Miss Scarlet, in the Throat, with the A Streptococcus

'Tis the season to be sick.

I don't know if it's just coincidence, but a week after my first infusion of Actemra (which suppresses the immune system) and a week after finishing 30 days of prednisone (which also suppresses the immune system), I have Scarlet Fever.

Don't worry too much; Scarlet Fever won't kill you nowadays like it and other diseases did in your elementary school days of playing Oregon Trail.  Really, this is strep throat caused by A Streptococcus, and my body is simply reacting to a toxin produced by the bacteria-hence the rash.  Of course I feel miserable, but I've felt worse.  On a scale of "screw it let's go dancing" to "take me to the ER now" I'm at about "I'll do my own grocery shopping but then I'm staying home and watching stupid movies, because holy crap I'm exhausted."  This isn't quite like that time in college when I got the mumps and had to be quarantined by the CDC, even though I am contagious for the next 24 hours and have all of the nasty symptoms pictured above.

I'm fortunate to have a really good nurse practitioner at my local urgent care facility who knows my rheumatologist and knows the RA drugs pretty well.  He gave me a shot of antibiotics (my rear end is quite sore now) and a ten day prescription of oral antibiotics.  Because he's a good healthcare professional, he gave me the option of steroids.  He said they'd really help with the swelling, which is fairly impressive at this point (my right tonsil is full of pus...ewww), but that he'd understand if I didn't want them.  I didn't.  30 days of prednisone in the last month was enough, thank you.  I guess I could have asked for painkillers, but like I said, I've felt worse and quite frankly my body doesn't need any extra crap. Doctors and nurses, take note: when you're dealing with someone who's had a chronic disease for more than 20 years, it's nice when you involve them in their own healthcare.  The urgent care nurse (who I liked the first time I went because he proclaimed my old and very much unloved rheumatologist "an arrogant pig who I wouldn't allow to shave my cat") also told me that he could literally smell the infection on me.  Ick, ick, ick.

I have to be careful with strep because my immune system is the equivalent of a poorly cared for 1971 Ford Pinto, and strep can very easily become rheumatic fever (heart problems) and/or post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidneys, and your big word for the day).  Strep is sometimes even a trigger for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which is what I was diagnosed with as a child, and can aggravate RA.  I'm a little concerned that I may have to postpone my Actemra infusion on Friday, but will call the rheumatologist Monday to be sure.

Anyway...I'll likely still go to school on Monday, and I'll likely wear a costume, but there will be a lot of sectional work instead of full rehearsal.  I promised the IB kids scary music (Erlking, Symphonie Fantastique, and Penderecki's Threnody), so I will have to do some talking.  Speaking of IB, we've had some cool moments in there where the kids have been able to apply what they've learned in my class to other classes.  They've also told me that my class is the "most international" of all of their IB classes.  Win.

For the rest of the weekend, I did go grocery shopping.  I'll probably feel worse if I eat greasy delivery food all weekend.  Also, I needed cat food.  In the event that I'm so sick I'm rendered unconscious (unlikely), I don't want it to end in a news story that includes the words "and then her cats ate her face."  I'm going to make some miso noodle soup tonight because it's basically vegan chicken noodle.  I'm also trying out some easy to swallow and fall appropriate recipes from My New Roots: ginger roasted carrots, raw salted caramel apple dip, and white velvet soup (a personal favorite that I have already enjoyed on many sick days).

Remember to wash your hands frequently, cough and sneeze appropriately, and eat healthy this week!