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I’m Felix, 26, a YouTuber, and I moved abroad a few years ago. This account is my first hands-on experience with the new germanic medicine, after having studied a lot of the theory.

Since I rarely get sick, this was a particularly intense experience for me. In fact, the pain was so severe that, for the first time in my life, I bought painkillers for myself. It might sound like I’m a wimp, but that’s not really the case—though I do need to complain less, yes.

Disclaimer: This account contains some polemics as well as painful and gross descriptions.

Conflict: Sitting on pins and needles at an expat gathering in a restaurant

I arrived right on time and waited alone at the reserved table for 10 minutes. It wasn’t a public gathering, but a get-together with acquaintances—some of whom were friends of mine, and some who weren’t.

The first person to show up was an unannounced acquaintance whom I can’t stand—in part because he has a tendency to “talk nonstop.” He talked my ear off for 10–15 minutes, which made me uncomfortable. I don’t even know if I would have come if I’d known he was coming, too. Probably not.

Little by little, the others trickled in.

The staff was overwhelmed that day and kept forgetting orders or bringing the wrong things.

Another person in the group (I’ll call her “the leader”), whom I didn’t like to begin with, made various remarks that made me like her even less. I kept my participation in the conversation to a minimum.

Unfortunately, the food was only so-so this time, the air was stuffy with nearly 10 people at the table, and pretty soon the whole situation started to get on my nerves.

I wanted to pay, but the “leader” of the group wanted to stay seated and chat a bit longer. Unfortunately, due to social conventions, I couldn’t just leave and escape the uncomfortable situation. For the next half hour, I felt like I was back in school, as if I were sitting on hot coals.

Of course, the waiters didn’t think to bring us the check, so I asked for it at the bar. Again, it took forever for it to arrive. Others were also surprised by this “service.”

When the bill finally arrived, the group leader explained to us that those who hadn’t ordered appetizers still had to chip in for the cost.

Sorry if I sound petty here, but the group leader knows that some people at the table don’t necessarily have a lot of money and only order the bare minimum they need. The group leader is quite wealthy, but very stingy.

This move left me speechless (I couldn’t even swallow!).

Of course, the appetizers were ordered—and later “generously” offered to the others (since he couldn’t possibly eat them all himself)—by the person who then footed the bill (out of his own pocket).

The group would never have ordered them, especially not if they’d had to pay for them or known they’d have to foot the bill later. Sorry for the drama.

I just wanted to pay and leave. I was sick and tired of the stuffy restaurant where I’d been sitting (uncomfortably) for so long—and, of course, especially of that person.

I was incredibly relieved once I was outside, but unfortunately I was annoyed about it for a long time afterward. The next day, I dropped hints to two friends who had also been there about how much I’d disliked the evening.

The leader of the group later wrote that the evening had been great and that, since he was leaving soon, he’d like to do it again in a few days. You should have seen my face.

Perhaps it was only then that my conflict—or rather, a further escalation of it—really set in, because I just wanted to undo the upcoming plans.

The second gathering took place, though without me. I hadn’t slept at all the night before and, understandably, wasn’t particularly thrilled about the idea of spending another evening like that anyway.

The next day, I met up with a friend who wasn’t involved. I spoke my mind clearly to him and decided to limit contact with the person in question as much as possible. Unfortunately, a complete break isn’t really possible because we have mutual friends.

One day after our talk, the person in question went away for a while, which meant further meetings couldn’t take place for the time being. Maybe that was the resolution to the conflict? Probably, because otherwise the symptoms would have had to start earlier.

Recovery phase:

Two days after the conversation, I woke up with a sore throat and a headache. Unfortunately, I don’t know for sure if I had already been feeling unwell the night before—it’s quite possible.

I had slept poorly and was lying in bed with chills. These might also have been caused by the fact that, in the days leading up to this, I had frequently been exposed to air conditioners that I felt were set too low, but which I couldn’t turn off (e.g., in restaurants or when visiting others).

I had to move that day (perhaps the upcoming change of location was also the resolution of the conflict?). The sun, lugging my few belongings, and the drive were truly an ordeal. I was completely exhausted and nearly collapsed from fatigue at several points throughout the day. By evening, the sore throat had developed into a full-blown tonsillitis on the left side.

