Austrian doctors aren't nearly as good with bedside manner as what I'm used to at the Tufts University Health Center. At Tufts, you come in with a slight cough and the nurses practically carry you to an examination room and shower you with free cans of Ginger Ale and hugs. Not the same in Austria. Here's an excerpt of the conversation I had with the doctor this morning:UN doctor: I bet it feels like you want to rip your throat out, yes?
Me: Uh, yes. That's one way to describe the pain.
UN doctor: Well, I'm going to give you a prescription for (mumbles something in German). Take it and you should be fine in, say, a week or two.
Me: A week? Or two? What do I have?
UN doctor: A throat infection. It's very severe on one side. Don't worry, though. It's not cancer or anything.
Full disclosure: I tried a lot of home remedies this weekend to deal with the pain - a few of which may or may not have been counterproductive. For instance, two of my magical self-created remedies included eating the spiciest curry I could find on Friday and knocking back four tequila shots on Saturday. I take full responsibility for this illness.
