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I have just returned from medical clinic at the Village. I’ve never been there before until today. I sauntered in, was asked for my CareCard, filled out a small form and was shown to an examining room.

This being a private clinic, the decor was less clinical than the hospital setting that student health works from. The walls were more colourful and the artwork was a bit more refined. After a wait of a few minutes, in walked a Dr. Russenes. We exchanged pleasantries and I went on to describe why I thought I had whooping cough. He listened intently made notes and then told me he’d be right back. When he returned he had a few plastic bags with him. He told me to test for whooping cough, he’d have to take a swab and that it would be straight out unpleasant.

Great. Well, I told him to do what he had to do and get it over with. He had me lie down on the examining table. In one hand he had a tongue depressor and the other he held what look liked the head of a Q-tip on a really thin and long wire. He held my tongue down with the depressor and swabbed the back of my throat with the Q-tip thingy. He was right, it was unpleasant.

As I sat back up, he inserted the swab into a container and then began filling out the lab form. He was almost done when he realized he had to take another swab. Again? He told me this time he had to go through my nose. Nice. I initially thought this would be better than the throat swab, but I was wrong. He had me look up slightly and then he started to insert another Q-tip thingy into my left nostril. At first it was ok, but then he started to go way beyond where any finger had gone before. The pain started to bloom and it felt like a fire had started inside my nasal cavity. As he went further in, I started to see bright flashes of colour which totally obscurred my vision. I was finally forced to close my eyes. Having gone far enough, he pulled the swab out of my nose, leaving me to wonder if in fact he had somehow touched my brain.

I was told that it would take several days for the lab to come back with the results. In the meantime, he gave me an inhaler that contains some sorta steroid which will help with the coughing. He also gave me a prescription for some antibiotics just in case to prevent pneumonia.

As for being contagious, he said that I shouldn’t isolate myself at this stage of the game, but that I should avoid coughing directly on people. I’ll try to avoid that in the future. So, I’ll wait to see the results of the test.

In the meantime, if you have Flash installed, you should check this out, it’s pretty cool.

There is a strong possibility that I have the whooping cough. Based on the information I’ve gleaned from the Internet and from the newly discovered fact that a classmate of mine had the whooping cough just a few weeks ago, it is looking more and more like this is what I have.

The sometimes violent and body-shaking coughing episodes fit directly with the descriptions of the illness I have read. The odd thing is, I know for a fact I was immunized for whooping cough when I was a child. It is unclear if I had a booster since then. I guess the point is moot now.

Whooping cough is supposed to very contagious for two weeks from the onset of the cough. I’ve blown by the two week period sometime last week, so I suppose that’s one hurdle that I’ve crossed. Nonetheless, I’ve decided not to go to an Easter dinner I was invited to on Monday night. Just another social event added to a long list of social events I’ve missed in the last while.

I’ll be into my third week of coughing in a day or two. Recovery apparently starts anywhere from the fourth to sixth week. So, I’m either really close or just half way. The recovery process can be slow with symptoms gradually going away over a period of possibly months for young children.

Whooping cough is most dangerous for infants and elderly people, where most of the fatalities from the illness occur. Boy, it sure feels good to know I have something that will be guaranteed to kill people this year.

Had I caught this early and I’m not really sure how I could have, taking antibiotics apparently shortens the recovery significantly. Since whooping cough initially starts out like a common cold, I doubt most people can take advantage of this. Antibiotics are still recommended even beyond onset of symptoms to ensure that I cannot spread this to other people. Tomorrow, I am going to the medical clinic in the Village to a get prescription for the antibiotics.

I have a feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better.

If you’ve seen me the last couple of days, you no doubt have realized I have continued to be hampered by a nagging, sometimes violent cough. The cough is worse at night, though it can be bad at any time of the day. When it gets body-shaking, I just have to let it run its course until my body settles down. This of course, points towards another visit to the doctor, and in fact, I did want to go as early as Thursday night. We are of course in the middle of a four-day weekend, so the on-campus clinic is closed. Much as I dislike self-diagnosing my own medical problems, I am without another option, short of visiting the emergency room (which I am not prepared to do).

Using my razor sharp mind, I noticed that many of my symptoms are shared by allergic reactions to pollen and dust. In fact, in the last two years, I have developed allergies to things I have never had problems with before. So, my thinking is that my cold has actually gone away, but my recurring symptoms, cough and slight nasal congestion, have been brought about by allergies due to some unfortunate timing.

