As you know, I already HAD the flu a few weeks ago. So when I woke up on Sunday morning with a 104 degree fever plus lots of other symptoms including a fierce cough, it meant only one thing as far as I was concerned: pneumonia!
My first reaction to the self-diagnosis was fear, since pneumonia is, after all, quite serious. But my second reaction was one of delight as this meant I would finally have the opportunity to play out childhood fantasies of Little House on the Prairie lifestyle...as everyone seemed to get pneumonia back on the frontier. Hey, either way I HAD pneumonia--why not make it sort of fun?
I discussed the situation with Heb, my faithful emergency contact, and she was on board, both with the diagnosis and the response. We decided that once my doctor provided the official diagnoses, I would sleep in a bonnet and a nightdress (pictured above) for the duration of the illness. And before bed, I would say prayers and possibly read the Bible by lantern...if I was feeling up to it. When I relayed this idea to my friend Marisa, she agreed that it was the obvious course of action and offered to contribute one of her hand-made quilts. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
So today I went to my doctor and let him know that I was most likely suffering pneumonia. With a concerned look on his face, he examined me thoroughly. Expecting a complicated treatment regimen involving some sort of steam inhalation, I was shocked when he suggested that I "pop some Advil, get some rest and consider cough syrup."
"What do you mean?" I asked him. "Well, young lady, you have the flu...like everyone else." I promptly reminded him that I already HAD the flu this season. He then educated me that there are many strains of the flu and unlucky people can catch more than one. To mitigate the situation, he offered me an "official doctor's note" to bring into work. It was at that moment that I was forced to trade in my dreams of a charming night bonnet for a formulaic "please excuse my patient" note written both in English and in Spanish.
My first reaction to the self-diagnosis was fear, since pneumonia is, after all, quite serious. But my second reaction was one of delight as this meant I would finally have the opportunity to play out childhood fantasies of Little House on the Prairie lifestyle...as everyone seemed to get pneumonia back on the frontier. Hey, either way I HAD pneumonia--why not make it sort of fun?
I discussed the situation with Heb, my faithful emergency contact, and she was on board, both with the diagnosis and the response. We decided that once my doctor provided the official diagnoses, I would sleep in a bonnet and a nightdress (pictured above) for the duration of the illness. And before bed, I would say prayers and possibly read the Bible by lantern...if I was feeling up to it. When I relayed this idea to my friend Marisa, she agreed that it was the obvious course of action and offered to contribute one of her hand-made quilts. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
So today I went to my doctor and let him know that I was most likely suffering pneumonia. With a concerned look on his face, he examined me thoroughly. Expecting a complicated treatment regimen involving some sort of steam inhalation, I was shocked when he suggested that I "pop some Advil, get some rest and consider cough syrup."
"What do you mean?" I asked him. "Well, young lady, you have the flu...like everyone else." I promptly reminded him that I already HAD the flu this season. He then educated me that there are many strains of the flu and unlucky people can catch more than one. To mitigate the situation, he offered me an "official doctor's note" to bring into work. It was at that moment that I was forced to trade in my dreams of a charming night bonnet for a formulaic "please excuse my patient" note written both in English and in Spanish.
The last thing I'm going to say about this is that Doc Baker would have never been so light about the situation.