The title of this blog post says it all....and no, I am not referencing the ever so bad ass song by Disturbed. I am speaking of myself being truly down with the sickness. The sickness you ask? Strep Throat.
*note: when I reference going to the doctor's, I mean hospital/ER.
It all started Sunday, December 30th, 2007. I had a friend over, and we were sitting around talking about games an what not. I lit up a smoke, set it down in the ash tray. Got up, gave my dog water, and listened to my friend complain about having a sore throat (as he picks up my smoke and takes a drag off of it). Not thinking anything of it, I continued to smoke the same cigarette I just lit (the one he took a drag off of). Later that night, I started feeling this small energy drain.
Monday, December 31, 2007 I wake up feeling some what funky. Later that day, I notice my tonsils are feeling a tad bit swollen. No big deal, right? I go and gargle with some salt water, and go about my day. I ring in the New Year with all of my great friend's in Ventrilo and in game. Two hours later, I am starting to feel REALLY drained, and extremely cold. So I bid everyone good night, and go to bed.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008 I climb out of bed in the early afternoon....my throat hurting, and extremely cold. Can't remember what happened next.
I call in sick Wednesday morning at 6a.m. and go back to bed. I wake up a few hours later, play a few games and take a nap. Wake up, play some more, and feel more drained. Notice I have a fever. Take my temperature, and it reads 101 degrees. I go to the Doctors. Get prescribed a medication (that I have never had prescribed for such illness) for Strep Throat. Start taking medication. Asked by my employer to please try to come to work Thursday. Fever breaks several times that night.
Wake up Thursday, soak and wet...and late for work. I have a fever
AGAIN and take a shower/get ready for work. I show up to work at 11:40a.m. (40 min. late), sluggish, running a 102.7 fever. I work through the lunch rush (I am a cook in a restaurant, and the only cook aside from the owner), and ask to be sent home after he gets done shopping(for the restaurants needs list). While he shops, I have to pee. I use the bathroom, and low and behold I am urinating blood. I go home, pee more blood. Go to sleep. Wake up, play a little CS:S and go back to bed.
Friday night I call 911 for an ambulance ride to the hospital. I have a fever of 105.6, and need to have my prescription changed. Wait an hour in some E.R. room for a doctor...they take my temperature and realize something is wrong. I get put into an ice bath(SUPER COLD bath with some lukewarm water) for(or about) 2 hours to drop my temperature and keep it manageable.
I am still recovering...temperature hasn't spiked over 100 degrees today. But my tonsils are still swollen with puss pockets (spotted and clumped). I am just barely able to talk normally again, and hopefully will be back to work Tuesday. For those of you that have never had Strep Throat, or only heard about it, look at these images. Strep Throat makes eating/drinking VERY PAINFUL, if not impossible (I hadn't eaten food for almost 4 days....liquids sometimes came back up through my nasal passages and out my nose).
**NOTE: These images are NOT from my own mouth!!! **
