The Fine Line

There's a fine line when you're sick (say, with something like a sinus infection) between when you should just let your body go ahead and heal itself and when you should go to the doctor for some medicine.

I'm not one to trot off the the doctor willy-nilly for myself or my kids.  This probably comes from my upbringing.  Mom hardly ever took us in to the doctor, and certainly not for something so minor as a head cold.  There was that one time, Mom, when Kathy probably should have gotten stitches, but aside from that we all faired pretty well and made it to adulthood intact.

It's a fine line.  You don't want to go in to the doctor too early and be needlessly prescribed antibiotics for something that would go away on its own.  And you certainly don't want to take the precious extra hour out of your day for that doctor's trip.

I found myself pondering where that line was this week.  On Wednesday I felt like I was getting the beginnings of a sinus infection.  I figured I'd try a little rest and some sinus flushing and I might just kick this thing.  I wasn't any better on Thursday, so I continued with the rest and sinus flushing routine.  Friday morning, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, I was approaching the "go to the doctor line."  By noon on Friday, I was sure that I was at the line!

What I failed to take into account was the time it would take to go to the doctor, get the prescription and then wait for the antibiotics to start working.  All the while, I was racing full speed ahead on the wrong side of the line!  Which resulted in a VERY unpleasant evening and night for me yesterday!

I am happy to say, that thanks to the wonder-drug Zithromax, I am once again at a functional capacity!  I think I'll move the line a little before  I get sick the next time!