Stressed out?

I have a sore throat today. It started about middle of last week and has just kept getting worse. This morning woke up and it was so bad I had some kind of a weird headache from it. It hurts to eat as swallowing is painful, and I get sort of a gag reflex happening. Even taking the happy pills this morning I gagged on the water for a second. 

I'll get some Panadole from the supermarket later today as I forgot the odd thing or two yesterday in the shopping (coming home from the pub). Hopefully the blueberries in the fridge will be defrosted later as I don't think they'll be a problem to eat, and are good for you. Tried eating a steak last night but it seemed a bit tough and hard to swallow. Maybe some nice sausages would be better, with mashed up potatoes. It's a dilemma as I feel hungry but eating hurts.

If it doesn't get any better, or gets worse, I suppose I should go see my doctor about it. It may be just my immune system having trouble keeping up with the everyday germs that exist in people's mouths. With all the stress I've copped from work the last couple of weeks, that may very well be the case. I guess that might mean some antibiotics, I dunno.

Speaking of work, this is the little reply I've put together for the fifth form. I'll have to run it by the union guy first to make sure he thinks it's OK:

• Mon 2/5/11    2 hours         attended work    appt psychologist
• Mon 9/5/11    7.5               absent work        sick    
• Tues 10/5/11    2.5             attended work     appt ID        
• Mon 16/5/11    4.25           attended work      appt renal clinic    
• Fri 27/5/11    7.5                absent work        sick (cert)
• Wed 15/6/11    7.5             absent work        sick    
• Fri 17/6/11    3.5                attended work     appt dentist?
• Mon 27/6/11    7.5             absent                 appt psychologist (cert) 11am - rescheduled
• Tues 28/6/11    2                attended work    appt ID (cert)
• Mon 11/7/11    7.5             absent                2 appts, 10am ID, 1pm psychologist (cert)
• Fri 15/7/11    7.5                absent                sick    
• Wed 19/7/11    2.5             attended work    appt ID
• Fri 29/7/11    7.5                absent                sick

Attended work 6 days of the above 13 days in question.

Of the 7 remaining days, there are only 5 that I was sick. Mon 27/6 I had a rescheduled appt with the psychologist in the middle of the day at 11am. Mon 11/7 I had two appts being 10am with ID and 1pm again with the psychologist.

That brings the total actual sick days since May being only 5 days, one of which I got a cert for. Or 37.5 hours only.

Given the nature of my injuries due to acute kidney failure in Jan (in which I nearly died twice in two weeks) 5 sick days is understandable and part of the recovery process. It has taken a full 7 months for my kidney functions to return back to near normal, and they are continuing to improve.

There was never any declaration or instruction from anyone that a doctors cert had to be provided for all days off, even in the middle of the week. In fact nobody seems to know this in my area. I can't be blamed for not following rules that I haven't even been told about.

Also, I attend the dentist through the gov scheme, where because of my condition my GP has assigned one particular dentist that I use via medicare bulk billing. This is all set up with that dentist as part of my care. I can't just ring any dentist and go in, I have to use this one. The absys I had was an emergency, which consists of 3 appts. The second appt has to be done about a week later after the first appt. The dentist fit me in in a busy schedule. Again, I can't be blamed for their scheduling. I have had many other appts with this dentist, all of them after work.