It all started last Sunday when I woke up achy and with a sore throat. Better stay home from church, Matt said. Let me take a bath and see how I feel, I said, because see, I hate missing church. A few minutes into the bath and it was clear that I needed to stay home. I slept all day long, ate nothing, drank very little, and was in a lot of pain. After a rough night I was pretty sure I'd need some meds, so Matt and I decided to hit up the urgent care (at the er, so I guess really just the er, wish they were more separate) before the kids left for seminary. 4am, we were on our way.
I got some fluids and swabbed for a strep test, which came back positive, so I got some antibiotics and Tylenol 3 with codeine, which didn't even touch the pain in my throat. The er doctor said he could see an abscess developing, so i thought i had strep throat with an abscess. I just kept thinking, this is strep throat? This is what little kids go through? It was so awful I couldn't imagine it being common. And it felt like my throat was closing up. Another day of no food and very little fluid again.
That night i went to take my antibiotics and had to laugh at the ginormous horse pill they gave someone with strep throat to swallow! It wasn't so funny after I actually tried to swallow the thing. :( It got stuck! I frantically tried to drink more water to force it down, no luck! I frantically tried to spit it out, no luck! So then I did what any other right minded woman would do, I frantically ran to find my husband. He helped calm me down, (having a horse pill stuck in your swollen-feeling-like-it's-closing throat is a little scary, let me tell ya) and convinced me that it probably wasn't stuck, it just probably felt that way because my throat hurt so bad, and even if it was it would dissolve.
the next day we knew we would have to go back to the dr and get a new antibiotic. the pharmacist said we shouldn't crush it, and i was too scared to even break it up and try to swallow it, because by that point i could hardly swallow. my ear and the whole right side of my face had been sore for awhile too. we went to the dr when lexi got home and he said we were doing the right thing. rest, try to drink fluids, and to crush the antibiotics. he said the pain in my ear was just associated with my strep.
I didn't get up much, but i walked past frankie's room at rest time one day and saw this. :) i missed these kids a lot.
By Wednesday Matt had gotten some of these Luigi's Italian Ice that was really yummy. I can't have any dairy because I don't need any more mucus, so it's hard to find soft things to eat.
*** speaking of matt. oh my, that guy. he has won me over (not that he ever lost me, but you know). he has waited on me hand and foot. he's comforted, held back my hair, and brought me my every whim. he took 2 days off work and was very willing to take more. he totally picked up the girls and all of the workload, including keeping them away from sick mama. (for the first few days, delaney would try to come into my room and matt would say, no, mama's sick. and then she would say, yeah, mama's sick. then she'd just check on me and say "mama's sick." precious girl) and he's done all of that with a cheerful attitude. 1am, happy to help. 5am, happy to help. day or night, he has been amazing. and i love him for that. among other reasons.
wednesday was another miserable day. i was weak and dehydrated and not in the best spirits. i'd been spitting into a towel (gross, i know, but cups are so messy) for days because swallowing was just so painful. i didn't feel like i was getting better at a all, and by that point, i couldn't even talk. by wednesday night it was clear that i was going to run out of my pain meds, which was terrifying, because i was still in pain even with the meds. matt tried making several phone calls, to no avail. even though we'd been seen in the er and in a dr.'s office, no one will refill a narcotic prescription over the phone.
so by thursday morning we were heading back into the dr.'s office. i had sent out a plea for babysitting because i knew i couldn't take care of my girls by myself. it turned out to be the perfect day to have the girls occupied because i was at the dr.'s office all day. lisa took me at 9:30, then to get my rx after. the dr had noticed that the right side of my tonsils were much bigger than the left and referred me to an ENT dr. so at 12:30, lexi and kimmy took me to my 4th doctors visit of the week.
we waited for over an hour before finally being taken back into his exam room. he examined my throat and determined that i had a peritonsillar abscess. i said that yes, the er dr had mentioned that. he was like "oh no, they couldn't have, they would have had to keep you if they had seen that." but he did! i've never even heard of a peritonsillar abscess before, i couldn't have just made that up. anyhow, i had an abscess and i knew (thank you, google) that draining it was not a fun experience, but i figured i had at least a day to prep. and then he handed me a gown. :(
i had gotten a little teary when he confirmed the abscess. 4 days of misery and no food will do that to me. i asked if he could wait for matt to get there and he told me that no, they had squeezed me in to their schedule and they needed to get it done as quickly as possible. poor lexi didn't understand what was going on, but she was upset because i was upset. and she needed to get to work. so i had her call matt, then call laura to pick up chris and addie. thankfully the little girls were with christina and i didn't have to worry about them.
