At the beginning of my book review on July 4, I mentioned I had the worst sore throat ever. Ha!
After much procrastination and a fever rising to 102° yesterday evening, I decided that maybe I’d go to one of those Urgent Care facilities, which then sent me to the Emergency Room.
My sore throat was indeed the sore throat from hell as it was strep “gone bad” as the doctor at the Urgent Care put it. Evidently if you’ve never had your tonsils out (like moi), you can develop a peritonsillar abscess, which needs to be drained, plus the added pleasure of intravenous steroids to reduce swelling and intravenous antibiotics.
Just to add further delight, because I was barely able to swallow even liquids yesterday, I was severely dehydrated, which made trying to find a vein to put the IV in like searching for a vein of water in the Sahara, and my swollen right hand shows it.
But, alas, it all ends on a good note. I am home, hugged Scout multiple times, and am slowly beginning to feel like ME again!
As a typical writer, I observed a lot of usable things in my 6 hours in the ER. My ENT at the hospital was a blessing, just a wonderful and funny human being, who might find her way into a story. After encountering so many humorless, impatient doctors, she was a gem.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you all an update that things might not be back to normal here at the microcosm until tomorrow, but definitely (why do I feel like I should add a “hopefully?”) Monday.
In the meantime, take care of yourselves, and don’t procrastinate on health issues as I evidently do.
Hugs, Sascha
Glad to know you got it sorted. Sympathise with the vein issues though……….. mine run for cover at the sight of a needle, and even if the nurse finds one, it’s usually kevlar coated.
Thank you. Yep, my veins don’t like needles…but then I don’t either. 🙂
🙂
Hope you’re back to normal soon. Take care.
Thank you, Sandra. Me too! 🙂
That sound like quite the ordeal. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much. It is definitely a lesson-learned. 🙂
I’m happy you’re feeling better and that you went into emergency; I don’t know how you handled so much time with the pain/not being able to swallow, even liquids!
I have a friend who has suffered from strep throat often since high school. She’ll get it, than it appears to go away, but then three-weeks later she has a cold and is sick with strep again and the cycle would repeat over various rounds of antibiotics.
This kept occurring for J and the doctors advised against removing her tonsils as it’s actually a risky procedure even though 25 years ago many kids had this surgery such as my Aunt, for instance. Anyways, My friend J, got tired of missing months and weeks from work, and having to use vacation time as sick time. She got her tonsils out last year. She had to too take about 3 weeks to recover and the first couple of weeks she was on the jello/icecream/applesauce/smoothie diet. But, by the third she started to recover quickly and hasn’t had strep in the 6 or s months since, which is a record for her.
So, if strep is something you get often and you have benefits that pay for it, it might actually make you healthier to have your tonsils out as it did for J. That abscess doesn’t sound fun!
Side Note: As I’m replying to you, a neighbor lady is swearing at her husband/boyfriend and harping at him — cons of having an open window. He locked her out and closed the window, and decided to have another beer and ignore her. I don’t know what he did, but she’s the one yelling like a banshee down the back alley lol. She was banging on the door/window hard and he finally opened it and told her to calm down. He was probably scared, if you heard her, you would be too lol.
Take care and feel better 🙂
First, I think you should write a story about your side note, which I appreciate your sharing, btw.
This is the first time I’ve ever had strep and I was kind of stunned when it was diagnosed because I didn’t think I’d been around anyone who had it.
I heard it was safer to get your tonsils out when you are a kid. I don’t know if that’s still true. I’m hoping that this is a one-off and also that I feel perky again. I don’t like this when the weather is so nice and all I want to do is lie around.
I hope your Las Vegas trip was great!
