E28 Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Description: 

An immersive reading of an excerpt from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott with reflection on symptoms and treatments for the common cold and the clinician patient relationship. 

Website:

https://anauscultation.wordpress.com/ 

Work:

 excerpt from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott  

Two nights ago I showed up to teach my class with a raw chest and a raging sore throat, that kind that feels like cancer of the trachea. I happen to have two doctors in this class, and one of them tried to assure me that it probably wasn't tracheal cancer, that in fact the viral cloud of mid-autumn had descended and many people were having similar symptoms. The other doctor recommended drinking really, really hot water. "Hot water?" I said. "Hot water? I should be home hooked up to an epidural, drinking codeine cough syrup, and you're prescribing hot water?" Then I threatened to lower his grade. (Of course, this is not a graded workshop, so my students tend to roll their eyes when I threaten them.) At the break, that doctor brought me a cup of boiling water, as though for tea but without the tea bag, and I drank it. My throat and chest stopped aching about twenty seconds later. 

I hate that. 

References:

Bird by Bird: https://www.tatteredcover.com/book/9780385480017 

https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/otc-pharmaceuticals/cold-cough-remedies/united-states 

Earn DJ, Andrews PW, Bolker BM. Population-level effects of suppressing fever. Proc Biol Sci. 2014 Jan 22;281(1778):20132570.

Jaume F, Valls-Mateus M, Mullol J. Common Cold and Acute Rhinosinusitis: Up-to-Date Management in 2020. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2020 Jun 3;20(7):28.

Spector SL. The common cold: current therapy and natural history. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1995 May;95(5 Pt 2):1133-8.

NB: Tattered Cover is a local Denver bookstore