A Life Scare

"Good morning, Doc." I put on a brave face but inside I had butterflies, no, deadly, giant, fugly monster moths in my stomach.


"Hello." His tone, professional. His voice, professional. His greeting, professional.


And it still creeped me out. Don't get me wrong, the man looks very dignified even without an MD attached to his name but there's something about him I just couldn't quite figure out...


I was intimidated to him.


"Doc, my infection doesn't seem to be getting okay. I mean as soon as some wounds get dry, a whole swarm comes replacing the nearly healed ones." I told him with much doubt. I felt queasy.


"Let me see." He took out his pen light again and scanned my arms on the new and old patches of the wretched scars.


I straightened my left arm for him to inspect better.


He started to think.


And also started to make faces uncomfortable for me to see.


"Doc, can you check on this one, please?" He requested again the presence of his colleague. The one who checked me too from last time.


"His infection seem to be getting worse." He told the other dermatologist when she came into the cubicle of the small room.


"It's even worse on my feet." I told them both while removing my sock on my right foot and showcased what we simply call - atrocious.


She looked at it and boy, she took a good look at it.


I gulped and swallowed on my saliva. It seems stuck for an apparent reason that is anxiety.


"And have you taken your Clindamycin for seven days as instructed?" She asked while still inspecting on my right foot.


"Yes, doc. I even extended it for three more days because at first I bought the generic which looked like it didn't really do much at all so come the fourth day, I bought Dalacin-C."


She looked at the dermatologist and told both of us to extend my Clindamycin for three more days plus change the Mupirocin to Diprogenta plus prescribed a Hypo-Dexa lotion which only their institution - RITM - formulates.


I was looking at them both when the lady dermatologist finally went back to her side of the room to check on another patient.


"This is weird." The male dermatologist was talking to me while I placed back my sock to my foot.


"What's weird?"


"Your infection."


"What seems weird about it?"


"Usually the Clindamycin works effectively for seven days, it should be healed by now." He continued.


And suddenly, like I hit the jackpot on a grand lottery, he asked me the proverbial question.


"Do you have a girlfriend?"


Those monster moths just wanted to get out of my stomach right then and there.


"None."


"But do you..." He hesitated for a moment. I know what he wanted to convey. "But do you engage in any sexual activity?"


"Yes." I told him the fact, it was, after all, concerning my health.


"Homo or hetero?" His look became worried.


"Homo."


Shit. And I nearly did I tell you.


"Protected or unprotected?" And by this time he looked concerned.


"Well..." I hesitated my answer, that was a tough question, I was fazed by it.


"Always, always protected." He told me.


I breathed  a sigh of relief.


"Yes, always." I breathed a sigh of relief again.


"Your condition, this is not normal, persisting for more than two weeks, it means only one thing: your immune system dropped to a dangerous low level."


I knew that. I researched about the condition way ahead of him but I had to stay mum; anxious, worried, maybe in a bit of denial.


He wrote down the new medications on a new sheet of his Rx pad.


"Scary." I couldn't help but blurt it out to him, of course, in a mild and hushed tone.


"It is." He looked at me then looked back to what he was writing.


He gave me the new prescription. I thanked him again. I also thanked the lady dermatologist and I smiled to them both.


I looked at the new prescription while walking outside the hospital premises. My heart beating faster, sweat forming quicker, breath doing shorter.


I rode a jeepney, bought the new set of medications except for the Diprogenta and went home.


The questions in my head just frazzled me for the whole week.






Part 2