So, I have tonsillitis. Let’s just get that out there upfront.

But wait, there’s more!

I woke up two days ago with a sore body. It kind of felt like I’d been working out, only I hadn’t been. I was just sore all over. Muscle achy. I figured I had just slept weird or something, and put it out of my mind.

That night working at the library, I felt extremely cold. And it really was cold–we’d had rain that day and the air was on in the building. But I was really, really cold. It took me a while to realize that I was having chills.

In the middle of the night/yesterday morning, I woke up with a fever. Sweating the blanket off, pretty much. I figured I would try to sleep it off. I woke up when the alarm went off at 6 AM, still feverish but not as achy. Took a shower, thought I’d try going to work anyway.

I felt crappycruddyyucky at work. Now keep in mind that I was sick most of March, and called in sick around 4 times, I think. So at one point yesterday I was even in my boss’s office and he asked, “You’re not getting sick again, are you?” and I just looked at him and said, “I’ve had a fever since last night.” Now, you would think that a KIND boss would say something like, “Why don’t you go home early” or something, right? No? All he did say was, “Poor thing,” and moved on. ummmmm hello I have a fever? Feel my head, dork!!

Well at that point it was lunchtime, so I took my butt over to Rite Aid and bought a thermometer. Popped the sucker into my mouth in my car, and took my temperature THREE TIMES. 101.something each time Fahrenheit. That’s a fever, dude! I didn’t have a sore throat anymore but took a peek at my tonsils anyway. They were covered with white spots. So I realized I would have to go back to the doctor, which I have been dreading since being sick all of March, when I DID go to the doctor and was told it was seasonal allergies/upper respiratory virus.

The first thing I did was freak out and start crying because I knew the doctor would do a strep throat swab. I’m going to confess one of my phobias, a real irrational fear: I am extremely scared of the strep throat swab. It’s a loooong story, going back to when I was 9 or maybe 10, and I was sick and my parents took me to the urgent clinic because they were pretty sure I had strep throat. I went, but was so scared of them sticking that long cotton swab down my throat, I just wouldn’t let them do it. I was crying and resisting and clamping my mouth shut and I even tried bargaining with them to just not do it. Eventually, after my parents and all the technicians and doctors were sick of me resisting, they actually called in two grown men (technicians or nurses or something I guess) who HELD ME DOWN while someone shoved a swab down my throat. It was traumatic! So yeah, ever since then, I’ve been terrified of having it done again. I know it’s stupid and I’m an adult, but just the thought of it freaks me out. I also have a related phobia of gagging/throwing up, so it’s I am all just a mess.

Anyway, after I panicked, I called M and asked him to take me to the doctor. He drove 45 minutes from work to come pick me up and drive me. I called my primary physician, who was booked all day, but they faxed a referral to a nearby urgent care clinic, where I was seen.

So one of the first things the nurse did was tell me we had to do the throat swab, and I immediately started CRYING like an idiot. omg totally embarrassing and stuff. I asked her to close the curtain because we were facing the hallway and there was another patient across the hall who could see me. And the nurse was sooooo nice and understanding and even handed me tissues when I started bawling. Then she said, “It helps some people if they pinch their nose, so you’re not breathing,” so I immediately tried that (with M holding my hand) and then I could feel the cotton in my throat but before I knew it, the nurse said, “I’m out! I’m out!” I LOVE THAT LADY. It was so easy and she had an excellent bedside manner! I need to send them a comment card, seriously. She ROCKS.

Then right before she left to take the swab to the lab, she said they would need a tube of blood to test, and I was totally ok with that. I have no problem with needles!

So a few minutes later a dude came into the room and I asked him if he was the phlebotomist. He said he is a lab tech. I was trying to stay chatty to take my mind off the embarrassing crying thing I’d just done moments before. He tried finding veins in my left arm but had trouble, so he went around the table/gurney thing I was lying on to try my right arm.

I had my shoes off, and was wearing my Raindrop Lace Socks. The tech said, “I like your socks,” so I said, “Thanks, I made them” and he said, “So you’re a knitter” and I said “Yep!” He then said that he tried knitting once, but kept poking himself with the “thingies” and couldn’t get the “loop thing” to stay still, haha. Anyway, he finally found a suitable vein in my right arm and took some blood.

Then M and I had to wait a while for the lab results. I think we waited around 15 or 20 minutes. A doctor came in, looked up my lab results in the computer, and told me that my strep test was negative. hmm weird. And then he said that my white blood cell count looked normal from my blood sample, so it didn’t appear to be a bacterial infection. ok…so then he basically told me what I’ve been reading online lately, that I have tonsillitis and the spots on my tonsils were caused my some type of virus, not bacterial, so antibiotics would do nothing. Then he told me that I just need to wait it out, treat the symptoms, and do what feels good–i.e., gargle salt water, drink hot tea, take lozenges, etc. And if it doesn’t get better in 5 days, then go back to the doctor. I even told him that I was sick almost all of March and it came back this month, but that’s all he had to offer! And actually, he said he could give me antibiotics if I really wanted to take them but they wouldn’t do any good and in fact might make me worse in the long run.

The good thing is that he agreed to write me a Get Out of Work pass, so I was able to stay home all day today and rest. The bad thing is that I took last night and tonight off from the library and lost pay. Major bummer but I really needed the rest.

I’m supposed to return to work tomorrow, but thankfully it’s only for a half day since tomorrow afternoon M and I are meeting with a mortgage loan officer to see if a house is in the future, or just a pipe dream. oh, and my boss’s crappy reaction when I first told him I had a fever? You don’t even want to hear his reaction when I told him I was trying to buy a house. I got a smirk, a pause, and a “Well good for you.” FOR SERIOUS. I was so stunned and offended, I didn’t even know whether to ask him if he was kidding or what!! I just said, “Yeah, if it works out” or something. wtf?? Do I have the crappiest boss or what? ugh!

Anyway, tonight I am going to rest more and watch the return episode of Lost. Please send me some good juju vibes to A) get healthy darn it! and B) get pre-approval for that home loan tomorrow. I have a small house bookmarked and printed out–I WANT this house. I would post a photo of it but I don’t want to jinx it!