Going on this assumption, I went to the drug store today to buy a package of Aerius, an antihistamine which just recently switched over from a prescription-only drug to over-the-counter. On the package itself, one of the symptoms it purports to treat is coughs due to allergies. It’s a one-a-day pill, and I’ve just taken mine for the day.

I’m hoping this will offer some relief to my coughing because it’s really affected my day to day life. No matter what happens, I think it would be wise for me to see the doctor again on Tuesday. Hey, I just noticed something… these pills are blue and small… just like Viagra.

The comments are not working right now. The situation is out of my control, so there’s really not much I can do. Thanks for your patience.

The Internets have been a great place to look for cheap entertainment. Here are a few movies I’ve found on the Web that I thought were entertaining.

BATMAN: NEW TIMES

This is a short, computer-generated film made by film students using Lego-style characters. Now, before you take pass on this, let me list who they got to do the voicework: Adam West as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Dick Van Dyke as Commissioner Gordon, and Courtney Thorne-Smith as Catwoman. Believe me, it’s not everyday you get such a diverse set of performers to do your student film. It’s a quality short film that’s worth a look. View the film here.

Rise of the Empire

Another Lego-inspired short film, this piece was done entirely in the traditional method of stop motion animation. This is one fan’s guess at what the trailer to the third Star Wars prequel would look like. Done years before the title Revenge of the Sith came out, the creator entitled his trailer Rise of the Empire. This is worth a look only if to see a very pregnant Padme Amidala. Download the film here (14 Mb, be patient!).

The Clone Wars: Volume II

Last year’s wildly popular Clone Wars cartoons, which were shown on the Cartoon Network, have returned with a second volume of chapters. These new chapters feature an extended running time, allowing for more in-depth stories this time around. The story arc will fill viewers in with details right up to the start of Episode III. Though people can view the new cartoons here, you might want to look for torrents which feature higher resolution versions.

On Thursday, this site turns five years old. That’s half a decade of erwintang.com. Well, not really since it took me a few months to get the site running. So technically, I’ve owned this domain for five years now. Still, that’s a long time on the Internets.

It’s been a lot of fun which has led to a rewarding five years. I do a lot of work on this site mainly because of you, the readers. If you’re having fun, that means I’m having fun. Thanks for staying with me this long.

Every birthday needs a celebration and this one is no different. I’ve framed my celebration around a contest. Go take a look… enter… win stuff!

Early this morning, I awoke because of a sharp pain in my left cheek. It felt like there was a lot of pressure in the area and it was very unpleasant. I was sure that something was trying to get my cheek to explode. I surmised it was a sinus infection, but that thought did not help the pain go away.

I tossed and turned, hoping to get back to sleep, but it was no use. After several minutes, I somehow got my head in a particular position that caused the problematic sinus to drain partially. It was sorta like a balloon with a slow leak in it. The pressure gradually decreased until a point where the sharp pain was reduced to a dull ache. It was then I was able to fall asleep.

When I awoke again, my sinus remained achy. Just opening my jaw caused the pain to flare up again. I was thoroughly unimpressed with my bad luck. Having no other choice, I had to get on with my day even though I was feel pretty crappy.

Luckily, the students in my tutorial finished their assignments early and I was able to steal away to UBC Student Health before they closed. I was just planning on making an appointment for the next day, but they were able to schedule me in 15 minutes before close. After her examination, the doctor confirmed that I did indeed have a sinus infection. Though she was concerned about the severity of the initial pain, she said it was a good sign it had drained partially on its own. She offered to give me a prescription for antibiotics, but told me it was my choice since the infection could clear up by itself. I decided to hold off on the antibiotics since I try to stay clear of the stuff unless absolutely forced to take it. The doctor did recommend that I use steam and a decongestant to aid in clearing up my sinuses.

With that, I thanked the doctor for her help and I was off. When I returned home, I took a long, steamy shower. After emerging from bathroom, I immediately noticed my cheek was less achy. I decided to take a nap before dinner. In the process of lying down, my sinuses drained even more.

I feel much better now and can only hope this will be the last thing to bother me from this horrible cold.

I saw the doctor today. My chest is clear and I’m not pregnant. She says I’m still coughing because there’s some residual irritation left over from the cold. She offered to fill out a prescription for a cough medicine with codeine in it. I accepted.

After returning home from the drug store, I looked at the recommended dosage, “1 tor 2 teaspoons, 3 times a day”. Well, I certainly wasn’t going to take 2 teaspoons right away. About a year ago, I took 2 teaspoons full of virtually the same medicine before going to bed. When I woke up, just waving my hand in front of my face was a psychedelic adventure. This time, I carefully administered to myself half a teaspoon. I then went to invigilate an exam. I think it certainly did help a bit.

