Well, I guess I lied in my last post - the blog wasn't really back. But I promise that with this entry I'm going to be writing regularly once again. About what I'm not yet sure, but I can tell you that there will be something new here every few days. So keep checking back!
Part of the problem (or at least an excuse I've been using) is that I've been pretty sick this term. And that's what I'm going to write about today. Not for your sympathy (I'm doing much better!) but I think my little ordeal highlights one of the great things about going to school at a place with such a strong sense of community.
A couple of weeks ago I came down with a pretty high fever (around 102.6). It sort of went away, but when it came back a few days later I decided I really needed to do something about it. Problem was, it spiked in the middle of the night, waking me up at 2am on a Monday morning. Not to worry! Dick's House (our campus clinic) has a 24-hour infirmary, where students can go anytime they're really struggling (and I was). I called the clinician, set things up, and she told me to call Safety and Security to have them come pick me up. Wow! Dick's House is only about a 10 minute walk from my room, but getting valet service made things a whole lot easier. The officer was there in a few minutes, and about 15 minutes after making the phone call I was sitting on a bed having my vitals taken. Long story short, it looked like the flu (it was going around, even before the H1N1 hoopla), the nurse gave me some ibuprofen, and I was put to bed in a nice little room. Through the night the nurses checked up on me, and I woke up in the morning to a visit from the doctor and an order form for breakfast in bed! He checked me out - my tonsils were swollen but otherwise things looked fine, and I went back to sleep until breakfast came. I stayed at Dick's House until about 2 in the afternoon, receiving lunch and getting to take a shower there before I left. But leaving didn't mean I had to give up my bed - I just went out on pass, and they reserved it for me in case I wanted to come back. All of this, I should mention, was completely free! (Except for breakfast and lunch, which came off of my normal meal plan). What a deal. I felt fine the rest of the day, though, so I called them at 8 and emancipated myself from their care.
Unfortunately, a few days later I was struck with the worst sore throat of my life. I was able to get an early appointment (at Dick's House, again), and went in the next day. Turns out I have mono, which is a pretty huge bummer considering it's my senior spring. But actually I've been doing well and that's not the point of the story anyway. The real point is that the physician's assistant was incredibly thorough and caring, and she sent me 2 emails later that day with instructions on how to take care of myself, and another one a week later just to check up on me and ask how I'm doing.
Meanwhile, my professors, employers, fellows program leaders, etc. have all been incredibly understanding. I had been getting behind on my readings journals for my journalism class, and when I told the professor I was going to try to catch up over the weekend, she said not to worry about it and just do what's current. She also gave me an extension on the assignment we're currently working on. That's made things a lot easier.
Maybe this post isn't interesting or important at all, but you know, when you're feeling sick, it's nice to feel that there are people who really care about you. When I was at Dick's House, I felt like I had 3 new moms who were taking care of me. My professors and bosses have been sending me emails asking how I'm doing. And that, for me, is just another reason I'm happy I'm part of the Dartmouth community.
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