagulated greenish mucus globules. I hadn’t decided whether to take the day off work yet, so I figured I’d call my supervisors and see what the chances are of getting a relief clerk to babysit my jury today, and if they told me there was no coverage and that I couldn’t take the day off, then I’d just go in. My tonsils are still swollen and painful and now I was coughing and my lungs were covulsing, but my body isn’t in pain anymore like it used to be. Having spent 45 minutes unsuccessful in reaching any of my 3 supervisors, I called my court reporter to tell her I may not be coming in, and she said I sounded horrible and asked about my symptoms. Upon hearing about the green phlegm, she said that it’s likely to be an infection and that I need to see a doctor. Eventually I reached a supervisor who freaked out when I told him I had a fever for a week and an extreme fever on Thursday and he told me I had, HAD to stay home and see the doctor. The earliest same-day appointment I could get was 5pm, so I went in.

BTW, my pretty purple Sesame Street digital thermometer won’t work, and I’ve only used it once, when I bought it for my ailment in February. I think it’s out of battery, but I can’t tell how to open up the little thing and replace the battery. What a waste of money.

So it turns out I STILL have a low-grade fever (100 deg) but it’s so low compared to what it had been that I can’t even feel it. The doctor said what I had started off as a viral infection, like a cold, but that it’s now likely to have evolved into a secondary bacterial sinus infection, but it’s a bit too early for him to tell for sure whether it’s a sinus infection or whether it’s me overcoming the initial viral attack. To be on the safe side, he prescribed me a 10-day dose of antibiotics, Amoxicillin, anyway. I asked if it would be okay if I waited a few days to take the pills cuz if I just get better, then it’s just the virus, but if I get worse, then I guess I have a sinus infection. He said that’d be okay, but he didn’t see the harm in taking the antibiotics anyway.

The harm, which I didn’t tell him, is that the last time I took Amoxicillin, it didn’t cure what it was supposed to, but killed all the “good” bacteria in my body and I ended up with a yeast infection. EW. So I had to use over-the-counter yeast infection medication on top of another drug to take care of the initial infection. And then to rebalance my body, I took a bunch of probiotic supplements to put the necessary symbiotic bacterias back in my intestines and other areas. I’d just like to avoid all that.

After some won ton soup and moo shoo gai pan and rice I got at a local Chinese food restaurant on my way home from the doctor, I sat and stared at the Amoxicillin bottle, poured out all the pills, looked at them, put them back in, read the enclosed information sheet, opened the bottle, closed it again, and decided to hold off. Once I start, I’d have to take 40 pills, 4 a day. I don’t want to be popping pills all during Thanksgiving break. Hopefully it’s just a virus, even tho the secondary infection thing happened to me February, too.

P.S. My 1st fortune cookie said: “A romantic interlude is in your future.” Pssh, doubtful.
P.P.S. My 2nd fortune cookie said: “Judge one not by his charms, but by his qualities.” I’ll keep that in mind if I come across a charming man I find myself judging.