I’ve been sick for almost a month. I’m lucky if I operate at an 80% capacity under normal circumstances, so you can imagine how far behind I’ve fallen in a month.
It started the day after Christmas. I woke up feeling icky. Nothing specific, save for a slightly sore throat, just a general icky feeling. I pushed it aside (mistake #1) because we had plans. For Christmas we gave Taryn and John tickets to STOMP, made dinner reservations for the four of us, and even hired a babysitter. I never hire babysitters. I have two 16-year-olds, usually I say, “you’re babysitting from X time to X time. You’re welcome for all the food, clothing, and shelter.” An hour into the show, I was done. I crashed hard that night.
The next morning I woke up with a slightly worse sore throat. I felt a little more icky, but didn’t have a fever. I went to my 9 AM appointment to have poison shot in my back to help diagnose what’s wrong with it. (Mistake #2) By 2 PM that day I had a fever of 102 and couldn’t swallow anything but water. I checked in with Dr. Hoosier - a pain specialist – and told his secretary about my fever and scratchy throat. She thought the fever was probably related to being sick, but that the shot weakened my immune system, information I should have paid attention to prior to getting it. (Mistake #3) She called back with a message that he had diagnosed me with strep throat. (I looked and did have large white pustules on my throat. Despite diagnosing me from a message, he wasn’t wrong.) He called in a Z-Pack. According to my regular Doctor this is not the appropriate course of treatment for strep. (Mistake #4) I spent two full days in bed and two more days waiting for the white pustules to go away. I’ve had strep before and it usually doesn’t take that long to clear up. I never called my regular Doctor about that. (Mistake #5)
Once my throat cleared up I tried to get on with my normal life. But I still felt a little bad. I was worn out and had a head cold. I also had a weird rash on my chest. I thought it was from the sunburn I got on our pre-Christmas trip to Hawaii. I’ve lived in this miserable frozen tundra for over three years, so I haven’t had a sunburn in a while. I ignored it. (Mistake #6)
The rash got worse and moved from my upper chest down to my abdomen. I thought I was allergic to my new shampoo, so I stopped using it. I took Benadryl. Nothing helped so I called my doctor. The morning of my appointment I googled “adult rashes” and got lots of hits about shingles. Ah, yes shingles. I’d had shingles once before and convinced myself they had struck again. I told the nurse, then the Doctor, “I have this rash, I think it might be shingles.” (Mistake #7) He agreed and put me on strong antiviral meds.
But as the week wore on, I started to think it wasn’t acting like shingles. It didn’t hurt, it itched. And it was spreading, rapidly. The photo I showed you guys was a few days after my Doctor appointment. Many readers wrote about their experiences with shingles and offered words of support. One even sent me a photo of his, I thought mine looked different but maybe I had a different strain. Another reader mentioned on Facebook that shingles don’t usually go that low. Still, I took my meds until they were gone before calling my Doctor again. (Mistake #8)
When I saw my Doctor last Friday, he immediately said, “Whoa, that’s not shingles.” The rash had spread all down my torso, down my legs, and was starting to show up on my arms. It was angry, red, and flakey. I was itchy all over. My Doctor was stumped. His student Doctor was also stumped. At one point all three of us were on our smartphones Googling possible rashes. None of us could find the answer, a true first world problem. He ordered blood work and called in a topical steroid to try. It might not work, since he wasn’t sure what was wrong but it was the only idea. He also called Dermatology upstairs. To my great surprise, the Air Force Dermatologist came down within minutes.
He took one look at me and said, “That’s Guttate Psoriasis. It’s a reaction to a strep throat infection.”
Frick on a stick.
If I hadn’t gotten that stupid shot, I probably wouldn’t have gotten strep. If I’d called my real doctor, I would have gotten the right antibiotics and not have had strep for so long. If I wouldn’t have had strep for so long I wouldn’t have gotten the rash. If I wouldn’t have web-diagnosed myself with shingles, my doctor wouldn’t have thought that’s what I had. If I’d have called him after a couple of days, I wouldn’t be covered in nasty psoriasis. Ugh. First lesson; if you’re sick, get your arse in bed and stay there until you feel better. Seriously.
Also!
The treatment for Guttate Psoriasis is light box therapy. Or sunshine.
So really, this is totally Alaska’s fault. Stupid Alaska.
Yes yes yes. Blame it on AK. I agree with that “diagnosis”. When I had a strange rash, they said it was related to a bad cold (said the JBER hospital). When I had strep, they gave me a shot in the behind and a cocktail of liquid steroids. AMAZING. Zpacks are for sinus problems, right??
