The Doctor is out

I had a cold, did I mention this? Oh yes, I see I did, about five and a bit weeks ago. Well, anyway. The cold has mostly departed for wherever colds go when they’ve finished wreaking heir snotty havoc, but it has left behind a cough. I ignored the cough for a little while because I am a man and that is what we do. However, after some gentle persuasion in the house, I rang the GPs surgery on Thursday. I didn’t make it past the dragon guarding the GPs lair receptionist. She asked my symptoms and then said the doctor wouldn’t see me because it was a dry cough and not ‘bringing anything up.’ She directed me to the chemist. So I toddled off to the town next door.

The chemist was thorough. She asked my symptoms, checked what heart meds I was already on, and gave me a choice of two over-the-counter cough mixtures. I chose a smallish bottle of the brand least likely to knock me out. Throughout taking the course of this cough mixture, my cough hasn’t abated or even remained the same. It has, to be blunt, got worse. Well isn’t that ironic, as whatsername sang.

So this morning I rang the GPs surgery once again, because I am now mighty pissed off with the amount of sleep I’m not getting, and the barrage of dirty looks I’m getting from the good lady wife her indoors. as though I’m hacking myself inside out deliberately. I’m not, btw. Anyway, the receptionist asked my symptoms and then put me on hold. Result! I thought to myself. A few minutes later she returned and instead of hitting me up with a GPs appointment, she said she was putting me on to Pharmacy First, because they can issue prescriptions and shit and that. I should stand by for a call and, to be fair, less than half an hour later I received a call.

The pharmacist asked my symptoms and a few other background questions before saying I needed a different over-the-counter cough mixture, and that my symptoms didn’t describe a chest infection. So, in an hour or so, I shall toddle back to the town next door and buy something else to try and conquer my cough.