The Simple Life at Home

So, I've just returned from my first ever visit to the doctor's clinic here in Qatar. Apparently I do not have bubonic plague, despite my conviction to the contrary. I have been diagnosed with "tracheitis."

The doctor, a very cute little girl who was maybe 14, said that my lungs are clear (even though I've been coughing up all kinds of stuff which might lead me to believe otherwise) and that it's a viral infection of my trachea. Anti-biotics, she said, were definitely not necessary. Which actually relieved me, because of the huge tendency here to prescribe anti-biotics for everything from the common cold to, oh, I don't know, a sunburn.

I've been given three different remedies - an anti-histamine (though I have no sign of a runny or stuffy nose), a cough syrup, and a mouthwash (I swear I popped a mint right before I went in!!). All this for the grand total price of six riyals - about $1.50.

So here's the problem. Being the naturally curious girl that I am, I went online to look up tracheitis, which I had never heard of. Apparently it is a bacterial infection (which means it DOES require anti-biotics) which most often strikes children. Oh, and it can lead to death. It seems that the windpipe can become so irritated that it can actually close up.

If this is my last post for a while, you may want to send Hubby flowers.

Why can't I catch a break with doctors? I mean, can I just remind y'all of the time I went to the doctor with a shooting pain in my head and the doctor instantly diagnosed me with depression because I was upset he dismissed my pain? That was fun.

Ok, I'm now off to bed. Well, a reasonable facsimile of bed anyways - the couch. I think I'm gonna veg out while I watch Pride and Prejudice. Hubby and I watched Sense and Sensibility last weekend, so it seems that there's a Jane Austen thing going on lately.