The Trip That Almost Wasn't
I made it to Los Angeles this afternoon for the 2009 Microsoft TechEd conference. I've been sick and the trip (which I've wanted to do for several years now and things kept coming up) was in jeopardy because of it. I generally get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, eat (relatively) healthy foods, and walk a lot. So I don't get sick very often. However, when I get sick... I GET SICK.
I was apparently so wiped out from my debauchery in Columbus the other week that my immune system allowed me to catch a touch of strep. Late that Monday night, I started feeling my throat get a little tight. I assumed it was because I'd needed the air conditioning on for the hot Sunday afternoon, so I took a little ibuprofin and didn't think anything of it. A few days passed, though, and it started getting worse, and the NSAs weren't helping.
I called in sick to work that Friday. Not because I felt bad, because aside from trouble swallowing, I felt just fine, but because I wanted some stress-free time to relax and recover. I called my doctor, but the soonest I could get in was Monday afternoon. Eh, no problem.
I woke up Saturday and it was worse. My tonsils (which are already pretty large, having never fully recovered after some severe infections in my past) were huge and had white patches on them. I tried to hunt down some antibiotics from the fam, knowing my history, but ultimately decided to stop by an Urgent Care in Oakley.
That was an experience all by itself. The two girls who triaged me weren't very intelligent. You know how, when you're having a conversation with someone, you can just tell that they aren't all there? Yeah, these chicks weren't all there. They also (repeatedly) measured my blood pressure at something like 164/94, which is WAY off. I was a little worried. One of them implied that I "was gonna be there for a while."
The doc that I saw said she didn't even need to waste time by doing a test. I had a severe, but clear-cut case of strep. She prescribed Penicillin, and industrial strength ibuprofin, and I was on my way.
Against my better judgment, I sang in church the next day, and spent the rest of the day out... saw Avenue Q with a group of MovieBears, followed by a great dinner and a few drinks at Below Zero.
I called in sick again on Monday because I hadn't seen any improvement, and I was glad I'd kept the appointment with my personal physician. He switched me to Augmentin (which has worked a lot better for me in the past than penicillin) and wanted me to have a CT scan ASAP, thinking I had a peritonsillar abscess (a Very Bad Thing). I started the new antibiotic immediately. Monday night was really the only time I actually started feeling poorly, so I'm thinking I saw him in the nick of time, as I felt like I was in a downward spiral!
I went in the next morning for my CT scan, which turned out negative. The drugs also made a massive improvement within the first 24 hours. I went in for a follow-up on Wednesday and was told everything looked great, so my trip was on, and I went back to work on Thursday.
Tonsillectomy is always on the table, but my last tonsil infection was 2 years ago, and I don't have severe apnea. The rule of thumb seems to be that if you have 2-3 infections in a year, it's in your best interest to have them out. But, dude, that would suck. I'm just glad I've earned another reprieve, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine.
I was apparently so wiped out from my debauchery in Columbus the other week that my immune system allowed me to catch a touch of strep. Late that Monday night, I started feeling my throat get a little tight. I assumed it was because I'd needed the air conditioning on for the hot Sunday afternoon, so I took a little ibuprofin and didn't think anything of it. A few days passed, though, and it started getting worse, and the NSAs weren't helping.
I called in sick to work that Friday. Not because I felt bad, because aside from trouble swallowing, I felt just fine, but because I wanted some stress-free time to relax and recover. I called my doctor, but the soonest I could get in was Monday afternoon. Eh, no problem.
I woke up Saturday and it was worse. My tonsils (which are already pretty large, having never fully recovered after some severe infections in my past) were huge and had white patches on them. I tried to hunt down some antibiotics from the fam, knowing my history, but ultimately decided to stop by an Urgent Care in Oakley.
That was an experience all by itself. The two girls who triaged me weren't very intelligent. You know how, when you're having a conversation with someone, you can just tell that they aren't all there? Yeah, these chicks weren't all there. They also (repeatedly) measured my blood pressure at something like 164/94, which is WAY off. I was a little worried. One of them implied that I "was gonna be there for a while."
The doc that I saw said she didn't even need to waste time by doing a test. I had a severe, but clear-cut case of strep. She prescribed Penicillin, and industrial strength ibuprofin, and I was on my way.
Against my better judgment, I sang in church the next day, and spent the rest of the day out... saw Avenue Q with a group of MovieBears, followed by a great dinner and a few drinks at Below Zero.
I called in sick again on Monday because I hadn't seen any improvement, and I was glad I'd kept the appointment with my personal physician. He switched me to Augmentin (which has worked a lot better for me in the past than penicillin) and wanted me to have a CT scan ASAP, thinking I had a peritonsillar abscess (a Very Bad Thing). I started the new antibiotic immediately. Monday night was really the only time I actually started feeling poorly, so I'm thinking I saw him in the nick of time, as I felt like I was in a downward spiral!
I went in the next morning for my CT scan, which turned out negative. The drugs also made a massive improvement within the first 24 hours. I went in for a follow-up on Wednesday and was told everything looked great, so my trip was on, and I went back to work on Thursday.
Tonsillectomy is always on the table, but my last tonsil infection was 2 years ago, and I don't have severe apnea. The rule of thumb seems to be that if you have 2-3 infections in a year, it's in your best interest to have them out. But, dude, that would suck. I'm just glad I've earned another reprieve, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine.