Ask a Korean finally tackles THE big question: “What’s with Koreans eating dog?” The first part is factual. (Warning: dog lovers and vegetarians may find a couple of the images distressing.) The second part is more of a rant against PETA types in general. Like I said… I warned ya.

Back from the doctor. Dr. Rowan suspects whooping cough. I have to get a swab and a blood test tomorrow. Even if I have it, there’s not really anything they can do for me besides the antibiotics I’m already taking. (“You know they call it the ‘Hundred Day Cough,’” she said.) However, if I test positive and you’ve been around me in the past week and you’re feeling sick, get to your doctor. (Especially if you have kids.) And if the test comes back negative, well then I just have a particularly nasty post-viral cough… which they still can’t do anything for.

Oh, and I brought up the race, which is three weeks from today. “You’re not doing it,” she said flatly. “You knew I was going to say that, right? Even if you did do it, you know you wouldn’t do very well.” (She was blunt but honest.) So I’m faxing in my withdrawal form tomorrow. That kinda sucks. But to be honest it’s also a little bit of a relief. Now I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to get healthy and somehow prepare to run 20km in twenty days. She also gave me a prescription for a big-ass bottle of codeine so at least I’ll be able to sleep this week.

I’ll keep you all posted as to the diagnosis.

Cough. Cough.
I’m not getting better. The cough that started eleven days ago is still here, and it’s even worse. I have to take codeine every night in order to sleep (and I wake up and start coughing the second it wears off). My neck and shoulders have been sore all week from the coughing, so I’ve had a persistent tension headache too. My voice quality has varied from almost normal to nearly gone. I’m currently running a slight fever. Oh, and I’m 2/3 of the way through the antiobiotics my doctor prescribed, and they’re clearly not helping. I’m miserable.

I’ve got an appointment to see another doctor tomorrow. I could have walking pneumonia. I could have swine flu. Who the hell knows. Each day this goes on, I can feel the chances of me actually running the half-marathon in three weeks slipping away.

Edited to add: I’ve also just been reminded that NSW is currently having a whooping cough epidemic. “Adults often just have an ongoing cough without the whoop.” Great.