Blimey!! I have mumps! The weird thing is that I have already had mumps. I had mumps when I was eleven.
The other day when I got up my neck was bit swollen near my jaw and below the ear. I was in no pain but when I probed the swelling with my fingers it felt a bit tender. Over the course of the day, I started to feel worse with a mild headache and aching ankles, knees and wrists.
So I paid a visit to the NHS walk in centre and waited to see a nurse. The nurse asked me to describe my symptoms and asked me what I thought it might be. She looked like she knew exactly what it was but she was amused that I hadn't guessed what it was. I said that I might have an infection. She asked me again if I had any idea what it might be. I said that it might be an abscess but that these normally cause tooth pain (I had an abscess once and it was horrible). The nurse informed me that I had mumps. I was completely surprised. It hadn't even occurred to me that I might have mumps! I told the nurse that I had mumps when I was eleven but she explained that in rare cases someone can have mumps twice. Apparently, if you have been infected on one side of your face then if you catch mumps a second time then the virus will infect the other side of your face.
Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated note, here's a music video of The Cramps' "All Women Are Bad" (note: the song title should not be taken literally... the song employs a tongue-in-cheek retelling of various biblical stories to mock traditional stereotypes)
All women are bad
The other day when I got up my neck was bit swollen near my jaw and below the ear. I was in no pain but when I probed the swelling with my fingers it felt a bit tender. Over the course of the day, I started to feel worse with a mild headache and aching ankles, knees and wrists.
So I paid a visit to the NHS walk in centre and waited to see a nurse. The nurse asked me to describe my symptoms and asked me what I thought it might be. She looked like she knew exactly what it was but she was amused that I hadn't guessed what it was. I said that I might have an infection. She asked me again if I had any idea what it might be. I said that it might be an abscess but that these normally cause tooth pain (I had an abscess once and it was horrible). The nurse informed me that I had mumps. I was completely surprised. It hadn't even occurred to me that I might have mumps! I told the nurse that I had mumps when I was eleven but she explained that in rare cases someone can have mumps twice. Apparently, if you have been infected on one side of your face then if you catch mumps a second time then the virus will infect the other side of your face.
Meanwhile, on a completely unrelated note, here's a music video of The Cramps' "All Women Are Bad" (note: the song title should not be taken literally... the song employs a tongue-in-cheek retelling of various biblical stories to mock traditional stereotypes)
All women are bad
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
key:
Thank you!
aristophanes:
Answering you question -- alcoholic cider is not wholly unavailable but it's not common, in the US. Some bars carry it, and some grocery stores. Pear cider, though, is very rare -- I only ever found it at one restaurant in Arizona before.