It's that time of year again...

[cindybubbles]

That's right. It's that time. That time for flus, colds, flu shots, strep throat and bronchitis.

I got my strep throat last week from a friend who thought he was well enough to take me out shopping and to dinner at a Chinese restaurant for my birthday. I then apparently passed the germs on to another friend four days later at a movie theatre.

I was dry for a week, but I thought that drinking water would fix it. Nope. So it was off to the walk-in clinic inside the local pharmacy to see a doctor.

Doctor prescribed Biaxin, but I can't take that because it interferes with another drug that I take, Detrol, to help my bladder. So I'm on a different drug now.

I also need to eat soft stuff, since my throat hurts eating anything harder than baby mush.

What are your stories?

[AccountingDrone]

Just got my first sore throat in 2 years, Rob must have brought something home from work as I have not been in public for almost 3 weeks. It needs to go away fast, I don't want to screw the influenza study I am lined up for first week of November. I like getting my free flu shot and getting paid to take it!

[DaisyQueen]

My 6-year-old daughter just got over strep throat. One kid in her class had it, she contracted it and while she was gone, it kept spreading through the class. She got a penicillin shot so she didn't have to take medicine for several days. If I catch it from her, that's the route I'm going to take. One shot and she was feeling a little better the next day. 48 hours later, she was up and running around again.
Penicillin shots rule!

[Sapphire Silk]

The oral meds for strep make me very sick. Next time I getting the penicillin shot.

I got my flu shot over the weekend; I get mine free under my insurance plan, which is good. I had more localized swelling than I normally do, but then again the pharmacist stuck me too low on the deltoid, so some of the vaccine may have gotten into the fatty tissue instead of going into the muscle. It's pretty sore, and I have the post vaccine icks yesterday and today (better today). I'll take that over the flu any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

[taxguykarl]

I had my first bout of strep in 30 years last Christmas. It still sucked.

[cindybubbles]

I'm feeling much better thanks to the very strong antibiotics that I'm taking. No more sore throat, so no more need to eat soft stuff!

6 pills, 2 taken the first day and the rest, 1 per day. So it's 6 pills for 5 days.

Much better than the 30 pills that I was prescribed the last time I got strep.

[Gilhelmi]

In the Army, I had a friend who had 4 wisdom teeth removed (all at once, Army logic). He was on what we referred to as a "Breathing" profile, meaning he was only allowed to breath (no PT, no duty, ect.). He was not even allowed to go to the Mess Hall for meals, so I had to go for him to get his mashed up pancakes that he ate for 3 meals-a-day for a week.

No way in Heck I ever would want to go through that.

[Sapphire Silk]

In the Army, I had a friend who had 4 wisdom teeth removed (all at once, Army logic). He was on what we referred to as a "Breathing" profile, meaning he was only allowed to breath (no PT, no duty, ect.). He was not even allowed to go to the Mess Hall for meals, so I had to go for him to get his mashed up pancakes that he ate for 3 meals-a-day for a week.

No way in Heck I ever would want to go through that.

I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted at once, my senior year of high school.

They had to use IV sedation to do it because they were impacted so badly. When Mom and Dad got me home, I went straight to the couch and was allowed up only to go to the bathroom or to go to bed.

They'd gotten Wendys for dinner for everyone else but forgot to pick up the Frosty they'd promised me. I cried because I hurt so bad and I wanted the cold to soothe my sore mouth, plus I was ravenously hungry.

[MoonCat]

Already had the entero virus that's going around - at least I think so. Very mild symptoms.

Had my flu shot too.

Hoping not to get bronchitis EVER AGAIN. I used to get that every few years and it SUCKS. Once caused me to miss a special work-related dinner, probably about 12 years ago or so. The one time I decided to go to this annual thing and I came down with bronchitis on the same day. Couldn't go because I felt worse and worse as the day went on and for this dinner, they don't serve until around 8 pm due to speeches, awards and so on. I was exhausted and just went home and crawled into bed.

[Seshat]

I had all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time as well; again, due to severe impaction. I think I was under a general - certainly I don't remember the surgery at all (thank god).

I do remember being nursed at my parents' home (by Mum and Dad), and being miserably ill.


I've never had (cross fingers) severe acute bronchial or pneumonic infections; but I have chronic GERD which gives me plenty of sore throats. (GERD: gastro-esophogeal reflux disease/disorder/d-something.)
I don't just get heartburn where the stomach acids go into the bottom of the esophagus. I get it all the way up the esophagus. Yes, into the mouth at times. Frequently into the back of the throat, burning away the surface skin.

I now have two different meds, plus an over-the-counter soother/preventative.

[wolfie]

I had all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time as well; again, due to severe impaction. I think I was under a general - certainly I don't remember the surgery at all (thank god).

Same here, and definitely a general in my case.

When I was in elementary school, I had to get 4 teeth extracted in preparation for braces (not enough room in my mouth - upper jaw looked like I had vampire fangs), but this was done in 2 separate "sittings". My understanding is that dentists won't do local anaesthetic on more than 2 "quadrants" of the mouth at the same time due to the risk of the patient's tongue getting paralyzed and them choking on it.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Wolfie - yes, I had 6 adult teeth plus 8 baby teeth removed over two weeks due to my small mouth and they would only due the right or left side of my mouth at a time. They can't do both sides (I had some each top and bottom) because of troubles swallowing/choking/possibly breathing.

[wolfie]

and they would only due the right or left side of my mouth at a time. They can't do both sides (I had some each top and bottom) because of troubles swallowing/choking/possibly breathing.

I've had work done on both sides of the same level at the same time - I believe they can do both sides of the upper jaw, both sides of the lower jaw, or top and bottom on the same side. Don't know if they can do upper on one side and lower on the other, but they can't do more than 2 "quadrants" at once for the reasons both of us mentioned.

If they need to do all 4 at once, they go for a general (in my case, it was at a hospital, not a dental office) with the dentist concentrating on the work itself while the anaesthetist makes sure you keep breathing.

[raudf]

At the age of six, I caught strep.. and it turned into Scarlet Fever and borderline Rheumatic Fever. My strep had become resistant to penicillin, which is why it got that bad. For a month after the symptoms cleared, I was still on the antibiotic.

I got strep while pregnant with the second child. Fun, fun... hadn't had it in decades, but I still remembered all the symptoms. Amoxicilin that time, because I'm allergic to Biaxin, Azrithmycin, Erythromycin, and all it's kin. I know I got it from my second eldest niece because she was constantly getting strep and thus nicknamed the "Plague Carrier." Cleared it up beautifully, though.

[cindybubbles]

I'm getting better, and just in time for Thanksgiving! I hope I don't cough in my family's faces, though!