My Long Absence Story (Part III)

Have you ever tried to see a doctor on a Saturday?  Sometimes doctors are available, but more often than not, trying to see one is an absolute BEAR!  The little specks of black in my throat scared me enough to see whatever doctor would see me that weekend whether MD or ND.

The easiest thing to do when you are sick on a weekend is to go to the ER, but I didn't dare go to the ER.  Because doctors aren't available on weekends, ERs tend to be full of people like me who are sick and contagious.  I was already sick, my immune system was obviously weak and my body was therefore vulnerable.  I was scared that if someone coughed on or near me, I would REALLY be in a fix because I was weak enough to catch ANYTHING.  I looked at every other option.  I even tried to see an ENT (ear, nose, throat specialist), but they told me that they would only see me if I was referred by a doctor or, since it was Saturday, the hospital.  Frustrated, desperate and very afraid, I begged my husband to keep hunting for another option.  Finally, he found an urgent care clinic that was open and that accepted our health insurance.  They weren't busy, so I didn't have to be too concerned about catching anything from anyone.

I was taking the goldenseal for two days by then.  When I gargled with it, it tended to dull the pain in my throat a bit, but I was scared that if the white on my throat was fungus/thrush that goldenseal was making it worse.  If it was strep, then I decided that I would take any prescription from the doctor but I would not fill it.  I was going to continue with the goldenseal powder.  My main purpose of going to the urgent care clinic was to find out what EXACTLY was wrong with me so I knew what I was up against.