Longest Wait to see a Doctor Ever!!

I’ve been feeling a sore lump on the left inside of my throat lately. After doing some research online, I pretty much knew that it was strep throat.

‘No problem,’ I thought, ‘I’ll just go to the clinic and get some antibiotics.’

Unfortunately, the clinic was jam packed. Literally, there were no seats left. It took an hour for them to check me in and it was another two hours until I got to see a doctor. I went through three magazines, called three people to complain and was so hungry that I was ready to eat the pages out of a Chatelaine Holiday issue. Those glossy images of brisket, cranberry and apple pie, turkeys, buñuelos, mashed potatoes, etc. were pure torture.

After two and a half hours, myself and a sweet faced old woman across from me, got up and we asked the blonde receptionist with a bad perm how much longer it was going to be. “I don’t know.” she scowled. (I guess she gets this question a lot)

“I should have stayed in Ireland”, the old woman said to me, laughing

“Yep, this is really, really bad.” I agreed, “I have never waited this long before”

“Something’s not right with the system,” she said in her cute Irish accent, still smiling. (She reminded me of one of my aunties, except she’s Irish and my auntie was Scottish. But just with the same manners and disposition. Man, I miss her!)

When my turn finally rolled around, I was led into a room, spoke with a nurse. Waited. Read an article on a nudist colony in Reader’s Digest. Waited. Then a doc in training came by and asked me questions. She was a petite Asian woman who spoke with a thick (I’m guessing) Chinese accent. She checked my throat, stomach, back, breathing, took a swab and told me that I probably had an infection. Then she told me that a doctor would be by to check me out.

“Soon right” ? I asked

“Oh yes. He’s very good. He’ll be by soon” she smiled

Then I waited, and waited, and waited. Found a dead spider in an framed painting. The thing must have slipped in through the crack in the glass. Lovely. More waiting..until..

The most desired person in the whole place-A doctor!-finally came by. He checked my throat, told me my lymph nodes were swollen and wrote me a prescription for antibiotics.

It is really hard to believe that it took me three hours to see a doc for just two minutes and just get a prescription. It’s funny too because I was complaining to a coworker yesterday about the lack of doctors in this country and how the system is out of whack. Some people wait forever for basic things like scans and surgeries. Are things ever going to actually get better? When will the government actually make swift and drastic improvements to basic things like health care and education? Frustrating!

Anyways, if you have or suspect you may have strep throat, here are some tips from me and this site:

-If you have a family doctor who isn’t a complete incompetent assmat like mine, go and see him/her. DON’T go to a drop in clinic. You will be stuck there for eternity, reliving the Seinfeld episode where they wait forever to eat dinner, watching people who arrived after them get served first. Except instead of smelling wonderful food, you’ll get to listen to coughing, babies crying and a million different phone calls complaining about the wait.

-Drink lots of water and warm liquids. Honey is also good for the throat

-Get lots of rest

-Gargle with salt water

-And most interesting of all-Buy a new toothbrush but don’t use it until you have been on the antibiotics for 24-48 hours. The infection can sit dormant on the brush and reinfect you later.