Soc 490, Week 4!

Yuck! Here I am for the fifth week sicker than I have been since we arrived. I started my third round of antibiotics this week and am taking a few other large pills for the pain and my fever. I'm pretty sure I am taking more medicine in one swallow than an entire retirement home gives out in a day. I had to miss class this week but it gave me a lot of time to read and to think.

Ever since I was in junior high I have been battling strep throat or other tonsil infections. I have gotten to the point that when I go to my doctor he knows me by name and usually skips the strep test and writes me a prescription for amoxicillin. Being sick here in Italy has been very interesting. I don't have to wait in a doctors office anymore because the doctor does house calls! The only downfall of a house call is, they can not take tests and give you the results all in one visit. When a test is needed you are sent to a lab and then told to come back for your results.... It makes getting better take longer because of all the days of waiting.

Another thing that was interesting to me is the way the ER works. At home, in the states, I was in a severe amount of pain or am concerned about what is going on I could drive to the closest ER for treatment. On Monday, I could no longer take the pain of my tonsils and was concerned that my airway was getting narrower by the hour. When I asked to see a doctor I was informed Italians do not go to the ER unless it is absolutely necessary (bleeding and broken bones kind of necessity) When I learned of this I began to panic because I had no clue what to do. The pain in my throat and lymph nods were getting worse and worse. Fortunately, someone got a hold of my doctor and she was able to prescribe a pain killer that I learned is similar to Vicodin. After the pain medicine kicked in I was feeling somewhat better but was still concerned about the swelling. The next day I saw my doctor again. She informed me I have pharyngitis. She prescribed me a stronger antibiotic and ordered me to stay in doors until the swelling goes down.
Staying indoors and resting are two luxuries that a Walsh Romer can not afford. We are constantly on the move and don't want to miss out on anything.

In class, ad out of class, we have been discussing if we have control over our health. Last week I wrote that we do have control over our health. While, I still agree that we can control our health with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and good life style choices....Like not smoking or drinking, we do not have complete control over what bacteria or viruses we come in contact with. We are never fully in control of our health.

In our Universal Healthcare book, Gladwell discusses preventative care. If people went to the hospital for regular check ups, were tested for diseases that run in their family, or in my case had tonsils taken out when the opportunity was there, we could save a lot of money in the long run. Yes, surgery is expensive, but testing, lab work, a other care for diseases add up just as quickly as surgery.