Bewarned, this will not be a particularly vitriolic post. Just venting.
We’ve been here for 5 weeks. So far, these are the medical emergencies we’ve had to deal with:
I fell down the stairs, badly twisted my ankle, hit my head very hard and wound up in Casualty at 1am on a Saturday night. My ankle is still swollen and sometimes it gets all ooey and weak.
Husband had to get a very sore tooth extracted, after several days of agonizing pain. He actually cried, which I’ve only seen him do once before, when our daughter was born.
I got and still have a very bad case of strep throat. I cannot swallow anything, even my own saliva. I use a spit cup to spit it all into, and it’s been knocked over twice. Once onto the floor and once onto my pillow (Wah!). I had to get the doctor to come out the house last night (eat it! 55Euros) to give me an antibiotic injection and then Hub had to go get drugs. I’ve lost about 1.5kg since Tuesday. At least the 103F temperature has passed, but I have to drink the most foul medicine you can imagine, with each swallow feeling like I’m having an open wound rubbed with salty, lemony sandpaper.
Our 2.5 year old got a very bad bug (or so we thought) with irritability, fever, runny nose and a terrible cough. Turns out, she has the measles, even though she had her first MMR shot. Now the Health Board has to do a sample and report it to all the playgroups she attends. Great. A social pariah at age 2.
All the above has happened in the space of 2 weeks. It’s only cost us about 300Euros ($290) including all the doctors visits, emergency room visit, the doctor coming to our house twice and drugs, injections, etc. At this point, that’s actually not so bad.
Well, the stairs incident might be. You mentioned it before, but I extend my sympathies again. The rest is prolly the weather - not that I believe weather causes colds etc. but severe changes in temperature can knock your immune system.
Thanks, you guys. Do you ever get the feeling that someone out there (or up there if that’s your leaning) is just sitting back and laughing?
I just got a big box of pressies from Grandma and Grandpa, at least 12 in all, which will keep her amused while she’s under ‘quarantine’! Weeee!
jiimmm, we do have PRSI and Bupa, but I’m not sure if all of this qualifies. No doubt, we’ll meet our pharmacy limit for this month and get some of that money back!
Some years ago, I heard comedian Kevin Rooney doing a routine about that phrase, “the luck of the Irish.” He brought up the centuries of British oppression, of poverty, famines, alcoholism, et al, and wondered how anyone ever came to the conclusion that the Irish are lucky.
At last he decided that the Irish are “lucky” only in the sense that one is “lucky” to step in manure when he’s wearing his old shoes (“Ah, sure and I’m lucky I wasn’t wearing me GOOD shoes!”)
Soaps on TV me arse - put some tar on your currach and get some fresh air into you. Dance at the cross roads, go for a walk (wear your Galway shawl - leave behind your jewels, costly diamonds, paint and powder). Bloody lily-livered blow-ins;).
I’m not a big fan of soaps myself. Mostly, I just watch the Fimbles and praise The Den for keeping a sick child amused.
On that note, what ever happened to Justin the Turkey from the Den? John told me about him this morning and I remember him doing an album or something.
Justin got eaten one Christmas long ago. His brother Dustin, builder, Hiace driver and rock star is lost in a welter of sex and drugs somewhere outside Mullingar.
Just to qualify, PRSI is the money you pay the government in return for the health service that you have to pay for a second time if you don’t have a medical card (you might mean VHI?).
jjimm, I meant BUPA. I remember that you have to be on the books for 6 months before you can use it, though John told me today we are eligible from now, as he’s on the uni plan.
Dustin is the guy who used to insult the politicians, or was that his human sidekick. Was he the “Ahhh…ya can’t be sayin’ that.” guy?
Years ago I heard (no cite, sorry) that the luck of the Irish was in reference to bad luck. As in, “poverty, oppression, famine…ain’t that just the luck o’ the Irish? Ah, bugger.”
jjimm version: “Make sure there’s warm Lucozade* available”
*Lucozade is a horrible artificially-coloured fizzy drink that tastes of nothing but glucose, reputed to make you better. It doesn’t. Babelfish version: “keep the tepid lucozade on faucet”.
jjimm version: “I just received a large box of gifts (presents)” Babelfish version: “I immediately gotten a big box of presses”.
jjimm version: You shouldn’t be watching soap operas. Go outside and prepare a traditional boat for external activity. Babelfish version: “Television soaps my bottom. Apply some pitch to your carrot”.
jjimm version: Dustin the Turkey is a popular, very disrespectful puppet character who appears on TV and also has released several albums. His character might be described as a “spiv”. Justin the turkey doesn’t exist, and the poster is poking fun at this. Mullingar is a non-entity-ish town in the Irish midlands. Babelfish version: Justin gotten consumed a Christmas extended ago. His fraternal relation Dustin, constructor, Aces high driver and stone stellar object is lost in a welded of sex and pharmaceutical somewhere outside ruminatingar.
Yep, that’s the luck of the Irish, all right. A group of people who have had such consistently bad luck it’s been theorized they must be one of the Lost Tribes of Israel.