Life Can Be Swell Sometimes

This is the time got back from the hospital in the wee small hours of this morning. I was sitting eating my dinner at around 8 o'clock yesterday evening when I felt a strange sensation on the side of my face. Within 20 minutes it had swollen up about half an inch, from my ear down to my jaw, no pain, very strange. I left it an hour or so and then the pain started, not terrible but a general dull ache and sharp pain when touching the jaw below my ear. Ok time for the Hospital.

By the time I got checked in was gone 10 and there were at least 25 people waiting. I initially saw the triage nurse and one of the questions was how much pain, on a scale of 1 to 10? You just know that they're using this to help them prioritise but I can't help being honest and so i tell him it's a 3, acknowledging that there are other more deserving cases and that I'm in for a long wait. I'm given some paracetamol for my raised temperature, with the indications that it's an infection AND so need to see a doctor.

True to form I'm eventually seen at 12:40! Without pin-pointing the problem, I've got an inflamed throat and there's something going on between there and my ear. I'm handed over pain-killers, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, though advised not to take the latter if it starts to subside with 24-48 hours - the bugs are getting immune to antibiotics it seems.

I got up at the normal time of 06:30 and will get to work to see how it goes. Feeling a little jaded to say the least. Looking on the bright side it could have happened while I was in Germany last week and, all being well, it'll be gone before Christmas. Happy days.