Worse than an eye exam

As most of you know, I am a big Brian Regan fan. He is a very hilarious comedian and does a bit about an eye exam. "I dont know about you, but I concentrate like crazy during the eye exam. You dont want to get a D on that thing and end up with these big thick coke bottle lenses.... Its important. They dont call it a quiz."

Yesterday, I do believe that I found a test that could possibly cause a much larger anxiety attack than that of the eye exam--- Being fit tested for an isolation mask. (It is possible that that is not the proper name, but thats what I call it!) That too is a test that you dont want to fail. For much larger reasons then getting humiliated because of your glasses. Since I will be working with some children who have illnesses that are spread through the air (e.g. Tuberculosis, chicken pox etc..), there are certain masks that one must wear into their rooms. These are not just regular masks mind you- they must fit exactly to your face so that you will not be exposed to what they have.

The way this test (not quiz) is given is that one person- Im assuming she was a nurse- places a large clear plastic cover over your head and then proceeds to spray a nasty flavored substance into a little hole. This is done first so that you know what it tastes like. You then remove the plastic thingy and take a drink of water so as to remove the taste from your mouth. (Is it just me or is that a little silly? Water is going to remove the taste? I would have liked a brownie instead!) Then you put a specialized mask over your nose and mouth, replace the head gear from outer space and she sprays it in the hole again and then asks if you can taste it! TALK ABOUT PRESSURE!!! I was positive that I could, but then I wasnt sure. I was going back and forth with my answer. Each time she asked "can you taste it?" I again felt like Brian Regan. His experience with the eye doctor is like this:

"I hate that test because I can't commit. I can feel the eye doctor loosing his patience with me."

Doctor: "Lets try it again Brian. Which one do you like better. Number 1 or number 2"
Brian: "Um.. (silence).. I don't like either one of those"
Doctor: "Yeah, but that wasnt the question that I asked was it? I asked you which one you liked better and i was careful to phrase it that way. So why dont you keep that in mind while we try it yet again.
Brian: (Blinking and swallowing many times).. They're about the same!!!
Doctor: "Why would I waste your time and mine by making them both the same? Did you ever stop to think about that? Should we try it one more time?"

Mine experience was similar:

Nurse: "Can you taste it?"
Me: (Blank stare while licking my lips)"um..."
Nurse: Staring back at me wondering why I'm not answering
Me: (Swallowing hard and feeling my heart race) "um..."
Nurse: Looking at me confused at why I haven't answered yet.
Me: (Hoping that she'll validate my hesitancy by saying that its hard to tell, but getting nothing but a stare ) " um...I don't know"
Nurse: "Lets try it again" Sprays it again
"Can you taste it?"
Me: (It tastes the same in here I think! I wish I had a brownie to start over with!) "um..."

I will spare you the rest of the conversation because lets just say it was all about the same!

I would have to say that it was probably her longest visit with a patient all day!