Isaac's Trip to the Doctor

So, Isaac caught a cold about a week and a half ago. Last Thursday, he started not hearing us. I mean literally, I was looking him straight in the face and asked, "Can you hear me?" His response was, "What?" I immediately started him on the antibiotics that our pediatrician had graciously sent with us but still no improvement. Monday was a national holiday...Sports Day, what else? so there were no doctors open so I decided to take him in yesterday. I was told to take him to an ENT since it had to do with his ears and here, that is where you would take him but when I arrived at the ENT at 8:45 (they won't give appts. you just show up and get a number) I found out that they didn't open at 9 but 9:30am. So back in the car we went to drive to a pediatrician's office that I heard studied in the US and speaks English well. I called on our way and got an appt. for 9:30. We arrived and I went in with Isaac and Tanner and filled out the paperwork. The office was filled with all manner of sicknesses. One kid was puking in a bucket, another one was coughing he might as well have been puking and all sorts of sniffles and sneezes. Needless to say, I kept Tanner on my lap and kept pulling out the hand sanitizer. At our Dr. in the US...they had sick/well waiting rooms....I miss those!! Anyways, we wait, and we wait, and we wait and after 45 minutes past our appt. time I decide I am going to be the bold gaijin and go find out where the heck our appt. time went. They immediately apologized and took us back. We finally meet the Dr. and she asked us some questions and started examining Isaac. After her examination, she said, "I think he has an ear infection." This made me nervous because you really never want to hear your doctor say, "I think" especially when you are in a foreign country and not entirely comfortable with the medical situation to begin with. I am hoping it was just a translation error or that since he has been on the antibiotic, maybe it is clearing up and doesn't look too infected anymore. She gave us the prescriptions we needed and told us to stay on the antibiotics from the states and we went to check out. Well, no one told me that in Japan, you then WAIT to check out until they call your name. I had seen a person come out of the examination room when we had first arrived and they were STILL waiting to be checked out...I assumed it was because they were running tests or something...no...you just wait FOREVER to get your bill and prescriptions. So, I decided to be the rude gaijin again and asked for our prescription and bill so that we could get out of there. There were 10 more new sick kids in that waiting room and this germphobe was NOT going to wait in that. Thankfully, they obliged and we headed to the pharmacy. I have no idea what I am giving my child to take other than that it is for his cough and mucus. He still can't hear this morning....which is working out way too well for him. "Isaac, go make your bed and do your morning chores." "What Mom? I can't hear you!"