Thanks, Mandi! 🙂
You’re right it would make a good story. I never thought of that it just made me laugh. I’m glad this is a one time thing. J was 32 and her dr still refused saying it wasn’t worth the risk for the past couple of years until J finally said enough. Vegas was awesome and I had a lot of fun; I’m sure you saw the FB pics. As well, if you’ve had it once, you’ll be fine, and know the symptoms now so if it does happen, you can stop it b4 it gets that bad & go get antibiotics or whatever to end it fast. I hope you’re feeling Bette and can enjoy the warm weather with Scout. Cheers
hope you feel better soon. you are such a cool lady, using your time in ER writing, awesome!
I couldn’t sit with my companion in the “sub-waiting room.” Who knew there was a “sub-waiting room?” So I was kind of left to my devices, which was observation and that voice in my head.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Yikes! That sounds nasty. Makes my throat hurt just thinking about it. How do they drain an abscess in your throat? Glad you’re feeling better. I bet Scout was worried.
Yeah, Between the urgent care and the emergency room I was kind of hoping that there would be a different diagnosis because I am a complete wuss, who evidently tolerates pain well, but still a wuss.
They drained the abscess with a needle. The first poke was fine. Kind of like a novocaine injection, but it didn’t really remove any pus. The second poke felt like someone had used a 1/2 inch screw. She kept saying: breathe, I don’t hear you breathing. ha. That time she extracted 2 ccs of pus and asked me if I wanted to see it. Hehe, I said: no thank you.
I think Scout knew I wasn’t right because he could probably smell it.
Thanks, Maggie! 🙂
I think that would cause a gag reflex. Yuck. So I googled that abscess. Yikes. Really scary. Remind me no to get one. Glad you survived. (Don’t breathe on Scout–that infection probably smells terrible). 😉
Yeah. Oddly enough it didn’t cause a gag reflex. Maybe that’s because they sprayed anesthetic stuff on my throat? I dunno. Although I have to say if that stuff was supposed to numb it, I’d to have felt what it was like without it.
Oh, I’m sure my breath is better now than it was before….and he did smell my breath.
I’m pretty glad I survived too. 🙂
Bless your heart. My daughter has had that happen to her too. When she was young the doctors refused to remove her tonsils even though she had strep over and over and tonsillitis more times than I can count, because she wasn’t sick enough times in a certain amount of months!!!!! WTF!
I had mine out when I was six and the doctors are the ones who suggested it to my parents. Thank Heavens.
I feel bad for your daughter–a sore throat that is this bad is no fun at all and I’ve experienced a lot of different pains and this one ranks up there.
Thank you! 🙂
Dear Sascha,
I seriously hated clicking like for this. Glad you’re on the mend.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Get better soon!
Thank you so much. Already much improved from last week…if only I could stay awake. lol
You need the sleep to recuperate!
Glad you’re better. I, on the other hand, am man down, although my boss suggested I might mean woman down, with sore throat. I seem to think I have tonsilitis, as like you, I still have my tonsils (if we are meant to take them out because they do nothing anyway and only make us sick, why do humans have them in the first place?). Hubby thinks nasal drip. I hate nasal drip as I start to cough horribly and forever.
I also turn people I mean in real life into characters in stories. It makes meeting strangers and possible new friends exciting.
Anne, I feel that I am commiserating with you. I’ve had a dental this week and the soft tissue around the tooth is rebelling so I’m still feeling badly.
You should see guidance on your throat. I had no idea but if you haven’t had your tonsils out but are susceptible to strep, etc. it can get worse with age.
I hope you feel better. It’s no fun feeling bad. And, I swear anything in the mouth or throat makes us feel 100% worse.
Ah, we’re like kindred spirits. 🤗❤ I hope the tooth/tissue starts to behave soon. I can related with what you’re saying about the feeling being worse when mouth or throat is involved. And the dentist isn’t mich loved by money. I don’t mind. 😃
Thank you so much, Sascha. I do feel better. It’s tonsilitis, so I’m on antibiotics. I also suffer a bit from sinusitis so on medication for that, too.
Take care. Much love and hugs. ❤🤗
Hugs to you. I hope you feel much better soon!