My Week of Heroin Chic
I feel like Rip Van Winkle and look like Sid Vicious: several days of vomiting and fever sweats is the fast track to Heroin Chic. Cheaper too, and no track marks. What’s not to love? You should have seen me before I washed my hair. All I needed was a padlock necklace and a ripped T-shirt to top off my natural pallor and the dark circles beneath my eyes. I could’ve taken the stage with a Sex Pistols tribute band no questions asked. (Maybe I still can. I’ve lost a week of work and dearly need the cash.)
It’s always scary getting sick in another country, especially when you hit the point where you are too weak to Google your symptoms or even write down the names of the medications being pushed on you. I don’t like mixing meds, but I was too out-of-it to complain. Nor could I figure out why Angelo’s family freaked out when my temp hovered around 40. Normal is 37, so 40 didn’t seem so bad until I learned that 40 Celsius is 104 Fahrenheit. I will say this: Europeans certainly love their suppositories (although the logic of the “anti-diarrhea” suppository escapes me.)
At any rate, this morning I woke up feverless and cheery and thought, “OK, World, I’m ready for last week to begin; can we hit the rewind button?” Hence the Rip Van Winkle reference. Let me end this post, however, with a music video from Mr. Heroin Chic himself, Nick Cave. This is one of my favorites of his. I love Cave’s voice, his quirky dance moves, and his ability to transform a cliche phrase like “Do you love me?” into something achingly sincere.
Sorry to hear that you were ill, but I’m glad you’re feeling better now. Even after all these years I still can’t get used to the attitude towards medication here. I have taken to lying about my health to avoid having other people’s anitbiotics offered to me ;P !
Hehe, Italians aren’t afraid to tell you what to do, that’s for sure! I can understand needing to lie. No one here believes that ibuprofen is a fever reducer. I actually had to sneak one, then say I took more acetaminophen, because I didn’t want to OD on acetaminophen, and didn’t have the oomph to argue about it! ~Tui
Gosh I hate being sick! I did two months of bed rest this spring and it was awful. Glad you are on the mend. I google symptoms and medication too! Everyone says I am a hypochondriac but I just like being informed!
Bed rest would be tough! I know what you mean about being informed. People are too casual about mixing meds, in my opinion. It’s good to make sure that what you are taking won’t interact, and Google’s a quick way to find out! Thanks for stopping by. It reminds me that I need to add your new blog to my blog roll! ~Tui
*wow* Sorry to hear that you were wiped out with a major case of the crud, and glad you’re on the road back.
I remember the first time I got sick in Japan. I just wanted a couple Tylenol - something I embraced as a panacea for all my ills - and it was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, after my first trip to the States I brought a Costco-sized bottle to back to Tokyo :)
Stay healthy!
Lol! Last time I was in the states, I brought back a King-sized bottle of my personal favorite, Ibuprofen! It’s good to have something familiar like that nearby when you’re sick. ~Tui
So good to hear you are on the mend!!
It is interesting to hear how illnesses are viewed and what treatments are given, based on country and culture.
Bottom line though is that it’s good to know you are feeling better.
Yes, the different cultural attitudes towards illness have been quite interesting, and occasionally frustrating. They’d yell at me if I didn’t stay completely bundled up. I felt like I was in a sweat lodge. Also, if I hadn’t gotten better, I would have had a house call from a doctor. Glad I didn’t need it, but I think it’s pretty cool that they do those over here. ~Tui