The Drag in Cultural Differences, or how I loathe feeling ill

No one enjoys feeling ill, even less so when it*'s founded on reality. Yet different cultures have different perceptions and different manners of dealing with illness and its manifestations - hence the "cultural differences" reference in my title above.
Now, having already experienced this for a number of times until now, last week's sudden [and unwelcome] changes in my body's overall state of health had the undesired effect of placing me in front of pharmacists, asking for their precious trade's benefits.

Of course the first time was easy: I explained the matter, she gave me the [hopefully] solution, in a nice package. But painful hours passed, turning into days, and no improvement. So then it's calling for help from other places: Hello, home country calls!

Hours later, having jotted everything down, having looked up the active ingredients [ahem!], and making sure I have several options that the pharmacist might choose from, I was once again on my way to health salvation. Sur-fuckin-prise! "We don't have any product with any of these active ingredients here in Portugal, except for this cream." -- "But I need a product which may be taken orally!..." squeaked I, panicking. -- "Sorry, you will need to see a doctor in that case." came the reply, calmly.
Not a doctor! Not in Portugal! The panic. The anguish. [Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.]
An other pharmacist should be able to do a better job, thought I. And luckily, she has.
Thank you, Dimicina!

*it, as in the sensation of feeling ill