Mighty, mighty Tonsils

Something was blocking my airways. Why was it so hard to breathe?

I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It’s 5.45am.

I sat on the bed, hoping that it would pass. That breathing would be natural and easy.

It didn’t work.

The first thing that came to mind was that I had some sort of thick phlegm stuck at the back of my throat. I tried pushing it forward but it was too painful. I tried swallowing but it wouldn’t budge. It’s awful and darn painful too.

I was out of idea. I tried to be calm, knowing that panicking will do me no good.

I walked to the bathroom and checked in the mirror. No luck there. I tried the pushing and swallowing again but to no avail. I ended up vomiting nothing but saliva.

I tried checking it again in the mirror on the closet. Nada. Couldn’t see a thing.

By then, I was on the verge of freaking out. I woke Deli up to help check my throat.

‘Your tonsil’s swollen,’ he said.

‘You need to see a doctor,’ he continued and went back to sleep. Okay. That didn’t sound good.

It was really difficult to breathe by then. I reached for the toothbrush only to put it back to avoid further torture to my throat. I suppose Listerine would do just fine. I hate gargling. I have never really grasped the concept.

Deli was still asleep when I was done with Listerine.

‘Hurry or I’ll die soon!’

That proved to be a pretty powerful statement because he woke up immediately and ushered the kids to the bathroom.

We reached the accident and emergency department at 6.15am but the doctor in charge was working on an emergency case. It was a good 20 minutes wait before I was called.

That was the longest 20 minutes in my life. I could still feel the swelling but it was not as bad as it was half an hour ago. I could practically jiggle the tonsil with my tongue. It was like having a candy stuck in there.

I could barely utter proper words. It was like a bad flu.

The doctor confirmed that my tonsil was indeed the size of Yankee stadium. He bestowed upon me 2 days off to deal with the thingy. I should expect high fever in a day or two. If the swelling persists accompanied by white spots, I should come to the hospital to be admitted and have meds pumped to my veins.

In the meantime, I need to take the meds he gave me and pray to get better soon.

By then, the swelling has reduced to a less noticeable size. I could breathe much better. Thank God. Today’s not my last day on earth (yet).

When we got home, I noticed some rash on my hands. Upon further checking, I found itchy spots especially around my elbows. Like a bad rash or a bad allergic reaction.


Allergy? Could that be the reason why I’m experiencing all these? Oh darn. The doctor mentioned something about infection but allergy was never brought up.

Under Deli’s watchful eyes, I unloaded the meds from their respective packs and stared at them with great interest.

There I was with lumpy throat and there were the meds – big fat tablets that I need to take to reduce the swelling and help with the pain.

Did I mention the tablets were HUGE?


I have constricted throat and huge tablets. How is that possible? Does it make sense to you?

So it’s either do or die (practically la). It was not a pretty sight – shoving the meds down my throat and trying hard not to vomit, but I managed to do so. With great difficulty, of course.

Urgh.

So. That’s my story today. I hope your day’s better than mine.

P/s: I have tonnes of backdated entries. Maybe I’ll make full use of my 2 off days and publish them in here.