October 11: What's the Point of Medicine If You Don't Think It Will Help?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

​About a week ago, my right elbow hurt to move, was swollen, and felt stiff. Filip, who is trained as a pharmacist, looked at it and gave me anti-inflammatories to take for one week. I don’t like taking pills, but there seemed to be nothing else to do. Today, only a small spot on the bone hurts if I put pressure on it. The bone seems to be protruding more than on the left side, but as I don’t study my body, maybe it was always like that. A few days ago, Filip asked how it was doing. I told him it was better and he was surprised. “I didn’t think it would get better,” he said.

The drugs seemed to make my whole lower arm ache and threatened to give me a headache for the first 15 minutes after I took a pill. Do they dissolve and spread that fast? I don’t know what the drug was. The foil was printed with French.

Now that the summer staff have gone, I am the only woman among four men. I pray they find a female housekeeper for the winter. 

I am staying in the bunkroom this winter. It is a bit chilly with only a plug-in radiator-style electric heater, but the view is worth it. Also, I feel better being slightly separated from the others.