Saturday, January 22, 2011

Now for something completely different

On Friday after school, Max turned to me with That Voice--the one that sounds like he has a marble in the back of his throat. "Mommy, is it possible to get strep throat in Japan?"

Oh yes, it's time for Max's annual strep throat festival!

On Saturday morning we went to the pediatric clinic where we'd gotten flu shots. We didn't need an appointment. We waited about 10 minutes. I showed the nurse my notes:


A quick doctor check. A rapid strep test. Sure 'nuf. We paid and were out of there in about 30 minutes. Here was the fee (about $20).

(National health insurance pays the rest.)

I'm mainly telling you all this so I can show you how Max's medicine came from the pharmacy--in this powder form, sealed into little individual dose-packets. (This is pretty standard in Japan.) We have to mix it with juice, or he can just slam it. He says it tastes like orange gatorade.

That's what pinko commie health care can look like.

Take that, John Boehner.

1 comment:

  1. more reasons to love japan....from an uninsured american who hasn't seen a doctor in more than 2 decades!!!

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