Fever, scratchy throat, and coughing. I am coughing so hard my abs hurt. Hmmm does that count as exercise? Almost two weeks sick and I finally dragged myself to the doctor. I am one of the uninsured Americans. After spending money to figure out that I was perfectly healthy, the last thing I wanted to do was to go to the doctor with a simple cough. The cough would pass. All I needed was some antibiotics (in the medicine cabinet) and some rest.
People yelled at me, “Go to the doctor!” My best friend and guy tag teamed me. Her over the phone and him next to me. Finally I had to hang up. So why did I go to the doctor? My brother. I talked to him and told him I had a cold and was going to wait it out. He said simply. “I understand, but remember what happened to me?” Damn.
He was battling a cough and general ill feeling a few years back. Suddenly, he was rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night with a heart attack. Turns out it was no heart attack. The infection from the cough traveled to his heart inflaming it. He had to wear a defibrillator vest for more than three weeks. Luckily he is fine but his heart was stressed from the situation and now he’s on medication.
Okay, doctor it is. The appointment went quickly and well. Yes, I had a cough; no, I don’t smoke; yes, I am taking cough medicine; no, I don’t do drugs ... etc., etc., etc. After some poking and looking into ears and throat with scopes, she proclaimed me quite young in body for forty (thank you), and told me I had a common cough and gave me two scripts. One for antibiotics and another for cough medicine.
I also got weighed in … drum roll please.
Current weight: 284; beginning weight: 298.5.
Current waist by inches: fifty-two; beginning waist by inches: fifty-five.
So I lost 14.5 lbs and three inches.
My clothes fit me looser. I’m not quite a size lower but I find my panties are falling off and my shirts are quite large. I’m not sure if this is just because I have been sick or because while I was sick I stuck to a healthy eating plan. What concerns me is not lost in inches, could just mean water weight.
Regardless. I know how it feels to be a slight bit thinner, and it’s pretty good feeling. To know that your actions get results. Now to be healthy again.
The days sick are not counting in the ninety days. I will start the calendar at day eleven when I am well enough to walk around the neighborhood without scaring people with my cough.
Are you insured? Does it change the way you handle your health care? When you are sick do you go to comfort foods or do you stay healthy?
