I was soon helping my syrup dosages with almost non-stop cough drops. But this was tedious, the cough drops are ancient (they had the Winn-Dixie "Top Care" brand so I figure they're from at least back during this illness 11 years ago, and I kept fearing I'd accidentally swallow one the wrong way and it'd get lodged in my airway and I'd choke to death.
The coughing was bad. Hacky, dry and unproductive. I could feel the fluid at the bottom of my lungs. My breathing was short, gasping, really, and I was feeling weak and light-headed. This might be pneumonia?
By Tuesday I drove over to Walgreens and bought a $20 bottle of Delsym 12-Hour Cough syrup which had a stronger concentration 30ml dextromethorphan in a different solution and was recommended for the dry, hacking persistent cough I was having. Plus, it was the most expensive, so it had to be the best, right? Sure. Like I'm that dumb. But the cheaper shit was all pretty much like the really cheap shit I already had a good supply of back home so... Result: Not too effective. And, it had practically no flavor. Either it was designed that way or fucking m'bok-tuk was back.
This all got me thinking... what was I really dealing with here? Was this a flu, a cold, or despite the test I took Saturday, was it really Covid again? Was it viral, or bacterial, or, I read, it could be both concurrently? Maroon!
I was ready to visit an urgent care. If this shit were already progressing to pneumonia, I could be in trouble. I live alone. No one is here monitoring me to see if my condition suddenly and dramatically plummets south. I also have no phone service, so, even though my phone will dial 911, I would have to verbally be able to tell them my address as they have no cell service tracing... would I have the voice and consciousness to do so? I got on Google and queried "urgent care near me" and found only two. Both closed at 7 pm. I've lived in cities too long, or, my experience goes back pre-Covid era, whatever, but I always thought most urgent care places were 24/7? Guess not here in the sticks, or, not now post 2020? Oh, the hospital ER was open, sure. That ain't cheap. And from my "wayback memory" of ever using them, they take your money right away so no "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for my medical treatment today" Wimpy shit.
I suffered through the night and the next morning called the urgent care near me. Nope. They don't take my insurance. The one waaaay down on Rt. 27 practically to Lake Placid? Yup. I'd been here before, back when I smacked my shin on the curb drunkenly falling out of an Uber SUV during my trip with Ric to Indy and came home to find this massive swollen bump there. It was still the dump I'd remembered. It's apparently run by the county health department and, well, you can imagine the kind of staff and clientele county health departments deal with. Thankfully I remembered to wear my mask. It was more to prevent the accumulation of more germs from them to me than the other way around.
I swear it took two fucking hours and I was the only fucking patient there, but they did x-rays and determined that though I was wheezing, I had no "infection" and was good to go with a script for some OTC cough syrup (I have enough of that, as I told them), some prednisone and an albuterol inhaler. I don't have asthma like symptoms, I have a lung infection, even I know that, and I was hoping to find out if it was viral (a swab test would have confirmed that) and if so, what virus, if not viral than it must be bacterial, so give me antibiotics, I've responded well to Cipro in the past, and lastly, to alleviate the cough, maybe Tessalon Perles, generic benzonatate, thank you very much. But this "provider" was a no-nonsense Haitian lady who mumbled her diagnosis and prescriptions in a barking fashion to me as if I were an interruption to her day. I knew I wasn't going to manipulate her like I could with so many of the other "autopen" doctors I see smirk.
So here I am, the seventh day, and still no end in sight. I do have a few hours of respite with the lung fluids, laying down at night, and I'm able to sleep a little better now. So maybe that's a little bit of a sign. But then, within a few more hours, the shit seems to make a comeback and I feel like I'm back to square one.
Behold, little germs, whoever you are! I am Your Host, Your Lord Almighty! I say to you, I have decided that your domain that has been your home for these seven days is no more. You are now to go forth and drift "to the light." Yes, up, out of that passage up, past the area I call the throat, past the mouth, out into the air and up into the light. What? No, it isn't going to dry you out. No, it's good for you. It's your Promised Land. I swear to you. For I am Your Lord! Would I lie to you? Go now and leave, my brethren. Fly to the light.
You think they'll buy it?