I was nursing a sore throat with herbal tea, Strepsil and honey lemon for the past few weeks when I suddenly noticed a little lump under my ear. Concerned about this lump, I consulted the young doctor at ummc during a recent routine checkup. I wanted to know if the lump was due to a swollen lymph node, or something devilish in nature.
The young doctor stood to attention and took one step back from his chair. His face was a whiter shade of pale. He called someone from outside to direct me downstairs for a COVID test, explaining that he was not allowed to attend to me on account of this sore throat.
One floor below, I was asked to enter an empty room where a phone was ringing. A little head popped from behind the door at the other end to issue two words.
"Masuk. Duduk."
The phone was still ringing while I waited for the covid team to appear. Woe is me, I thought as I imagined the covid team assaulting my nostril.
Then I noticed the whiteboard in front of me. "Answer the phone" was written in bold at one corner.
I picked up the phone and what do you know? A lady doctor was at the other end. After a string of rapid fire questioning, she concluded to my great relief, that the assault on my nostril was not necessary. She entered the consultation room dressed in a blue garbage bag and 2 layers of mask below a plastic shield. My BP was a whopping 201/78.
She attended to me expediently and I left her consultation room with no violation to both nostril or ego. The experience must have scared the daylights out of the lump under my ear. It disappeared.
As I write about the impact this experience had on my BP, I wondered if there had been an over-reaction by the young doctor who stepped away from me at the beginning.
I went to see my regular GP to get his opinion, explaining as I did, that on account of my medical history, I was compelled to be vigilant. The good doctor showed me where all the lymph nodes pertaining to the various body parts were located. He ascertained that all the important nodes were not swollen.
Hence, this experience was another false alarm.
