And I am stuck at home. After last year's new clothes ban I have not attempted the same this year but was going to have a mooch around the reductions. Unfortunately I am starting the new year on a low, having had a rotten cold I now have flu - official flu at that, with a doctor's note and a whole pharmacy's worth of prescriptions to go with it.
Doctors here in France do not believe in minimalism. They are obviously in the thrall of the pharmaceutical companies, and any visit to the doc's will normally leave you with a bag full of pills (including suppositories that the French are unnaturally keen on). So to treat my flu I have been prescribed a large bottle of cough medicine, throat lozenges, antibiotics for my inflamed throat, a nasal spray, eye drops, a 1000mg paracetamol solution and vitamins. wow.
I have lived in my blanket cocoon on the sofa for a few days and today I am feeling a touch brighter, perhaps my fever has finally broken - I have had the strangest dreams. I have also managed to read several books on my Kindle, thankfully it has a huge print setting with about 5 words appearing on the screen at a time which was all my poor sore eyes could manage, as well as staring at various DVDs and sleeping through large amounts of day time TV.
It may be time to emerge into the land of the living again - the red sky this morning was quite inspirational.
1 comment:
It's worth noting that the French used to be one of the leading medical countries in the world. They practically invented field triage and they had some of the best treatments for burns on earth.
Suppose that is the plus side of hosting two world wars though!
However I certainly agree that the Pharmaceutical companies do seem to profit heavily, in all places. You only have to look at the wide range of paraphenalia for the common cold that is practically useless medically speaking.
But if you make something and market it, telling people that it does something, most people will buy it at some point.
I never get anything for a cold, let my system fight it off, it's only a cold after all. The only time I got flu, it was swine flu and the tablets made me feel worse than the flu did! Go figure.
Anyhoo, get well soon.
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