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Friday, March 21st, 2008
Wimpy White Male Syndrome
A few days ago I started developing some symptoms of illness such as mild drainage, tension headaches and a scratchy sore throat. A couple weeks ago Niki had strep throat and this past week Dylan had some sort of virus. With Dylan being in day care full-time now it was just a matter of time before I caught something as well. Sickness breeds at those places.
I've been taking all kinds of decongestants and cough suppressants for the past few days to try to remedy the unknown funk, but this morning I woke up with the worst sore throat and decided it was time to seek professional help.
I called my primary physician's office first thing, not even considering the fact that they might be closed for Good Friday. I mean how good can your Friday really be if you don't feel well? Next I called our local Urgent Care, since all the doctors offices are closed they were slammed. The receptionist estimated that it would be a 2-3 hour wait. Screw that, I could be dead by then.
I briefly described my situation to the nice lady on the phone and she recommended that I check out the CVS Minute Clinic. I had never heard of this wonderful creation. I called around and two of the CVS stores in my area have a Minute Clinic in the store. So after taking Dylan to day care I stopped by one. No line, 10 minute wait for the dude in front of me and within 15 minutes I was out of there.
The nurse practitioner on staff can pretty much diagnose any common cold or virus that a doctor can. In fact they have a little wallet-sized business card with all their services on it. She ran a quick strep test that came back negative (95% sure about that). They'll send it off for verification but it at least put my mind at ease for the weekend.
The nurse diagnosed me with something called Wimpy White Male Syndrome. I can completely identify and I agreed she was right. I am pretty pathetic in general when I get sick. I don't get sick very often but when I do it requires a small army to keep me alive. I also don't want to talk to anyone, see anyone or be within 10 miles of anyone until I am better.
While we were waiting on the strep test to finish the nurse told me an interesting statistic from a study she read about in college. African-American female babies are far less prone to show or be aggravated by symptoms of illness than white female babies. In addition, this difference is even more obvious with white male babies. She noted that it could be genetic or possibly just a cultural difference. I would agree it could be either.
She recommended a few over-the-counter drugs. I am pretty much willing to pay whatever it costs to get well soon when I am sick. Luckily I only had to spend $15 because we have a nice supply of over-the-counter drugs at home already. Another thing to mention is that the CVS Minute Clinic visit was covered under my primary care plan which is a $15 co-pay. Urgent Care visits are $50 for us.
So I was super happy to be diagnosed in 15 minutes and only have to pay $15. Now I am going to go back to bed for a few days. I will return all phone calls, emails and faxes when I am better.
Wimpy White Male Syndrome
A few days ago I started developing some symptoms of illness such as mild drainage, tension headaches and a scratchy sore throat. A couple weeks ago Niki had strep throat and this past week Dylan had some sort of virus. With Dylan being in day care full-time now it was just a matter of time before I caught something as well. Sickness breeds at those places.
I've been taking all kinds of decongestants and cough suppressants for the past few days to try to remedy the unknown funk, but this morning I woke up with the worst sore throat and decided it was time to seek professional help.
I called my primary physician's office first thing, not even considering the fact that they might be closed for Good Friday. I mean how good can your Friday really be if you don't feel well? Next I called our local Urgent Care, since all the doctors offices are closed they were slammed. The receptionist estimated that it would be a 2-3 hour wait. Screw that, I could be dead by then.
I briefly described my situation to the nice lady on the phone and she recommended that I check out the CVS Minute Clinic. I had never heard of this wonderful creation. I called around and two of the CVS stores in my area have a Minute Clinic in the store. So after taking Dylan to day care I stopped by one. No line, 10 minute wait for the dude in front of me and within 15 minutes I was out of there.
The nurse practitioner on staff can pretty much diagnose any common cold or virus that a doctor can. In fact they have a little wallet-sized business card with all their services on it. She ran a quick strep test that came back negative (95% sure about that). They'll send it off for verification but it at least put my mind at ease for the weekend.
The nurse diagnosed me with something called Wimpy White Male Syndrome. I can completely identify and I agreed she was right. I am pretty pathetic in general when I get sick. I don't get sick very often but when I do it requires a small army to keep me alive. I also don't want to talk to anyone, see anyone or be within 10 miles of anyone until I am better.
While we were waiting on the strep test to finish the nurse told me an interesting statistic from a study she read about in college. African-American female babies are far less prone to show or be aggravated by symptoms of illness than white female babies. In addition, this difference is even more obvious with white male babies. She noted that it could be genetic or possibly just a cultural difference. I would agree it could be either.
She recommended a few over-the-counter drugs. I am pretty much willing to pay whatever it costs to get well soon when I am sick. Luckily I only had to spend $15 because we have a nice supply of over-the-counter drugs at home already. Another thing to mention is that the CVS Minute Clinic visit was covered under my primary care plan which is a $15 co-pay. Urgent Care visits are $50 for us.
So I was super happy to be diagnosed in 15 minutes and only have to pay $15. Now I am going to go back to bed for a few days. I will return all phone calls, emails and faxes when I am better.
Also, have you guys tried "Airborne"? Last week I felt like i was getting sick so I took/drank 2 of the tablets and felt great after that. I also gave one to my coworker who said he felt he was getting sick yesterday and seems better today.
Dylan really is a good sport about being sick. Until recently we often times couldn't really tell how sick she really was. She is always happy and rarely fusses about anything. Now that she is getting older she's able to express her emotions a little more, which is a good thing in most cases. We are finally able to tell how bad she really feels instead of just guessing.
They just settled a suit on a technicality, but I stand behind the stuff. And the site is really fun and informative too: http://www.airbornehealth.com/about_index.php
I just looked under my seat and unfortunately I didn't find the keys to a brand new car or an all-expenses paid trip to Belize. And John Travolta hasn't shown up at my house crying his eyes out after giving a massive donation to an orphanage no one has ever heard of. But I might have to try this Airborne stuff anyway. Anything I can do to suppress my wimpiness and cut down on the amount of TLC I'll need this weekend will definitely help. Thanks everyone!
Thanks for all the warm wishes everyone, I am starting to feel better already. Oh wait, Niki just got home... I think I am sick again. Going back to bed.
I can deal with pain just fine. It's the pain in the ass part of being sick that I can't handle.
There is no way I could have done what she did that day and my respect for her grew exponentially thereafter. Of course she's gonna have to prove she can do it twice in a row before she gets my full respect, otherwise its back in the kitchen for her.
Glad you're feeling better, Denny.
Peg - It's a wild rush, that's for sure. I am amazed that you know a male that you think could do it. =) After all was done, first time around, I had the highest high I've ever had due to some serious endorphins. I wouldn't give it up either.
Hope you're feeling better soon Denny. And can you tell me what kind of meds you're taking?? Our symptoms sound pretty similar. I tried benadryl last night and sudafed today--neither one has helped.