Monday was not a good night for Patient 0. He came home from town around 2:00, and settled into his recliner to watch Gunsmoke. Farmer H had been planning to fry some eggs and ham for his supper, but said he wasn't really hungry. He did say he would have a hot toddy when I returned from town with lemons and Wild Turkey.
"Do you want it in my big cup that I use for soup?"
"No! I don't need THAT much!"
"You won't be getting a giant cup full of Wild Turkey! You will be getting the regular amount of Wild Turkey that I pour in your cup when you have a regular Wild Turkey and Diet Shasta Cola! The big cup just means there will be room for more hot water, so you can sip it longer, and it won't taste as strong."
"Oh. All right. I'll have the big cup."
I heated the cup so it would stay warm longer, rather than immediately soaking up heat from the hot water. Added the Wild Turkey, half the juice from half a lemon, a little more honey than lemon juice, and filled the mug with boiling water. It smelled pretty good when I was stirring it. Farmer H said it was good. He still didn't want supper.
"I'm not hungry."
"You could just have some ham and crackers. Maybe cheese."
"Yeah. I might do that. I think I'll take a hot shower."
That's what Farmer H did. Then he went to bed! Without supper. Without dessert! At 6:30 p.m. He sent me a text from the bedroom at 4:38 Tuesday morning, saying he was going to sleep in, so I knew not to wake him. But he was up before 6:00.
"I couldn't sleep all night. I think I might call the doctor and see if she can work me in. I can't cough anything up. My chest is burning. Or maybe I'll go to urgent care. I usually don't feel very sick, but I do this morning. I already sent Old Buddy a text saying we're not working today."
"That's a good idea. I hope you don't have pneumonia. That's how mine started. No appetite. No energy. A low fever for a couple weeks. Maybe you have the flu. It starts with a cough and achy body, and a fever."
"I don't think I have no fever. But I have the rest. I think I'll just go to urgent care."
"Yeah, you will for sure get seen. It's closer. They'll probably take it more seriously than your doctor just saying you have a cold and giving you cough medicine."
Off Farmer H went on a 10-minute drive to urgent care. That gal listened to his chest, looked in his ears and throat. Heard his symptoms. Said she DIDN'T think he had THE VIRUS or THE FLU, but asked if he wanted to be tested for each. He did not. She said his lungs were clear of pneumonia, and prescribed him a steroid. Said he should be feeling better by the next morning.
As I type this, Farmer H is coughing in his recliner, having taken the first of his pills, and awakened from an hour nap. Hopefully this puts him on the road to recovery.
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