I blame everything on AK!
What a mess! I hope you’re feeling better by now. In the words of Sweet Brown. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
Seriously sister!! Moms of twins ain’t got time to be sick!
Are they 100% sure?
I only ask because my mom had a similar situation this past fall – and it turned out to be mono…
Started with a sore throat that resembled strep, and resulted in antibiotics. But it wasn’t strep. And she found out the hard way that the mono virus can react with antibiotics causing a VERY itchy rash all over the body.
Might be worth exploring if it doesn’t get better soon.
Hmmm…I’ll keep that in mind when I go back to the Doctor next week. Thank you!
Aw Bridget! I did crack a smile that you ended up blaming Alaska.. Of course it’s Alaska’s fault. How can it not be?
I hope you feel better soon and start taking care of yourself Missy, Moms are important too! Hugs and love.
Thanks, I’m getting better. Dal was great about managing the family. Of course, no he’s sick! Boo:(
Clearly you must go back to Hawaii posthaste. For medical reasons, of course.
Obviously that is the only way to treat this properly!
This is awful! Doctors are stupid. Really.
Nah, it’s mostly my fault. I’m the worst patient ever.
what the hell is light box therepy????? is it something alaskans created to make up for lack of sunshine?
It is. Seriously. People go and sit under sun lamps in the winter because the lack of light is depressing. I think this is more like getting a tan without all the bad stuff.
Feel better soon! Enjoy the light box.
Thanks, I’m sure I’ll be back to normal (my normal) soon!
Hmmm, I took zpack for strep and it worked because I can’t take penicillin. I hope your light box therapy is enjoyable and warming. Get better quickly…
Maybe my regular Doctor was wrong about that, it seems to be a theme.
I have always used a Z pack for strep as have my kids and always gotten over it. But I figured your rash was strep related when you mentioned you had strep above. Been there done that it sucks royally. Hoping you clear up quick hun..
Did you do light box therapy for it or did it go away on its own?
The rash will go away. Viral rashes always scare me. So sorry about all this. I’ve been sick for almost 3 weeks. Just starting to feel better. Nothing worse than winter misery except being sick during winter misery. FEEL BETTER!
I’m glad you’re starting to feel better! I swear I haven’t been this sick in ages!
I’m glad it’s not Shingles [again], but sorry you’re under par. Get well soon – maybe in Hawaii.
Another trip to Hawaii is exactly what I need.
You and Hot Joe belong together.
And Dallas now. It’s a germ-filled threesome.
I lived in AK for five years. We went to Mexico for a couple of weeks for some deep sea fishing. When got back to AK, had horrible red rash, blisters, the whole ball of wax. Went to Dr. Was told that I was alergic to the sun. How could I be alergic to sun, when I had been raised in the desert SW was my question to him. Was told that sun rays in AK not as strong as in SW and my skin, after a couple of years of AK residency, was not used to strong sunlight like I was exposed to in Mexico. And of course the sun reflecting off of the water while out fishing, made matters worse – thus allergy. Treated like a sun burn, went away, ended up with beautiful tan.
I wish that was the case here. My tan from Hawaii faded weeks ago.
My kids are allergic to Pennicilin and get z-packs for strep all the time. It works… Odd.. You definitely can get a rash from strep though. Hope you get well soon
Lots of you have said that. Maybe my regular doctor was wrong about the antibiotic – he was wrong about the rash after all.
Frick on a stick indeed! Hope you are finally on the mend, and Dallas doesn’t re-sick you!
I’m sleeping on the couch under a blanket of anti-bacterial wipes.
Boo! I blame everything on Alaska too
I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks! I think blaming Alaska is perfectly acceptable.
Oh, girl, hang in there!
Bridget!! I have been battling this nasty chest cold. Been , I was going to work and all. Yesterday (at work) my O2 sat was 89% and I earned my very first inhaler. Today, I was sent home (on call not for sickness). I am still feeling rather cruddy though but my plan was to power through and clean the house. Thank-you for giving me full justification and validation for plopping my arse on the couch!
Aww – I’m really sorry for you misdiagnosing yourself. I’m guilty of it too but then again, I ain’t got no health insurance, therefore no doctor – so…
Which leads me to my three rules- #01: Doctors don’t know shit – ask a quack (preferably Asian), #02: Ask your Aunt’s advice and do the opposite, #03: just drink a lot of (your favorite booze).
Poor Mama, hope you’re back on your feet again – next time, go to Russia!