So I went to the equivalent of a wellness center on campus (I have never been to one at Loyola, so I don't know what it's like back in the states) which seemed very professional. There were 3 or 4 doctors there, wearing lab coats, thin-framed glasses and fuzzy-grey Santa beards, so you know they were legit. After a little bit of a wait, I had my turn.
By the way, originally Luis (the program director for USAC) was going to take me and the other kid (who had a high fever for a couple days) to the doctor, but he was less familiar with what I had so he insisted Larissa take us (another USAC office worker) in case there was anything "private" or "womanly" that needed to be explained in Spanish. I insisted that all I had was a sore throat and a runny nose, but he insisted Larissa go.
So I let Larissa come into the room with me so I could communicate better with the doctor and in turn understand his instructions. He looked in my throat and said I had a small cold, not related to allergies. I told him that I lived with a little boy who seemed to have a runny nose and cough, so I probably caught it from him. He seemed to agree. He wrote me a prescription for this medicine that dissolves in water, told me to take it 1, 2 or 3 times a day depending on how I felt, and then I was done.
Apparently I didn't need the prescription. Larissa said it wasn't necessary, but with a written prescription it would be cheaper.
So onward to the pharmacy part. I walked in to the nearest pharmacy (they are on every street, marked by a large neon green flashing cross) and it smelled like cigarettes.
Cigarette smoke is something you love to smell in a place of health.
So I gave her the prescription and she got me the tablets. Then she asked if I needed anything else, so I got ibuprofen to ease the swollen tonsils (I assumed the other prescription meds were antihistamines for the nose and watery eyes). Then I got Kleenex (by the way, I have yet to see BOXES of kleenex anywhere! only little purse packets!), and some stuff called Lysopene or lizopene or something that are these minty tablets that relieve a sore throat (like cough drops). And it all was only 10 euro.
These tablets I got with the prescription need to be dissolved in water, and they are just like alka-seltzer tabs. But instead of putting it in 8oz of water like the instructions say, I put it in about an ounce of water and down it like a shot. Who wants to drink 8 oz of disgusting fizzy lemon water with a ton of small sips? This is a lot less painful.
So I was taking those tabs, along with the ibuprofen I got, with breakfast for the next few mornings.
I didn't get a chance to talk with my mom (who is a nurse) about these drugs I was taking, so I just took them once a day. I felt a little better, and I didn't have as much of a runny nose.
But then I talked with my mom, and figured out what I was taking. The fizzy tabs were the equivalent of acetaminophen, one gram. That one tab I took with breakfast was the equivalent of two extra-strength Tylenol tabs, or almost 4 regular Tylenols.
And the ibuprofen I was taking was the equivalent of three regular advils.
So I was waking up in the morning, eating breakfast, and taking three advils and four tylenols.
After I figured that out, I only took the ibuprofen.
I talked with my friends about it and asked them what they think would happen if one took too many painkillers like that. Mike said with a laugh, "it just wreaks havoc on your stomach and liver. No big deal."
And also I have been drinking coffee on occasion. The coffeemaker in my host family's house makes one cup at a time. I have been pressing it to make one full cup of coffee, only to realize that that is 4 espressos, or four whole cups of coffee.
Luckily my host parents have been making me normal cups up until recently.
But I am sure that's great for the stomach, too.
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