Cough Cough...

I go to Dr Wu because his clinic is conveniently located right outside our apartment building, literally. When you're sick, taking more than an elevator ride to get to a doctor is a bitch. I went to him last week, and was diagnosed with a throat and vocal cord infection. As usual it takes no longer than 20 seconds for him to give a diagnosis. After precisely 16 seconds, I was kicked out of his office with three days' medication and a note for a day's leave.

I took my leave and my medication as ordered. The voice came back but the throat refused to clear. And the sniffles joined in.

As an effort to cut my wallet some slack, I resorted to Chinese medicine. Once a week, Dr Ng—a Chinese medicine practitioner highly regarded among some of my colleagues—comes up to our office and offers consultation to those in need for $50 apiece. I’ve consulted her a few times before and didn’t find her to be the miracle worker some of my colleagues say she is. Nonetheless she’s the buffet king of medicine. Consultations can last as long as 20 minutes depending on what kind of questions the patient asks. And it’s all you can ask. When she came on Monday, I went to her, because she was conveniently set up in the conference room of our office, literally. When you’re sick and working, taking more than 20 steps to get to a doctor is a bitch. The two doses of herbal tea she prescribed together with preparation fee came to $70. Still under half of what I paid at Dr Wu’s.

I downed the two cups of shit water as ordered. The sniffles went away, but the throat was only itchier. And the fever kicked in.

I’d like to say that as reluctant as I was to shell out another $250 I went back to good old trusty western medicine today. But I’ve yet to verify just how “trusty” Dr Wu’s 20-second consultations can be.