Down and Out.

You may have noticed that I was absent last week. I was down and out with Strep throat. Yep, when I finally had my mommy drive me to the doctors office last wednesday, he took one look down my throat, recoiled in horror, and went to write me a prescription for mega doses of amoxicillin. In the meanwhile, the nurse came in to do a quick strep culture. They look amazingly like a home pregnancy test. I was anxiously watching, waiting for that second line to develop. At first it was very faint- sort of like when you first took that ept test, a couple of days before you really should be able to detect anything, and imagined that haze was a pink line? But then before my eyes it grew brighter and brighter, sort of like what happened a few days later when you took the ept again just to be sure.

I still have those home pregnancy tests, floating around in my bureau drawer. I know, eww, but then again, they are the first evidence of the little life that would become Juliette and Cosette.

After five minutes that strep test was so positively pink it practically burned a hole through the test and left a permanent shadow in my vision. So off I went with my prescription, also having obtained a prescription for Allegra to fight these allergies that just won't go away. I refused generic, and had to pay $50 as a consequence, but these things are finicky and even though the active ingredient might be the same, who knows how it all works together. (Um, yes, I do have a Ph.D. in pharmacology so I should be above this voodoo, but then again, I have a Ph.D in pharmacology and we scientists all know how important that voodoo is.)

I have been on my megadoses of drugs for a few days now, and I am finally feeling better. On day one the glands in my neck were the size of oranges; by day 2 they were golf balls, and by day 3- small grapes. If only I had gone to the doctor sooner- I've definitely learned my lesson. If it had been my daughters I would have called the pediatrician at 8:35 in the morning- the office opens at 8:30 and the phone is always busy the first few minutes- and rushed them over as soon as possible. Taking care of sick children is hard enough; taking care of healthy children when you feel like you've been run over by a bus is pure torture. I have learned three other things from this experience as well:

1. When I am really that sick, Greg will take care of the girls- but still complain about it. He has a whole new appreciation for me.

2. I have a new appreciation for hot bubble baths. In an attempt to open up my nasal passages- and throat- I took to soaking in the tub. The fever was the lesser of the evils I was combating at the time, so I had the water as hot as I could stand it. I looked like a shriveled lobster when I emerged from the tub, but I felt a lot better. Briefly.

3. Man, those antibiotics rock. Not only is that pesky strep throat gone, but my head congestion is gone, I can breathe at night again, and I've been sleeping better then I have for months. I am pretty sure, in retrospect, that those allergies were actually a sinus infection; but that is one of those low key illnesses that you just work around because you don't have the time to confront.

Greg did get sick, as did Juliette; Cosette is the one hold out. Either that girl has a really good immune system, or that bug is biding its time, growing and waiting to surprise us all on Christmas morning. I hope the former, I fear the latter.

At least I got a lot of Christmas shopping done while I was sick. Brown has been delivering to our house almost daily; the key is to find all the "Free Ship" coupon codes on line to make it worth while. Just remember, when you open your gift this year, if you don't like it: I had a fever of 102; I couldn't breathe or swallow; and I was laying in bed using one finger to type because I didn't have more energy then that. Merry Christmas!

And PS: Thank goodness for my family. What would I do without you all?