I have always gotten sick easily. Not as easily as now, but if there were germs to be had, I would find them. My body's personal fave in the winter was strep. Gotta love a nice strep throat. Fever, don't want to eat, feeling miserable, sometimes a nice rash. But you get to drink Gatorade and eat ice cream if its handy. Now that year, starting Nov 1990, I'd been sick around Thanksgiving. If it was holiday, you can bet I was sick, almost always, or getting over a bug or something like that. About two weeks later I started not feeling well again, and I know I should tell my mom and go back to the doc, but I am tired of being sick, and I don't want to go back to the doc.
I loved my doc, Dr. Marcus Welby. (Ok he looked NOTHING like that but he was caring like that and wanted what was best for you) But I had JUST gotten over the last bug and was just catching up and getting back and Christmas break was only 2 weeks away. I was going to fight it out. (NOTE to EVERYONE ELSE: BAD IDEA) I fought it out another week or so, until had a bad fever and couldn't anymore and finally told my mom I needed to go back to the doc. She was mad I hadn't told her sooner. She got me an appointment but Dr. Welby wasn't in, he was on vacay, but his associate Dr. HeadUpHisButt (I debated between Dr HeadUpHisButt and Dr HoleInTheHead, then I found this cool pic below so it was settled).
We go to the appointment. Dr. HeadUpHisButt checks me out and tells my mom it is just my allergies. Doesn't do anything else. Hands me some allergy pills and sends me on my way. I hate the way some doctors won't talk to you, he told my mom it was just my allergy, not me. Dr. Welby would have talked to me. Another point against Dr. HeadUpHisButt. Ok, so I go home. I feel rotten. I take the amazing allergy pills, I already had at home, which do not work. But now it is Christmas break and I want to be ok for Christmas, but I really am not, my body aches and my throat is sore. It is lucky my whole family didn't get what I had my bug, I really do not remember if anyone else got sick that year from it or not. I was too sick to remember much else.
So New Years 1991 dawns. Dr Welby is back! YEAH!! My mom calls and makes and appointment because I cannot swallow. I am crying because it hurts to drink anything. Yes, I was a mess. Dr. Welby takes one look and my face, one peek at my throat and leaves the room. My mom and I look at each other and shrug. We then hear a knock down the hallway and Dr Welby asks Dr. HeadUpHisButt if he can talk to him. He then begins to berate him in the hallway ABOUT ME, asking him why he didn't do a strep culture on my throat when I was here with my history of strep, and send me home with just allergy pills with my history. My mom and I were flabbergasted. You had to know Dr. Welby. His booming voice was just well I didn't believe it. I was happy he took the other doctor in check but I still didn't believe it.
Unfortunately for me, while I was now on antibiotics, fairly strong ones, but I had had a strep infection for probably going on for not quite a month. Partial my own fault for not wanting to miss more school, mostly Dr. HeadUpHisButt's fault for not doing a thorough exam and recognizing a strep infection when he saw one. I went back to school after Christmas break but I wasn't feeling well and I kept missing days, 2 or 3 a week. I was aching and tired. Finally end of January, 1991, I went out and didn't go back for the rest for the rest of the school year. Lupus has been triggered in my life.
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