Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Iodine

I am sure that just about everyone in the entire world has heard about the disasters that have been befalling Japan in the recent days, so as such, I figured this would be a great story to share (plus it's fun to embarrass mother dearest).
So since the disasters happened, mother dearest has been getting all of her news from not so accurate American stations who have been really hyping up the severity of the situation, namely the radiation problems, and have caused her to freak the hell out and demand that I go to a doctor and get Iodine. Being the caring daughter that I am, when I went to the doctor to refill my prescriptions to take over with me, I also asked "do you have any medical iodine at all?" and the clerk ponders for a moment and states "we do sell one type here" and proceeds to go acquire it.

Now, this is what mother dearest was expecting me to go get :
Iodine tablets, which you take very shortly after being exposed to higher doses of radiation to help prevent thyroid cancer. People right by the Fukushima plant were given them, because clearly they would have radiation from being within a few miles.


Here is what I came home with:

That would be Iodine solution, which doctors use to disinfect areas before operations, and people use on cuts much like neosporin, it will in no way help prevent cancer and will in fact make you quite ill and yellow if you use it all over your body.

Now at first, I simply showed mother dearest the receipt from the doctor, which simply said "iodine" and a price, and she was so happy.
But then the next day, my brother asked her "did you ever see what Jen actually bought?"
She looked at him quite confused, and we couldn't help ourselves... we began to laugh, and I finally told her that you cannot even purchase Iodine tablets through a doctor in this state, but that I had in fact bought Iodine like she had been so insistent upon me doing.
Poor mother was not too happy, she started saying that I would now not be safe and that over there they will only give the pills if you are a natural born Japanese citizen. This was about when father dearest stepped in and said that he thought the money spent was well worth it for the joke and that mother needs to listen to NPR more (or at least to my brother, who works at power plants)


I love you mom, you are my best friend in the entire world, and I will miss you greatly. Especially being able to do things like this to you <3

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