However, I never go to the doctors straight away, preferring to think that by ignoring any ailment, it will go away on it's own, without medication. It didn't, so on the Wednesday I toddled off. Written sick for 3 days.
I struggled at work for a week, then I flew to UK for a week, whereby it really caught up with me. Had to stay in bed a couple of days towards the end of my week, my wife was nagging me (and quite rightly so) to see a doctor.
On the Saturday I finally succumbed. I was greatful that medical centres were open at all on a Saturday, so caught the 496 from Romford to Harlold Wood. This is, by far, the most dickyarse bus route I have had the mis-fortune to be on. For a 2 and a half mile journey it needed 40 minutes.
Upon arrival at Harold Wood station, the clinic is still a good half a mile away, and some of that is entering the derelict site of the old Harold Wood Hospital, with boarded up windows and old tyres.
After a two hour wait, I finally got to see a doctor. She listened to my chest, told me I had an infected respiratory tract and should take some Paracetamol. Gee, thanks Doc!
Stopped at a chemist and bought said medication, along with some cough medicine. All this and I was missing Romford v Brentwood Town, which irked me.
I was flying back the next day. But wouldn't you know it got diarrhea, as the medicine did not agree with me. Clenching my bowels together I bade my parents farewell and made the journey to Stansted.
An hour later and I was back in the loving arms of my wife, but now as well as coughing for England, my ears had not popped in the plane, and the pressure on them was immense.
The very next day, I went to my local GP. He confirmed what the English doc said, but in addition he found I had bronchitis, and TWO Otits Media (inflammation of the middle ear). In fact, so bad were they that he baulked upon looking in my ear.
Anti-Biotics for me then! So I was off for a week, and because I was coughing so much, I had a permanent headache. THEN, I ruptured a muscle in my diaphragm, due to the intense coughing fits.
2 weeks further on and I am still ill. My left ear is still blocked and I am still coughing although it is easing off.
