200% chlamydia-free!!

I woke up this morning feeling even worse than yesterday – head felt like it was stuck in a vise from a sinus infection, and finally decided to break down and divert some of my Fun Activity Money into the Get Better So You Can Actually Enjoy The Fun Activities fund. So, it was off to the doctor’s – except first I had to figure out how the NZ health system and my travel insurance work. Apparently it works pretty well, because it only took one phone call to make an appointment just fifteen minutes and a couple blocks away. Of course, I got lost anyway and was a little late, but they weren’t too put off by it.

So I’m talking to the doctor on duty, and tell her that I know this is a sinus infection because I get them basically two times a year so I know what they’re like, and they just don’t go away with the usual drill of plenty of fluids, rest, etc. etc. – didn’t want to get the ‘well, just see how it goes and come back in a week!’ message – and she asked me what kind of antibiotics I usually took for them. “That Z-pack thing with four pills, you take two the first day then one each day for two days after” I replied. “I’m not sure if we have that here – I’ll look it up.” She looked it up and said, “Oh, yes, we do have that here, but it’s only approved for treating Chlamydia.” “Oh! Well, then, you know, whatever you think would work.” “No, if it’s worked well for you in the past, let’s do that. The approval only relates to the government subsidy for residents, it says here it works for upper respiratory infections too and you’re not eligible for the subsidy anyway so that part doesn't matter.” “Um…well, ok.” “I’ll write you a prescription for two doses so if you get another sinus infection while you’re in NZ, you don’t have to come back in.”

It wasn’t until I was parking in front of the chemist’s that I realized the double prescription thing would probably make it look like I was coming in to get a Chlamydia remedy for me and my, uh, unlucky partner. Oh well, just hoped I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew. So I dropped the prescription off, and came back in fifteen minutes…and it wasn’t ready. A perky pharmacist explained to me in something a bit louder than an inside voice that “WE’RE A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT THE DOSAGE HERE. YOU SEE, WE USUALLY ONLY DISPENSE THIS ANTIBIOTIC FOR CHLAMYD---“ “Yes, yes, I know,” I said, cutting her off and looking around the store red-faced to see how many people were listening in. “Well, it’s only two pills for that, so does this ‘fill twice’ note mean two pills or two times two pills?” “Four.” “Oh. Well, we only have two in stock, because the usual dosage for chlam…”(volume seemed to be rising again) “Yes, ok, what time should I come back?” “Half an hour or so, we’ll call the other chemists in the area to see who has them.” “Thanks!” I ran out before we could have any more store-wide conversations about my imaginary STD.

When I came back in half an hour later, I got a new chemist, who of course also felt obligated to tell me, at a volume the whole store could hear, about how that antibiotic is usually only used in NZ for chlamydia, and only two pills for it, so that’s why they had to go to some trouble to track down four of them and I shouldn’t be too worried that one pack was a different brand than the other, it’s just that they don’t have to give them out that often, and.... Wonderful.

Bottom line: I just spent $150 – or half a skydive – to get twice as many antibiotics for my sinus infection as it would take get rid of chlamydia, so I’m looking forward to feeling 100% (or is it 200%?) very soon.