12 April 2006
Scarlet Fever
My first week back from Alaska, I went for a couple of nice bike rides after work. That first weekend back I met Scott's family at a 3year old's birthday party. Wow, kids everywhere, lots of mayhem. I liked his sister and brother in law pretty well. But I think I caught something from one of those little petri dishes with legs.
The party was Sunday, and Tuesday I woke with a sore throat. No biggie, still went on my bike ride. Wednesday, same sore throat, coming home from the office I stripped to change into bike clothes, and noticed a red spotty rash all over my pasty white abdoment. Shit. shitshitshit. No riding. Thursday morning I visited my general practicioner. Scarlet fever, he said. It's a strep infection, where your body has an allergic reaction to a toxin that the bacteria puts out. So your skin gets a fine itchy red rash all over. The in-store strep detector said it wasn't strep, so he sent a culture to the lab.
As one friend said, "wow, scarlet fever? that's so....little house on the praire! don't they have shots for that crap now?"
Yep, Scarlet Fever. Yep, Little House on the Prairie. Nope, no shots. And it's damned itchy.
If you overdo it with strep, it turns into Rheumatoid fever and destroys your heart muscles. Sooooo, no work until Monday. And no workouts. I was effectively on vacation. And it was beautiful out, but I couldn't go outside and play. I soaked in Aveeno baths, and tried not to scratch. Sat on the couch a lot, knit a hooded cape, and watched a bunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (courtesy of Scott).
It was relaxing, but with the weather so good I was miserable hangin out inside.
Monday I called in for lab results and found out it wasn't strep at all, so I got to stop the anti-biotics early (woohoo!). This meant it was some sort of wacky viral infection. After about a week the rash went away.
Thanks kiddies. That infection was birth control enough for me for a while. Mmm.
The party was Sunday, and Tuesday I woke with a sore throat. No biggie, still went on my bike ride. Wednesday, same sore throat, coming home from the office I stripped to change into bike clothes, and noticed a red spotty rash all over my pasty white abdoment. Shit. shitshitshit. No riding. Thursday morning I visited my general practicioner. Scarlet fever, he said. It's a strep infection, where your body has an allergic reaction to a toxin that the bacteria puts out. So your skin gets a fine itchy red rash all over. The in-store strep detector said it wasn't strep, so he sent a culture to the lab.
As one friend said, "wow, scarlet fever? that's so....little house on the praire! don't they have shots for that crap now?"
Yep, Scarlet Fever. Yep, Little House on the Prairie. Nope, no shots. And it's damned itchy.
If you overdo it with strep, it turns into Rheumatoid fever and destroys your heart muscles. Sooooo, no work until Monday. And no workouts. I was effectively on vacation. And it was beautiful out, but I couldn't go outside and play. I soaked in Aveeno baths, and tried not to scratch. Sat on the couch a lot, knit a hooded cape, and watched a bunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (courtesy of Scott).
It was relaxing, but with the weather so good I was miserable hangin out inside.
Monday I called in for lab results and found out it wasn't strep at all, so I got to stop the anti-biotics early (woohoo!). This meant it was some sort of wacky viral infection. After about a week the rash went away.
Thanks kiddies. That infection was birth control enough for me for a while. Mmm.
