As Mom guessed in yesterday comments … yes, I tested positive for strep (again) yesterday. Grrrrrrr. I am back on mega antibiotics (again )and then I guess we see what happens. My doctor was scratching his head yesterday trying to figure out just why I have gotten sick (again) so fast after finishing 10 days of penicillin. He seems to think I (again) have a pesky and recurrent strain. I think I am gonna call November 2006 – November 2007 “The Year of the Strep.”
did you change your toothbrush?
My doc said he really didn’t think that the toothbrush was where I got it from (again). But … I need to buy a new one anyway.
two words: tonsill ectomy. OK, that was one word, but if your doc is truly scratching his head over this, then you need to get yourself a new doc, ’cause he’s a fucking moron. (Yes, I asked one of the MDs I work with about this, just to confirm my surmise — forgot to mention it on the phone the other night.)
are you a carrier for strep? and charles’ doctor is not a “fucking moron” they don’t always do tonsillectomies for recurring strep infections, especially in adults. and everybody has their own opinions!
Chas, the tonsils need to go.
I had strep throat 4 times in one school year so I know where you are coming from. My answer is acupuncture. Antibiotics don’t cure strep, they make it dormant. A bad case will resurface and resurface. Western medicine may not tell you this but it is true. Acupuncture will get the strep out of your system for good. It would totally be worth doing. Call or email if you want more info.
Shortlegs: “charles’ doctor is not a “fucking moron†they don’t always do tonsillectomies for recurring strep infections, especially in adults. and everybody has their own opinions!”
It’s a sure fire way to stop the infections, and that is the goal here, right? Let’s start with the personal testimonial.
I had the same problem Chas is having when I was in 5th grade. After a winter like Chas just had–maybe even worse–my pediatrician told my mother if she didn’t have my tonsils out, don’t bring me back to him. Understandably, she didn’t want to have to put me through it, but she bit the bullet and took me to an ENT. It was done as an outpatient procedure. I was home, and relatively comfortable, that night. Fine two days later.
I had been plagued by strep before that, but in the 25 years since, I’ve never had it once. Not once.
And now to the professional. Some doctor’s opinions are worth more than other’s. The doctors I work with (and you have no reason to know this, but Chas does) are world renowned thought leaders. I asked one in the Ear, Nose and Throat therapeutic area if a bunch of recurrent strep infections in just a few months time that have proved resistant to the strongest antibiotics is an indication for tonsilectomy, and she said, “hell yes! if your friend’s doctor hasn’t suggested it, he is a fucking moron!”
In reply to scottvill, Charles’ doctor is a great doctor and a friend of his, so he is not a “fucking moron”. Also, I don’t care who you talked to in the Ear, Nose and Throat area, having your tonsils removed only lessens the effects of strep when you catch it, because you can still have strep without having tonsils. I had my tonsils removed in 3rd grade and had a case of strep a couple of years ago. I have heard that having your tonsils when your an adult is a painful thing, so doctor’s don’t do it unles it becomes a necessity. and that’s all i have to say about that! pfffffffffffffffffffft
Poor you! I hope it goes away!
Shortlegs: Charles’ doctor is a great doctor and a friend of his, so he is not a “fucking moronâ€.
I’m also a friend of his–wouldn’t care otherwise–and if this doctor hasn’t told Chas to at least consider having the tonsils out after this many bouts of strep in such a short time, then he *is* a fucking moron.
You’ll have to excuse me if I take the opinion of one of the most renowned ear nose and throat docs in the country on that over yours.
But you could also use La Google to discover that the solution to recurrent strep infections that resist treatment with antibiotics is, indeed, tonsillectomy.
Having his tonsils out won’t guarantee he’ll never have another case of strep, but it will make it much, much less likely — and much less grueling if it does happen again, since the tonsils won’t be there to swell up.
“Also, I don’t care who you talked to in the Ear, Nose and Throat area, having your tonsils removed only lessens the effects of strep when you catch it, because you can still have strep without having tonsils.”
And why don’t you consider lessening the effect of the infection a good thing? Especially when mountains of antibiotics haven’t done the trick?
“I had my tonsils removed in 3rd grade and had a case of strep a couple of years ago.”
And how many years did you go without? Chas has had, what, six this year alone? And we’re not even halfway through yet.
“I have heard that having your tonsils when your an adult is a painful thing”
Yes, in Chas’s case, having his tonsils when he’s an adult *has* proved to be a very painful thing. But if you meant “having your tonsils *out* when you’re an adult,” it is a painful thing, moreso than when you’re a kid, but — it’s still not a big deal. It’s done as an outpatient procedure — He could probably have it done at that clinic and be home eating ice cream, popping percocet and watching DVDs in 3 hours.
“so doctor’s don’t do it unles it becomes a necessity.”
And how many cases of strep per month does he need to contract — and for how many months in a row — before you, in your infinite wisdom, decide that the current approach ain’t workin and needs to be switched out for one that *will*?
oh, stop it you yankee!
hey, sherry–now that I know you’re sherry–what did you mean when you asked me if I’m a carrier for strep?
i sort of glanced right over that remark before, because i didn’t know it was you — or anyone I had actually met — and then it took on a whole new, incredibly offensive, meaning.
for the record, no, i am not a carrier for strep — i did not infect charles with my strep cooties — and fuck you VERY much for asking.
i didn’t mean you! i wondered when you would be told, or if you would figure it out! i was just wondering if charles was a carrier! hope you guys have fun in the city when charles comes up north! didn’t mean to offend, just pushing buttons!
carriers don’t tend to get sick, from whta i’m told.
i’m sorry if i jumped to conclusions there, but it didn’t seem like much of a leap to me.