Doctors Are The Only Capitalists Who Can’t Keep The Time

I am seating here at the Dr’s office. My temperature is going up. My muscles feel like am on fire. My chest is bubbling with a cough and then another one. No it isn’t Malaria. I have not had that animal in a decade or more. I used to catch malaria several times a year. I had been on malaraquin for a couple of years until it didn’t work on me anymore. That is the trend for most kids like me growing up in mosquito cities without a mosquito net to sleep under. Even if you had a mosquito net; you will find yourself consumed by mosquitoes playing soccer in the evening hours.

Malaria Life Cycle: Source CDC

Then I was given Quinine. Quinine is a terrible medication. Once you put it into your system; it kicks in like cocaine. You will definitely know that quinine is living in you. The never ending bee’s voices will cheer you on throughout your relationship. That bee sound made me feel like I was gonna die right there and then. Then; afterwards comes the dreams. The vividly weird and compellingly strange dreams. The dreams that will take you through wars with machetes, jinamizis, love making, and finally the guy coming to take your soul shows up. He comes in his white clothes. He seats next to you. He starts closing in on you. Then, you abruptly wake up. Then, you find yourself swimming in a pool of your own sweat. Sweating like an ephemeral river. The whole mattress is wet. Your heart is racing like you just ran a marathon.
The quinine with its strange noises and dreams was never able to win the battle with malaria either. Then, they put me on Fansidar……then I was like I can’t take this anymore. So I bid bye bye to Africa.

Here I am now feeling like shit. The symptoms am having are no different from Malaria. I am afraid it’s not malaria this time. It is the flu. I am just taking a hunch here; the results are not out yet. It might be the flu that has turned into bronchitis or a sinuses-if that is a medical terminology. This thing comes hard on you. The pain is more less the same as malaria. I have been faithful since I came here to take the flu shots. It has worked miracles each year. This year i am not in the 70%. It is argued that the flu vaccine (shots) works at around 70% each year. Therefore, even if you take the flu shots…there is still the 30% that the flu vaccine does not really provide protection to them each year. I guess I am on this losing end group this year.

After a long wait, the nurse showed up to take my vital signs. I weigh 7lbs more since Christmas. The winter is somehow finding ways to add pounds on me. Now I find myself seated in a cubicle waiting for the doctor. Doctors are the only capitalists that can’t keep the time. You might think you are back in Africa when visiting these overpaid creatures. They will show up 30 minutes late and offers no excuse or apology for their delay. He spent about 5 minutes with me, telling me that I had no flu. I am just having some problems with my allergies, and that it has resulted into a sinus infection. I should just go buy some Sudafed and antibiotic at the pharmacy. He walks out, and I can literally see my 250$ moving from my checking account to his. I was like you better go buy some steak with my monies at a fancy restaurant you crook!