A Trip to the Clinic. Yay.
Okay, so while we were at Punta Mona, I thought that my being sick was pretty routine. In the fall and spring, I normally have a sore throat, cough a little bit, and sometimes get hoarse. I kind of expected that coming from Minnesota in January to Costa Rica's summer or dry season. I didn't account for the exceptional difference in climate between the valley (Heredia) and the coast (Manzanillo/Punta Mona). What started as a routine adjustment for me turned into coughing fits and lymphnodes so swollen that I could only swallow water, tea, and cooked plantains. I definitely lost my voice several times. Janiva kept asking me if I was okay, and I really thought that I was. But she's a mom, and she's got that mom sense about being sick. She said that if my throat still hurt on Monday that I was going to see a doctor.
So at 5:30, I had taken the bus with Hannah, another SOLmate, and a SOL director to a clinic in Heredia. The doctor was really nice, and she asked me about symptoms, going back and forth in Spanglish. She checked my ears and my throat and quickly came to the conclusion that I did indeed have a mild infection in my throat. She have me prescriptions: 2 for my throat, and one for pain.
When it came time to pay for the meds, I ran into trouble. My card was denied twice at the pharmacy, and at 3 other nearby ATMs. Luckily the other girl that came with was able to cover the fees until I could get things figured out. It turns out that my bank thought I was coming back on January 23 instead of April 23. It's all sorted out now, and that shouldn't be an issue again.
I'm leery about going to the doctor in the US, but I'm glad that I went when I did. I have to say, it's pretty gratifying when you can read directions for taking medications in another language.
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