Yipeee! I have strep throat!!!

Last Wednesday night I told Craig my throat had a sore spot and it was kind of annoying. Thursday led to a slightly more sore throat and I was markedly tired. I also felt some drainage in the back of my throat, so I immediately diagnosed myself. Sinus drainage- it would pass after a few days. By Friday I was describing how I felt as "skunk butt". I took whatever I had in my medicine cabinet that had anything to do with pain relief. Unfortunately, this was one TheraFlu thin strip and some sinus tablets that had expired 13 months ago. I hadn't eaten anything all day because it was so painful to swallow. I chalked being so tired and weak up to having not eaten in 24 hours and was in bed by 8:00.
I trudged through Saturday, still miserable. I tell you, I was convinced that ANY MINUTE I would begin to feel better. I couldn't imagine going to a doctor or buying some other medicine. Waste of money. So I gargled salt water, gargled hydrogen peroxide, sipped hot lemon/honey/red pepper flakes, sucked on an ice cube--- nothing brought me relief.
Finally I gave in and went to the Redi Clinic Sunday morning. I must have looked pathetic- I was the first person there, even beating the nurses! But it was a good strategy, because 7 people walked in within 5 minutes of my arrival. I felt like a fool- no fever, normal blood pressure, no ear infection, not even a stuffy nose! As the nurse checked off each non-symptom, I could hear her thinking "Quack". And when she looked in my throat and said "hmmm" I knew she had discovered how empty my throat is. I had my adenoids, tonsils, and uvula removed almost 6 years ago. She said "Hard to see any irritation when there isn't much back there". Really? You don't say. Then she swabbed my throat and ran a strep test, and it almost seemed she was doing it as a last resort. She waited a few minutes and told me it was negative. Lawsy- I felt like an idiot. I wanted to grab her and shake her and say "Razor blades! There are razor blades in my throat! I don't care what all the other signs point to- just make the blades go away so I can swallow my own spit without having to work up the nerve to do so!!!" But I didn't. I just waited while she wrote me a obligatory prescription for a decongestant.
I dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy and proceeded to make the most depressing stroll through HEB I have ever experienced. Apparently, the Christmas season started yesterday at HEB. All the checkers and baggers had on Santa hats. And they had samples of everything considered seasonal. Egg nog, wassail, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, ham, turkey, cornbread dressing, gingerbread cookies, coffee, and even sushi! Remember what I said about the razor blades? I couldn't touch a bit of any of it!!! So what should have been a delightful 30 minute wait amidst a practical buffet of holiday treats turned in to me with a scowl I know translated in to "Bah humbug" plastered on my face while I clinched my arms tightly across my chest and drug my feet down each aisle.
My mood lightened as I approached the pharmacy to check on the status of my order. The tech looked up and said "Guess what? The doctor called and said it is strep after all! The test turned positive as she was throwing it away!". I have never had strep, but I do know that a simple round of antibiotics should kick its butt pretty quickly. So the words "You DO have strep" have probably never been met with greater relief!
I am 36 hours in to my antibiotics and would say I am 95% better. I was reminded once again of the amazing benefit of working from home, as the doctor told me to not go to work for 48 hours because strep is highly contagious. But because I felt so much better, and there is no way to spread strep through the phone, IM, or e-mail, I was able to put in an 8 hour day. No time lost from work. I also saw my amazing husband in action once again as he kept the kids away from me as much as possible from Friday night through last night, and even kept them fed, gave them baths, and cleaned the kitchen. I shouldn't act surprised, as Craig has always been able and willing to take on his 70 hour a week job and as much as I need around the house to make things run smoothly. But it's nice to see. I told him I would kiss him last night, but I didn't want him getting sick! I'll give him a good kiss tomorrow.
More than anything, this weekend showed me how much I am like my mom. I use to hate the fact that the only diagnosis she ever had for me and my brother was "it's your sinuses". She would never rush us to the doctor like other kids' moms, and would make us wait it out. She was forever making us try herbal, homeopathic remedies, or down expired medicines (because they were still good, how can medicine go bad?) Sheesh- she rubbed off on me in ways I never thought possible. But she has also saved me hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars in unnecessary doctor visits for me and the kids.
I'm glad I'm feeling better- and I promise you right here and now that I will run to the Redi Clinic the next time my throat feels anything remotely like it did this past week. Now that I know what strep feels like, I won't ever let it get as far as it did this time!