Illegal in the States?

So I went to the doctor today; traveled all the way to Mandeville (like a hour away).  So I get there and was able to see the nurse right away.  Let’s rewind a bit here.  I have heard stories of how trips to see the doctor literally take all day; you leave in the morning with high hopes of being home before dark.  Well, me being me, and a PCV, I thought to myself, “maybe I’ll be able to get in and out because I’m a PCV.”  Yeah…about that.  Your not quite as special as you want to think you are sometimes, Cree.  Pull yourself together g

Arriite..I get to the doc and see the nurse right away, awesome!  Well, good and bad news here:  Bad news, I officially gained 5lbs since being in JA.  I’m now 130lbs, and I think it all goes to my face and waist.  I have love handles now.  I never used to have them!  And a likkle belly, boooo!  But my legs, still skinny as ever.  I don’t understand.  Good news: Apparently I’ve grown a 1/4inch??  The nurse measured me at 5ft5 1/2inches!!! I used to be 5’5 1/4…ha.. maybe that extra 1/4 in gained me a pound?? Hmm…

ADD moment.  Did all the cool stuff with the nurse, then she sent me outside to wait for the doctor.  Wishful thinking me thought that I’d wait maybe 20mins max, so I began to write a letter to my friend Cuddles (crap I need to finish that…megh, I’ll finish it tomorrow).  5 pages and almost 2hrs later, I was still waiting.  Everyone was getting their lunch.  I pretty much woke up and went straight to the doc, so this stomach was EMPTY and full of appetite.  Even the rank of what smelled like a mix of tomato soup and cigarettes couldn’t keep my stomach from wanting to nyam up some food.  The receptionist tells me to move down the hall (like 15feet) into the second chair and wait.  Okay??? There were 3 empty chairs, and I had to sit in the second one.  Nobody came and sat by me.  So what exactly is the procedure for doctor appointments?  There didn’t seem to be too many people there, and I was passed the nurse part.  And you all think sitting in the room alone waiting for the doc for 5mins is annoying, choh!  Actually, I’m pretty sure I waited for a doctor for like an hour after the nurse left before…huh… so yeah.. I stopped writing in hopes that I would see the doc soon, so I read some info on AIDS for my presentation next week.  FINALLY, after 2 nurses commented on how unusual my last name was, the receptionist says I can go see the doctor.

I’ll bare the deets (details) of the visit.  Basically, it ends up that I have some wack allergy that is not allowing my face to drain properly, causing me to have dry annoying coughs.   Something with my nasal passages and ears and stuff.  In any cases, he writes down three different medications, telling me what they are, and kind of saying which med is for what, but not so clear.  I go to the pharmacist, but it turns out he’s on lunch.  At 2pm. Ok.  Guess I’ll get some lunch, too.  I go eat at a local restaurant.  Come back, give the dude my prescription paper, but apparently he needed my PC ID number?  Okay?  So I had to call the office, cuz I certainly don’t carry my ID on me.  They were able to get me a number, cool.  Thanks guy for lettin me do that(?) apparently they’re strict.  Whatever, so he puts all the meds in a bag and gives them to me. BYE!  Ummm.. I have NO CLUE what this dude put in my bag.  I’m used to the doctor kinda telling me what I am getting, but when I got to the pharmacist, that person takes each medication, explains what it is, which symptom it’s for, the side effects, how much I take and how often, and everything.  Not this place.  And I was informed that my experience may NOT be a typical Jamaican pharmacist visit, cuz a friend said that she had a different experience.  But yeah, as far as I was concerned, had no clue.

I get home and decide to look up all these drugs.  One is an allergy pill.  One is a nasal spray.  And the other is a cough thingy.  Apparently the cough syrup I have is illegal in the United States, but is also one of the best cold/cough medicines.  I guess there is a lot of codeine in it, so yeah.  I was feeling a lil loopy after taking it, but feel a lil better now.  I think it is supposed to help me sleep, err stop the coughing, which will lead to better sleep.  I may/may not have mentioned that my sleep is bad cuz I cough too much, so I think he’s trying to help put me to sleep. Thanks Doc. 🙂  But yeah, I guess if I’m not careful I could get addicted to this cough medicine, err the dependency on it.  Probs won’t happen.

Well, that’s my story, more or less, about my first trip to the doctor outside of the United States of America.

Oh a proverb…let’s see…

Proverb: Nuh wait til drum beat befi yuh grine yuh ax.

Meaning: Do not wait until the drum beats before you grind your ax:  Be prepared for all eventualities.  Err.. when going to the doctor, be prepared to wait, bring something to keep you occupied.  Also, just prepare yourself in general.  Anything can happen at any given moment.