Meds

I finally did it. I broke down and went to a doctor. I wasn't horribly sick; a very sore throat, scratchy voice, and really tired. Normally, I would just take a day or two off, sleep a lot, and recover on my own. But that's not the Japanese way.

In order to take a sick day, I must actually go to the doctor and take a note [receipt/prescription/whatever] as proof to school. Otherwise, I have to use a vacation day. Not surprisingly, I value my vacation days, so it was off to the doctor.

I was prepared to go alone, but one of my teachers volunteered to take me. Good thing, too! The kanji on the "medical history" was above my level. When we saw the doctor, I was able to understand him very well, but it was really nice to have someone there to confirm that I did indeed hear the doc right.

All in all, it was pretty easy, pretty fast, and super cheap! My prescription included 3 medications, 1 fever reducer, and some gigantic lozenges. The grand total was about $8.00!! While I've heard many foreigners say that Japanese medication is pretty weak [my experience with OTC painkillers here supports this], the stuff I took kicked in immediately-- I was feeling better the next day. Although that might have something to do with the fact that I called out and slept in.