Everything was fine for me today… until I got into bed. It’s really weird. I don’t have a cough and it’s not hard to breathe. But when I do breathe, it hurts my lungs. Then my throat starts to tighten. I took so allergy medicine so hopefully everything will be fine when I get up tomorrow.
Wednesday
So, this morning I woke up before my alarm went off and I jumped in the shower. I felt this gunk in my throat so I coughed, like I was choking, and when I pulled my hand away I held before me a mixture of phlegm and blood. I have to be honest. This really scared me but I thought, ‘Maybe it’s not that big of a deal. You can still go to school.’ I left the house just in time to catch the bus, thank God. While I was standing I felt as if I was going to collapse. There were so many people standing around me and I was getting hotter by the minute. By the time I got off the bus I was completely sweat soaked. I walked to school and asked Maria, our mother away from home, to take me to the doctor. She wasn’t able to leave until Erika got there so I just went home to sleep. I slept for about 20 hours total today.
Thursday
When I got up this morning, at 7, I coughed up bloody phlegm again so I sent a message to Fabiana asking her where the closest hospital was. I then coughed up bloody phlegm once more at 10. Renato called me and asked me what exactly was going on. I told him and we decided that the best option was for an international doctor to come to me. Renato told me that this would cost 130€ which is about $195. Crazy, I know. When he told me that I said I couldn’t afford that so he said that Arcadia would front me the money and my insurance would pay them back. I laid down and waited for the doctor to arrive.
When he showed up he was different than what I was expecting. He was a tall, thin man with gray hair. He looked like an Italian Mr. Rogers in the way that he dressed. He had a bright red sweater on with a blue-striped tie and a white button down dress shirt. His shoes were nicely polished and his slacks neatly pressed. Idyllic.
He gave me my examination and everything was the same as in America. Then he started telling me what is wrong and what my options were. It was really weird to hear a doctor tell me that I get to pick whether or not I want a shot. Back home they would have said “Well Sara, it looks like you need a shot. Pull your sleeve back so we can give it to you.” Here he kept saying “It’s up to you.” Renato and Fabiana were urging me to just get the shot because it is better safe than sorry. The shot was 30€ more and I decided to get it cause I wasn’t paying for it. That brought my total up to 160€ which is about $240. I told the doctor that I wanted it and I rolled my sleeve up to get it. Nicole and Renato left the room and Fabiana stayed with me. She and the doctor both looked at me like I was crazy. He says to me with a chuckle in his voice, “Not there, here” and he pointed to his ass! Say what?
At this point I was ready to turn back. I was ready to say, “Changed my mind, have a nice day.” But I knew that it was necessary and its not like I’d never had a shot in my butt. He gave me some medical reason as to why it was better to have it in my culo but all I could hear was “blah, blah, blah, I’m gonna shoot you in your butt.” Then he said some craziness about he wasn’t going to look at my butt and the shot was much higher up. My thoughts were, “Do I care if you’re looking at my butt? I just don’t want a shot there. Please, look. I would hate for you to miss. Oddio!”
I lye on my bed, face down, in tense anticipation of what was to come. Here I was, a twenty year-old young woman who was brave enough to travel a quarter ways around the world by herself scared of something as small as a shot. I had turned into a child at the sight of a needle. But I did it. And, surprisingly enough, it hurt less than a shot in the arm.
When the doctor left, it was as if a switch was turned on in me. I was talkative and bright-eyed and bushy tailed. I couldn’t stop smiling and for the first time in days I felt better. Grazie, Dio.
Friday
Today was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I didn’t sleep very well because I slept so much over the past two days. It seemed like a waste of a night. And when I woke up I did two loads of laundry and took a shower and washed all of my dishes. I felt so accomplished. I laid in bed waiting for my roommate to call me to tell me she was ready to go to the grocery store. This was to be my first time outside in days, my first time out of my room for what felt like ages. While I waited I got a much-needed call from my sister and dad. We talked for almost an hour and I couldn’t stop smiling. At this point I was on such a high that anything that fell short of what I had planned would drop me. My roommate called me to tell me that everyone was going shopping so we weren’t going to go to the grocery store. I had some food that would last me so it wasn’t that big of a deal. I think more than anything I was just let down at the fact that I wasn’t going to leave the house yet again. Then Renato called me to see if I was home and let me know that he was on his way over to fix the bed. This made me really happy because I hate being alone when I’m sick so I knew I would enjoy the company. But it was so short lived that it too kind of brought me down. I sat at home by myself from 11am until 8pm with the exception of half an hour when Renato and Fabiana were over. When my roommates finally got home they had all of these stories about things that they saw today and they bought tickets to the football game and jerseys and new phones. But above all they came in with groceries. I haven’t eaten for the past three days other than corn flakes and noodles and all I have wanted was food. I guess I just feel like this day that was going to be so glorious turned out to be a total bust. I mean, I know that I will go out and see all of these things for myself and I know that I will make it to a football game but it kind of sucks that I miss out on so much because I’m sick.
I wish there was a way for me to never be sick in life. I do what I’m supposed to do. I wear a scarf and a hat when I go out and I wash my hands after dealing with a lot of people. I feel so low right now. And its not that I’m going to cry or anything I just wanted so much more out of today than I got.
But you know what? Tomorrow’s another day, and Rome is my canvas to paint. I will go out and get my groceries and explore Rome, even if I have to do it alone. I hate that I have been here and haven’t really seen anything. Being sick sucks but my luck is about to change. I’m in Rome for crying out loud.
This is Fabiana. I have mentioned her a few times. Just a face to put with the name.
And this is the infamous Renato. As you who have been reading already know, he is the man I'm naming my son/dog after. I know he isnt that knock out guy you were all expecting but let me tell you, if you ever heard him speak you would understand. He has a great accent and he stumbles over words when he speaks English. Its adorable.
Buon giorno.
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