In January, we welcomed a wonderful little girl into our family. Baby S is just beautiful. She seems a relatively calm and pensive sort who likes to stick her tongue out while she's smiling. D took two weeks off from work and pretty well burned his vacation so that he could be with her as she acclimated to our family.
Well. Wouldn't you know that I'd need two MORE weeks' time off for this umbilical hernia surgery? I didn't think I'd be down and out that long. Still now, I cannot lift my children but must hire Patrick for the remainder of the summer. We're very grateful for the timing, and the bills will catch up to us later. So far we're at about $11,000 and counting just for the initial surgery (not counting anesthesia fees, doctor fees, etc.). If we have to pay 20%, it's still gonna hurt. 'Specially since D didn't work for pretty well a full month so far.
I've been having coughing and feeling achy since my surgery. Last night I started getting shaky and feverish and the old white spots appeared in my throat again. It seems every two months, I must get a shot for strep throat. Sure enough, that's what the test came back as. Like I didn't know. The doctor I saw today was not my regular as it was a Saturday; he's in a totally different office altogether and he was kind enough to see me on short notice. He says that if I get strep so often it's time to...
get ready...
think about surgery for getting my tonsils out! Like I have time for that! Just give me a shot every couple months, would ya, or better yet how about once a week just in case I'm starting on that infection? You know? Be proactive! Prevention is key in all y'all's medical circles, right?
Apparently not. They don't like giving antibiotics all the time, I suppose because it's cheaper than surgery. He says that an ENT would do the surgery, and he HAS seen people die of allergic reaction to antibiotics. Um, and have you also known of people to die on the operating table? He laughed at that one. (Because I'm sure it's true LOL!)
So now I have to "follow up" (more money) with the regular doctor in three weeks and do another strep test (more money) because he thinks I'm "colonized" with strep and probably never really get rid of it. Bleh. No way I was going to tell him that I'm very well acquainted with knowing when I HAVE strep. "Strep" happens only when I get a cold. Conversely, whenever I get a cold, I get strep.
I'm not feeling much better yet. I've spent yet another day doing nothing and not helping with meals, changing children, etc. It's not much of a break when you're feeling so crummy. If I could enjoy my computer time, that would be great!
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Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
Oh, you poor thing! You are not having a good run at the moment. Lucky Patrick's around to help out. Doctors can be so short-sighted when it comes to the wellbeing of the whole person!
ReplyDeleteAAAAWWW Here take this big bucket of sympathy.. Strep throat is awful. I used to get a lot of it when I was run down. As soon as I felt that tonsil start to swell I knew I was in for it..
ReplyDeleteI Haven't had it for ages now and I still have my tonsils..
Some people have an allergic reaction to penicillin and can die from the anaphylactic shock assosciated with that but you can still be treated with antibiotics that don't contain penicillin.. silly doctor should have told you that.
(((((HUGS))))) I hope that you feel better soon xxx
I sometimes feel like I am going broke one copay at a time...
ReplyDeleteBut, I would encourage you to be very proactive in managing your strep throat. I don't get it very often, but when I do I get really, really sick. In fact the last time I had it I ended up in the ICU having the, "If you stop breathing can I put a tube down your throat so a machine can breathe for you" talk.
Oh no! I hope you get better soon.
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