Feeling wheezy and coughing is one thing. Running a low grade fever is a completely different issue altogether. My body regularly hovers around a solid 97.5 degrees thanks to a sluggish thyroid, so seeing my temperature in the 99-100 range sounded alarm bells. I called my doctor’s office to make an appointment to be tested.
I sat in the car and called the office as instructed upon my arrival. The receptionist handled copayment over the phone and sent my chart to triage. The triage nurse came out to escort me through a side entrance and sat me in a room. I needed to be isolated given the reason for my visit. The nurse returned with the testing kit and warned me that it would feel quite unpleasant. However, I knew the deed needed to be done, so I grabbed hold of the chair’s arms — bracing for impact.
“1…2…3.” OUCH! Was that a swab or a scalpel?! He pulled back and went for the other nostril. Did I just get stabbed in the throat through my nose??? Luckily, the test was over as quickly as it started. Five days later, I received my negative result — but the scare was enough to make me choose safety over comfort money. That was how I decided in April that I was going to make the leap to being a full-time adjunct.
