sick as a dog

With Luis "on his deathbed" this week (his words, not mine), I have had to try to fit the nurse role into the my regularly over-scheduled life (unfortunately the bulk of my absences for the semester were used during my little stint with strep throat so Luis was home by himself most of the week). Here is what I've learned. Tylenol and NyQuil contain the exact same amount (500 mg) of acetaminophen (the stuff that helps with aches and fevers). Theraflu contains 1,000 mg of the stuff. Theraflu is disgusting (I personally have never been able to down a cup of the stuff without gagging), but it works. NyQuil keeps you really groggy all the time. The generic Tylenol is probably just as good as the "real" stuff but costs about 1/3 less (I chose to pay full price since Luis is skeptical about generics). Cup-o-Noodle soup is great for someone who can't stand for longer than 2 minutes without getting exhausted. When it comes to thermometers, you get what you pay for.

I also wish that somewhere along the road we were each given a stethoscope and taught what to listen for. I've spent the last 2 days trying to decide if I should take Luis to the doctor or not. I grew up in a house where we didn't go to the doctor unless we were really, really sick. Therefore, now as an adult, although I have insurance and a doctor's visit only costs me about $10, I still rarely go. I have to feel like I'm not getting better at all in order to justify a visit. If I had my own stethoscope, I would be able to determine when we really need to go see a doctor and when it is ok to just stick it out.