After a fitful night I woke up a 5AM to a major sore throat and am worried about the sudden onset and inflammation. The lymph nodes on the left side are tender and that side is swelling enough to partially close off my pharynx which, as might be expected, worries me greatly as I’d much prefer not to asphyxiate on the boat. I checked google for doctors in the area and was somewhat surprised that there aren’t any at all in English/Falmouth harbours. But ABSAR has an office right next to the docks and they will hopefully attend to me or point me towards a GP in the area. I did take an Ibuflam 600 tablet from my medical stores of analgesics at 6AM in the hopes that it would reduce the inflammation or at least keep it from getting worse.
No coffee, just water and of course my blood pressure and pulse were up from normal due to my anxiety. Once ashore I saw I still 2 hours before the offices were to open, so I walked around the area (slowly, so as not to get out of breath) and generally felt sorry for myself. ABSAR had kindly put a chair outside of the offices, so I spent the last 45 minutes sitting there and realizing that the pain while swallowing had subsided, as had the inflammation. I could breathe normally again and I debated returning to Zanshin, but decided that it would be best to get some professional advice before risking that.
At 09:00 the offices opened and I was checked out. It seems that not only is the feared COVID-19 around, but there are 2 other fevers making the rounds and this could be a precursor or initial symptom – or caused by other external influences such as the Sahara dust being blown onto Antigua from the Atlantic. Be all that as it may, I’m in no danger of choking anymore but might have to deal with a fever – my first sickness since before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I walked to the National Sailing Academy to say goodbye to Alison, then to the English Harbour Dockyards to see what boats, if any, were there. The docks were almost empty with just 2 vessels stern-to the docks. But I now had an explanation for all the people I’d seen the night before and this morning wearing name badges on lines – there is a Green Climate Fund conference taking place .
Dinner was aboard the boat as I didn’t want to go out and about if there was a chance that I’d picked up some flu, even though my temperature was still well below the fever threshold.