Every time I get a cold, my first reaction is to sleep it off because I've been told that there's nothing you can do except rest. My parents used to force me to go to the clinic for everything and I hated it, especially when the visits would take up a lot of my time and the doctors would tell me what I already knew. My mom would insist that the doctor could prescribe me something for my cold, despite all the times I've told her that a virus can't be cured with medication. What would the doctor give me? OTC meds. Over the counter medication and cough syrup.
So, you can see why I'm so reluctant to go to the doctor's when I start developing a cough or runny nose. I know when my body is going to shut down or when I can still keep drinking at the bar even when complaining of all my horrible symptoms. I also know that when my phlegm turns green, that's usually a good time to go to the doctor.
I kept fighting my cold from the beginning of February to mid-February. I refused to go to the doctor's office. When I finally got sick of being sick, I went with an English teacher from my school and she helped translate.
No strep throat and no bronchitis! Yes! But he did prescribe an anti-biotic and medicine to relieve the symptoms.
After that, my teacher expressed her concern that its been over two weeks since I started feeling sick. His response: "She didn't come to me sooner, otherwise she would have been better now." My response: "Uhh well I thought it was just a virus and I don't usually go to the doctor back in the States right when I get sick." However, in my mind, I smacked his head for being so smug.
They both sort of stared at me in confusion. Apparently, its quite common to go to the doctor within the first few days of a cold. According to my teacher, she gets well instantly after getting medication from the doctor.
This then led to a discussion in broken English and broken Japanese about how the U.S. and Japanese perspectives on health are so different. He believes that in the first few days its unclear if a person has a viral cold or bacterial cold, so they give an anti-biotic for treatment regardless. He said that next time I get sick, I should go to him immediately. Also, if I still felt ill after four days, I was welcome to go back and get some blood work done. Maybe even an x-ray if it was necessary. He was serious.
Is that really necessary? I'm glad I didn't have to go back and argue with him that it's ridiculous to draw blood samples for a cold. If you argue with the doctor on his treatments here in Japan, he has the right to refuse service for you next time. The Doctor's word is law in the clinic.
The medication worked. All five of them. I was given a one-time dose of a liquid anti-biotic, pills for my cough, pills for my runny nose, pills to reduce mucus, and pills for something else--I couldn't keep track of all of them! I was also given some patches, similar to nicotine patches, that I could put on my chest, back, or arm to reduce coughing. I don't think those worked.
If you are in Japan and you are sick, expect to get a lot of drugs. Don't worry, all of the drugs here are weak. Also, don't fight the treatment. Just shut up and take it. It's good for you.
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