just a virus

I think, for the most part, I'm a pretty patient person. I'm probably also a fairly good patient. But one thing I hate about going to the doctor is when I'm stumbling into things, I can't see straight, I can't keep my eyes open, and I ache everywhere. I sit there for hours until they call me in, then sit for hours in the room while the doctor, I am convinced, stands outside the door saying to the nurses, "How long do you think I can keep her in there before she starts going crazy?" Too late! Already there! He finally comes in and decides to do some tests. So then I wait in the lab reception area. At last, they pull me into this tiny room and poke my arm 5 times while I pretend it doesn't bother me one bit. And then, when the nurse finally finds the vein, she sucks vial after vial of my blood until I'm left feeling a little woozy. As if that's not enough, she hands me a plastic cup for a "urine sample." Why can't she just say, "Go sit in the bathroom for an hour and try to see if you can get a tiny trickle of pee into this cup." Once I'm back in the examination room, I'm left to read the posters and warning labels and count the tongue depressors and guess how many needles are in the "biohazard" container. The doctor comes in, sits down, and tells me, "It's just a virus. There's nothing I can do for you. Just wait it out. Get lots of rest." But see, that's just the problem! I'm already sleeping all day, missing who knows how many classes, but he doesn't care. He sends me to the pharmacy for an antibiotic to help with what I like to call a pee-pee problem. And so my day at the Health Center concludes. I bundle up in my hoodie, pretend that it's 40 degrees instead of 30, and walk away. Nothing to do but sleep. After all, it's just a virus.