When I returned home, I took another half a teaspoon before going over to dinner at SJC. The difference was more noticeable there. I was actually able to converse with people at my table without blowing chunks of food in their faces. Even Adam said I looked better.

I’ve been feeling pretty good all night, only coughing a bit, but still coughing. I’m going to hit the codeine once more before going to bed and we’ll see how I am in the morning. I’m watching my codeine consumption because it can block up your pooper.

Hey, on a totally unrelated note, I saw Greg Williams today, he of the “Lunch at the Village blog” fame. He was in fact, just coming back from the Village with his lunch. I tried to be sneaky and asked him what was in the bag. He began to answer, but caught himself and said, “I guess you’ll find out.” The answer can be found here. One more thing. When I went to One More Sushi to get take out, I saw Greg’s girlfriend leaving as I was entering. She was there without Greg… and with another man… who wasn’t Greg. Shhhhhh…. don’t tell Greg.

I’ve been told now by two different sources there seems to be some sorta strain of super cold going around. Karen at Friday night’s dinner told me about a rather nasty strain that she’s seen making the rounds. Tonight, my sister informed me that her recent cold hung on for a few extra days, making her illness last a total of ten days. This might explain why I seemed to have gotten worse on Saturday night after thinking I was in the clear. It’s a good thing I have a doctor’s appointment on Monday. I haven’t had a cold this bad in a long time.

While we’re on the subject of being sick, why don’t I list the illnesses I’ve had since the school year started? Let’s start off with food poisoning, which I had at the end of September. After living with my parents and commuting to school for three weeks, my Mom decided to send me off in style by improperly cooking some sausage. That first week in my new apartment was an absolute trial. Worst case of food poisoning ever. Usually if you get food poisoning, you go to the can and provide a “liquid refund” of some sort and it should be over. Not in my case. Holy crap (pun intended). I also got a severe headache and it hurt to move any part of my body. That lasted about five days. And don’t even get me started on my GI tract. For more than an entire week, my body’s only purpose was to make poop. The whole experience bordered on life-changing or pants-changing, you take your pick.

So, a day after I finally felt recovered from being a brown machine, I developed a cold. It also lasted about a week and I was cursing my crappy luck by this time. Two illnesses back to back. It made a for poor start to the fall.

When I recovered from the cold, I noticed some itchy red marks on my skin. I thought I had hives. Turns out it wasn’t hives, but that’s not important any more.

I’ll leave you with one more thought. If there was a Taco Bell within walking distance of my apartment, I’d be a happy camper. Good food at reasonable prices. And consider this, a Gordita Supreme with Chicken contains only 12g of fat, that’s with cheese and sour cream. After eating undercooked sausage, I’d take that any day.

I dragged my ass out of the apartment tonight to attend Jeff’s farewell dinner. Jeff is leaving SJC and UBC for two years as part of his PhD work. He’ll be studying in Japan. Jeff, I know I will miss you. I look forward to a trip to Future Shop sometime down the road.

We went to Sushi Aoki for dinner, which is always an excellent choice for Japanese. Other than being kinda out of it, I was actually alright for most of the evening. That is until sometime after I ate my food, at which point I started to cough nearly uncontrollably. It went on for like an agonizing five to seven minutes. I’m just glad everyone just left me alone to work it out by myself.

After my coughing fit, the waitress took a group photo, which you see above. Despite my thumbs-up, I was not feeling so great. Karen said I looked pale. I prefer to call it being in a state of “conservative bloodflow”.

Part of the group then departed to go see a movie. As Karen left she said, “and the next time I saw Erwin, he had a tube down his throat”. Wonderful. That left Eddy, Frank, Woba, and myself. I convinced Eddy to drive me to Safeway so I could get some more cough medicine and anal throat lozenges. When we got to the Safeway on 10th, I discovered something amazing. It’s actually possible for a hot girl to wear a skirt four inches long and still keep both her ass cheeks covered. If you want more details go ask Frank, Eddy or Woba, this blog is about me after all.

After buying medicine, a sandwich, lozenges, and some caffeine-free Coke, the boys dropped me off at home. I’ve been trying to study and work ever since. Right now, I can feel my sinuses are just a bit achy, which is usually a sign they’re drying up. Hopefully that means my body is beginning to stop producing mucous.

Anyways, let’s hope I feel better tomorrow.