I am a 38-year old female who recently got strep throat?!?! My boyfriend’s doctor told him once upon a time that strep only affects children, and it’s pretty common knowledge even among people who like to choose a “natural” approach that strep should be answered with antibiotics. It’s just what you do, right?. I have learned a bunch of things over the last few months and I’d like to get them all out here. Right now it’s just a log of days’ events without much formatting or analysis.
October 21 (Monday) — Very slight “something’s not totally normal” feeling in throat
October 22 (Tuesday) — Wake up with legitimately sore throat, but one of those ones that might go away during day. It didn’t go away and by about 2pm I was running a fever. I was at work and turns out judging by what I discovered later — careless mistakes, couldn’t remember talking to customers — that I should have been there at all! Had tickets to pre-season Jets game I had to bail on. That’s how sick I was. Went home, got into bed, and cried. Justin made me check my temp (39C/102F) and urged me to drink fluids and take some Advil.
October 23 (Wednesday) — Had scheduled day off. Throat felt awful, still feverish, laid around and was just sick all day. In afternoon finally decided to look at throat with flashlight and see if it was strep. Throat COVERED in white pustules and very swollen. Realized I was not going to be OK for work and called in.
October 24 (Thursday) — First thing in the morning Justin took me to the walk-in clinic by Polo Park. Only had to wait a little over an hour *groan*. Doc did quick test, diagnosed strep and then prescribed 10 days of penicillin. He actually explained how the antibiotics are to guard against rheumatic fever and how strep is self-limiting and I should just take care of myself with soft foods, OTC pain/anti-inflammatory drugs, etc. That was news to me! Though I started to question whether I should take the antibiotics right away, I was too sick to really analyze things. Filled the prescription and started the dose.
October 25 (Friday) — I believe I took this day off work, too. One more day of laying around and feeling sick. I recall expecting the antibiotics to kick in and make me feel miraculously better, but they really didn’t.
October 26 (Saturday) — Went in to work. Recall feeling better, but not great still.
October 27th (Sunday) — Remember waking up feeling GREAT. Overkill/Symphony X show was that night and I remember being almost fearful of going, as I was worried about overdoing it and all of a sudden feeling sick at the show, but I continued to feel really good. Throat wasn’t sore at all.
…..Continued antibiotic course for allotted days and life went on. Antibiotics totally messed with my gut flora and yeast balance, uh, elsewhere. Life going on included a life that didn’t go on for Justin’s mom, who died on October 3rd pretty unexpectedly. Clearly grieving and stress have been the name of the game lately. Last week (since about Halloween) Justin and I haven’t been eating great and too many nights have involved beers and philosophizing…….
November 5th (Thursday) — Justin had caulked windows downstairs with silicone and the house STUNK. Blamed very minor throaty feeling upon waking up on that. Felt better during the day, didn’t think much of it.
November 6th (Friday) — Think I was fine thru the day, but Justin kept waking me up during the night as apparently my snoring was even worse than usual.
November 7th (Saturday) — Woke up feeling OK, though in the afternoon my throat started to get thick feeling. Did errands, got dressing table thing from Mike’s. Started dinner for Ken/Cecile coming over, even ate dinner. Throat was thick but OK. Had one beer that I started after dinner and suddenly felt like shit and had to admit my throat was actually sore. Checked and saw that right tonsil was covered in white. Read in bed ’til 11pm while Justin hung out with Jason and Derrick. Woke up at 1:30am and had to yell at Justin about the noise which usually doesn’t bother me. Oh yeah — took a dose or two of homeopathic Ferrum Phos. 30CH.
November 8th (Sunday) — Woke up around noon really feeling my throat. Moved to the couch and read for a while, fell asleep, read, and so on ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT. Felt like an ass for squandering what will almost assuredly be one of our last nice days of the year off work just laying around being sick. Checked throat in morning. White moved to left tonsil, and got a bit worse thru most of the day. Started salt-water gargles every couple hours and took a few more rounds of Ferrum Phos. Noticed by around 8pm that white in throat seemed to be waning, not getting worse. Had debate with Autumn about whether or not I was committing myself to a week or more of horrible sickness that would end up at the doctor anyway for not going to the doctor for more antibiotics now.
November 9th (Monday) — Woke up in time for work with my throat feeling more raw than swollen, but otherwise OK. Check in mirror revealed white on left tonsil back down to almost nothing and right side looking better than day before by quite a bit. Concerned that fever might come up while at work, but I’m fine and writing this, and the day is almost done. If anything I’m feeling the effects of a “hangover” from laying horizontally on the couch or in bed for 36 hours straight. Throat is still a bit swollen. Did a couple salt-water gargles here but can’t check white crap progress because my flashlight is at home. Have plans to take it easy tonight, which probably means more couch and Star Trek TNG episodes.
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End of this round of infection report, thoughts, and analysis coming soon. This will include more about misconception that antibiotics are required to get rid of strep myth, and why I think the course of my own illness followed the path it did as well as my own background to help flesh this out into something that might be useful to others.