Happy February, everyone
Less than a week ago I was diagnosed with strep throat. This all came about when I noticed that my throat soreness was worsening and I was waking up with gooey eyes that barely stayed open. Naturally, I made an appointment with a friend to test out the New School’s health services. To my surprise, and maybe also my friends, the doctor’s office at 80 5th Avenue was lovely.
We waited for a while before we could get an appointment, but we also walked in. The office is quiet and clean, and the front desk agent is friendly. The school covers a lot of the treatment and medications that you can receive. Some may think that a student’s health clinic would be a mess, but the experience was enjoyable. I would choose this clinic over any urgent care office.
When it was my turn to head back, the doctor ran a few tests on me. She did a full blood lab, a COVID-19 test, an influenza test, and finally, a strep throat test. Originally, the test was coming back negative, so she swabbed my throat again. Two minutes later, a second line appeared, and I was positive for strep throat.
I didn’t have the usual fever that often comes with the illness, though. I was feeling okay when I walked into her office. The only symptom that did bother me, though, was the irritated ear. Over my birthday weekend, my ear popped while going up to my dad’s hotel room and never popped open when I got to the ground floor. Slowly, I started to lose more and more of my hearing. I couldn’t hear people next to me talking, buses flying by on the street, or the sound of the snow under my shoe. Upon arriving at the doctor's office, she examined my ear and exclaimed that I had a shriveled and red eardrum. I imagined the last piece of Voldemort’s soul when she explained to me what my eardrum looked like.
I knew from the moment that I walked out of the office that the strep was entirely my fault. I thought about how I had walked through downtown Brooklyn in the sleeting rain the week before without a jacket on. I was running around the LES in a long-sleeve t-shirt and jeans. Of course, I am sitting here, waiting to take my strep throat medicine with food.
TJL