This week I had the great misfortune of catching a terrible case of strep throat. I felt fine Monday, but when I woke up Tuesday morning it felt like I had been hit by a truck and swallowed a torch unsuccessfully. I was in dire straights, as many students get into sometimes, but the Health Center on campus does a great job of taking care of the students.
I called the Health Center right after I woke up. They asked what my symptoms were, then offered a list of times that I could make an appointment to see a doctor. I picked the earliest one possible (11:30). When I got to the Health Center I checked in at the front desk, was told to wait in the waiting room and the 2nd floor, and I was called in by my doctor. Normally, they would have a nurse check your vitals (blood pressure, temperature, etc.) before you see the doctor, but the doctor informed me that she suspected I’d need a throat culture which would take 25-30 minutes, so I could just get my vitals checked then. Bending the rules for efficiency, I can dig it!
The entrance to the on campus Health Center.
The doctor ran the usual slough of tests on me and informed me that she suspected it was either strep or mono. She sent me downstairs to the blood lab to have a blood test done to test for mono, and I brought my throat cultures down to the same lab to test for strep. While getting my blood drawn, I was given a couple mini gatorades – the royal treatment, eh? Then I headed back upstairs to get my vitals checked. By the time that was done, my lab results were in (not mono, yay!) and the doctor prescribed me antibiotics and sent my prescription straight to the on campus pharmacy. When I called them they said it’d be ready in 25-30 minutes. I spent the time stocking up on gatorade and soup at the campus center.
The streptococcus bacterium. Seriously, screw these guys.
Long story short: from the time I left my house for the Health Center to the time I made it home with my antibiotics, I’d only been gone one hour and thirty minutes. From testing to diagnosis to prescription, everything was quick and easy – important factors when you feel like death. And this isn’t an isolated case; every trip I’ve made to the Health Center has been fast and easy – they take great care of the students at USC when we’re under the weather. And the campus is currently constructing a brand new, bigger Health Center! Things are only getting better.
Glad the health center was able to take care of you. And so happy you don’t have mono! Yay indeed. Feel better:)