I noticed my hot hands, my foul-smelling saliva (as well as my own bad breath!), and my pus-filled tonsils. Then it dawned on me… the healing phase!

I had an appetite, but I couldn’t eat much because of the severe pain. I spent 2–3 days trying to figure out the source of my conflict—of course, I didn’t figure it out right away.

Have you ever held a smartphone with the flashlight on inside your mouth while standing in front of a mirror? It’s interesting what you can see there. By the way, I had a really bad case of lockjaw and also pain radiating toward my larynx during the inflammation. It wasn’t until I was writing this report that I realized my larynx was probably inflamed too. That at least explains the really severe pain.

To take the photos, I first had to drink ice-cold water and, in a lot of pain, practically pry my mouth open with both hands. After taking the photos, I felt like crying from the pain. Swallowing was also very painful, and I kept putting it off for what felt like forever by using spittoons. Of course, getting even a few hours of sleep was out of the question, since your throat constantly fills with saliva, which won’t let you rest.

I didn’t sleep until the morning—for 1–2 hours (when the birds were already chirping and the “danger” had passed)—and was able to catch up on some sleep later.

On the third day of recovery, the inflammation had subsided somewhat, but it returned in the evening—and was worse than on the first day of recovery (this must have been one of the peak moments of the tonsillitis). By that point, the chills had already mostly gone away.

Swallowing was very painful; at times, my right tonsil and my teeth also hurt (a sudden, twitching pain).
If I’d had painkillers, I would have taken them, but since I was in bed at midnight, I had no choice but to make do with a cold towel. As I mentioned, I’m actually never sick and don’t take painkillers—I have quite an aversion to them.

On the fourth day, it was still painful, but a little less so. I sipped some cold yogurt at night, which felt good. But I still slept very little, since the pain definitely intensifies when I’m at rest.

Occasionally, I notice tiny calcium deposits on my tongue, like sand. These are probably small particles of the carcinoma that forms during the CA phase of the yellow group.

I’m writing this report on the fifth day. The swelling is now only on the left side again, but it still hurts (visible on the left in the picture). Hopefully it will be over tomorrow… all this spitting is driving me crazy.

If I’ve thought this through correctly, the healing phase should last 4–6 days. That’s how long the conflict must have been active. Things should start to get better by the 6th at the earliest, or the 8th at the latest.

I actually slept really well last night, leading up to the 6th, except for a few minor interruptions. But it’s not over yet.

Day 7: Okay, damn it, it hurts so much again that I can barely lie down. I slept for 2 hours this afternoon and sweated a lot in bed. I also got a cramp in my lower back. We’ll see what tomorrow brings...

Day 8: Bought turmeric for golden milk and ibuprofen. My throat is so swollen it’s very hard to talk; I have absolutely no desire to.

Day 9: Still terrible; I hope it’s really over by tomorrow evening. The main thing is that the ibuprofen doesn’t prolong the healing process too much. Very uncomfortable night—no sleep.

Day 10: Painful. I had absolutely no appetite and didn’t eat any solid food. I did drink half a liter of golden milk, though. During the night, some large chunks came loose.

Day 11: At 3 a.m., I got heartburn. A lot of brown mucus is coming out of my throat—probably pus mixed with turmeric. The taste is uniquely disgusting, which leads to (yes, I know, very painful) nausea. It’s really no fun with a locked jaw—ow.

Since then, I’ve been mostly healthy, but my voice hasn’t fully returned yet. I still have a locked jaw and mild difficulty swallowing. The pain is very mild now, and I’m finally able to sleep normally again.

There was another minor relapse after I got myself worked up again over the situation while visiting an acquaintance. All in all, after just about a month, I could hardly feel anything from my left tonsil anymore.

Interestingly, even now, two months later, you can still clearly see in my throat that something was there (right picture).

I’ve learned a great deal from this experience:

There seems to be some truth to the Germanic theory. 😉
It’s incredibly important who you surround yourself with. If you’re not on the same wavelength, the potential for conflict is enormous.
I need to become much more relaxed; otherwise, my recovery periods will take forever.

I hope you enjoyed this report, dear reader. I truly hope you never have to go through anything like this.