One sick honey

So we knew that Chris was sick and he had a sore throat. And it got worse from Sunday to Monday and even worse going into Tuesday. He was in some serious pain and could not eat anything or drink a drop. On Monday afternoon I ran him in to see the doctor on staff at our normal office who proceeded to tell us that he had a viral infection (a cold) and that he could do nothing for us. He said that if it was still bad in a week to come back.
By Tuesday afternoon I was concerned that he was going to be severely dehydrated. He was very weak and losing color in his skin and that concerned me. I spoke with a triage nurse at our normal office and she told me to bring him back and he could see his primary physician and possibly be hooked up to an IV for some fluids. So we went in and saw the primary who took a look and asked a few questions, then left the room to do some research. When she came back it was with a referral to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist as she was concerned that Chris could only open his mouth to a certain point (and that was not very far) and a few other things. She wrote down the address and told us that it was in Holyoke, near the medical center.
So we drove from Chicopee to Holyoke and went to the building that she had described to us. The receptionist there explained that the ENT office was in a different building on that campus. So we got back in the car, feverish and pained husband and I, and drove over to that building. The receptionist there explained that our doctor’s office had not contacted them to be expecting us. She took a look at the address that was written on my slip of paper and nicely informed us that the place we were supposed to be was in Springfield.
So, we got back in the car and hit the highway, again. We found the building in Springfield, parked in a huge parking garage, and located the office. Because we were being squeezed into an already tight schedule, we waited for almost an hour in a packed waiting room. When we were called in the doctor was ready for us, took one look in Chris’ mouth with a very bright light and exclaimed that he had a peritonsillar abscess. He was mortified that neither doctor that we had seen in the last two days saw this. He explained that it would have to be cut and drained, and that it was full of strep infection so he would need some antibiotics and a pain killer for several days.  So Chris had this very painful procedure done right then and there, and totally awake, and by the time we left the office he already was feeling some relief.
Once we were back in Holyoke I dropped him off at home to get some rest and I was back on the street to get his scripts filled.  I went to our normal pharmacy and was told that there was at least a 20 minute wait, so I ran into the grocery store to pick up some sherbet and yogurt for Chris.  When I got back the script was ready, but only the one for the pain killer.  They were too small a pharmacy to have a supply of the antibiotic in the liquid form that Chris required and directed me to a larger pharmacy in town.  So I went there, and had them check their inventory to be sure that they had the drug, and then started the process of giving them all of the insurance information, and then sat through their 20-minute minimum wait (which ended up being 30) .  Then I drove home with scripts in tow and some very melty sherbet.
Chris has to take a lot of stuff, every four hours.  So we were up at 11:00 and then again at 3:00, and again at 7:00.  At least the daytime doses will be easier.  The medication that he has to take smells rank, and likely tastes worse.  It’s hard to believe that something so foul actually makes you better.
So Chris is talking kind of funny ’cause his throat is still swollen, although not nearly as bad as it was, and he’s got that nasty incision on it which likely does not feel all that great.  His fever seems to be gone though, and he can deal with the pain that he’s in now, which is great.  And now he’s on the road to recovery.  Just a check-up on Friday and he should be good to go.
J