now, i've had a lot of small medical procedures done. nothing serious, thankfully, but quite a few random biopsies and outpatient surgeries. but this was beyond the weirdest medical experience i've ever had. first of all, he had no nurse, so he did everything himself. strange, strange, strange. he sprayed a horrible, burning, numbing spray in my mouth, and then gave me several shots of novocaine all around my tonsils. then ***gross alert*** using a needle, he poked all around and drained a vial and a half of pus. isn't that the grossest thing you've ever heard of? after he got the first vial, he poked around some more and decided to try for a little more, just to be on the safe side. it was painful, but i was thankful - get it all out so i don't ever have to go through that again.
matt finally showed up as we were finishing up. he said he walked in and couldn't believe it. i had blood all over my face, my bib, and some on my gown. and there were vials of grossness all over and i looked like i was in shock.
i had been praying all week that i would feel better. but that if i needed to go through this, that i would be strengthened. as i was sitting in that weird office going through that weird procedure, i felt like i was strengthened enough to be calm. i did my bradley breathing and pretended i was on a beach drinking lemonade. that bradley method has come in handy so many times.
before i left the office the dr made me try to swallow and i could immediately tell the difference. that was a big obstruction and to have it gone was awesome. i've still been in pain, but each day my throat feels a little better. my ear and face still hurt, but hopefully that'll go away soon… i go back to the dr tomorrow and i'm really praying that the infection is gone and we're on the road to healthy town.
it's felt like forever and i have had a lot of little life lessons learned. i am so blessed.
also, this happened. i hate propane heating.
I didn't get up much, but i walked past frankie's room at rest time one day and saw this. :) i missed these kids a lot.
wednesday was another miserable day. i was weak and dehydrated and not in the best spirits. i'd been spitting into a towel (gross, i know, but cups are so messy) for days because swallowing was just so painful. i didn't feel like i was getting better at a all, and by that point, i couldn't even talk. by wednesday night it was clear that i was going to run out of my pain meds, which was terrifying, because i was still in pain even with the meds. matt tried making several phone calls, to no avail. even though we'd been seen in the er and in a dr.'s office, no one will refill a narcotic prescription over the phone.
so by thursday morning we were heading back into the dr.'s office. i had sent out a plea for babysitting because i knew i couldn't take care of my girls by myself. it turned out to be the perfect day to have the girls occupied because i was at the dr.'s office all day. lisa took me at 9:30, then to get my rx after. the dr had noticed that the right side of my tonsils were much bigger than the left and referred me to an ENT dr. so at 12:30, lexi and kimmy took me to my 4th doctors visit of the week.
we waited for over an hour before finally being taken back into his exam room. he examined my throat and determined that i had a peritonsillar abscess. i said that yes, the er dr had mentioned that. he was like "oh no, they couldn't have, they would have had to keep you if they had seen that." but he did! i've never even heard of a peritonsillar abscess before, i couldn't have just made that up. anyhow, i had an abscess and i knew (thank you, google) that draining it was not a fun experience, but i figured i had at least a day to prep. and then he handed me a gown. :(
i had gotten a little teary when he confirmed the abscess. 4 days of misery and no food will do that to me. i asked if he could wait for matt to get there and he told me that no, they had squeezed me in to their schedule and they needed to get it done as quickly as possible. poor lexi didn't understand what was going on, but she was upset because i was upset. and she needed to get to work. so i had her call matt, then call laura to pick up chris and addie. thankfully the little girls were with christina and i didn't have to worry about them.
now, i've had a lot of small medical procedures done. nothing serious, thankfully, but quite a few random biopsies and outpatient surgeries. but this was beyond the weirdest medical experience i've ever had. first of all, he had no nurse, so he did everything himself. strange, strange, strange. he sprayed a horrible, burning, numbing spray in my mouth, and then gave me several shots of novocaine all around my tonsils. then ***gross alert*** using a needle, he poked all around and drained a vial and a half of pus. isn't that the grossest thing you've ever heard of? after he got the first vial, he poked around some more and decided to try for a little more, just to be on the safe side. it was painful, but i was thankful - get it all out so i don't ever have to go through that again.
matt finally showed up as we were finishing up. he said he walked in and couldn't believe it. i had blood all over my face, my bib, and some on my gown. and there were vials of grossness all over and i looked like i was in shock.
i had been praying all week that i would feel better. but that if i needed to go through this, that i would be strengthened. as i was sitting in that weird office going through that weird procedure, i felt like i was strengthened enough to be calm. i did my bradley breathing and pretended i was on a beach drinking lemonade. that bradley method has come in handy so many times.
before i left the office the dr made me try to swallow and i could immediately tell the difference. that was a big obstruction and to have it gone was awesome. i've still been in pain, but each day my throat feels a little better. my ear and face still hurt, but hopefully that'll go away soon… i go back to the dr tomorrow and i'm really praying that the infection is gone and we're on the road to healthy town.
it's felt like forever and i have had a lot of little life lessons learned. i am so blessed.
also, this happened. i hate propane heating.
