I Have Scarlet Fever
My mom always used to say, “Moms don’t get sick days!”
She was wrong. Like all mothers, myself included, she was being a bit of a martyr. I guess I wasn’t sure what she meant when she said she couldn’t be sick, I just knew it was my fault. As was her lack of interest in wearing a two-piece. And while I couldn’t exactly call in sick this morning simply because if felt like I swallowed a Gillette Mach 5, I am taking a “sick day.”
This meant that instead of replicating Starbucks’ Almond Toffee Bars in the kitchen (spoiler alert!), this morning I was wishing my hot lemon water had whisky in it while I consulted with a trusted medical professional.
Even though I selected “woman,” I looked a lot like Anderson Cooper. He is much prettier than I am, though. But the chest region is dead on, and of course, it is my children’s fault, since I was selflessly nourishing them. But I’m not a martyr.
Checking my symptoms, I was looking for a way to indicate that I had a sore throat, mucus the color of a Mexican sunset and difficulty swallowing without dropping the F-bomb. However, my trusted medical professional thought I was choking to death.
Yes, because instead of administering the Heimlich by throwing myself over the arm of the couch, I’m just going to surf the web.
I tried to pinpoint it further, indicating pain while swallowing, not inability to swallow due to passage obstruction.
My health care professional was inching closer to a diagnosis.
Surely I had suffered a major neck injury and was risking paralysis to check my email, watch cats flushing toilets on You Tube and look up my symptoms.
Finally, I had a breakthrough and was to the stage of identifying possible illnesses.
Like scarlet fever, thyroid cancer and swallowed objects. That’s where Lulu’s right bedroom slipper went.
Finally, I just gave up the quest for empathy and a potential hospital stay with my own private room and went to the page for the common cold, which informed me that young children and parents of young children are especially susceptible to illness due to exposure at child care centers and schools. I think it has more to do with this.
Of course I’m referring to the germs she can harbor in that hair. It’s like a virus refugee camp in there.
Plus, there were those twenty hours I spent on a recycled air-plane last week. Doh.
As I scoffed at suggestions that I eat chicken soup and rest, something else caught my eye.
I already suspected that nasal irrigation was anything but right for me.
I then made the mistake of watching the slide show. My suspicions have been confirmed.
I’ve been addicted to Afrin, and trust me, it’s way better than that, even with the intervention and consecutive stints in rehab. Suddenly chugging green juice, eating a giant pot of miso soup and sitting through another episode of Little Einsteins didn’t seem so bad.
I’ll tend to my scarlet fever and see you tomorrow. If I survive the night.
I woke up feeling exactly the same way! I hope you feel better soon because this is definitely not fun.
You too, sweetie. And I’m glad you liked the cupcakes.
You make me giggle
Also, I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks, Sarah. Wait until Jacob gets in school…
You poor thing. I hope you feel better!! You sent the vibes my way because I can already tell I’m getting sick. Damn you, computer virus! And I had big plans to make some pita pizzas tonight!!
Ha ha ha…big plans to make pita pizzas…
Get some rest, MamaPea. I hope you feel better soon. Trust your instincts on the nasal irrigation. It doesn’t sound pleasant.
Headed to bed right now…I’ve got almond toffee bars to bake tomorrow!
Feel better! And remember, even Anderson Cooper has his bad days – like getting attacked in Egypt. I bet he was hoping for scarlet fever right about then.
Damn straight.
I can get into all sorts of trouble self-diagnosing online. It’s actually quite entertaining. I’ve made the mistake of watching my husband use a neti pot or whatever it’s called to clean out his nose. NO THANK YOU. I’d totally have a choking episode as the water shot out of my nostril.
Hope you feel better ASAP!
I actually had the nasal irrigation pictures up and Pea Daddy was like, “What the heck are you posting?!” I blame the fever. Then I deleted the pictures.
I’m sick too!!
Such a pain in the butt when you’ve got the kiddos to take care of.
Do you have a recipe for Miso soup? I was craving it a couple nights ago but didn’t have the energy to make it…so, I had the hubs pick up some Amy’s No-Chicken noodle soup. It was OK. :/ I’m not all congested though – I just have this bad cough, fatigue, shortness of breath. I should look up on WebMD. My friend has bronchitis and said the symptoms are exactly what she had. WebMD would probably diagnose me with TB or a heart attack if I mentioned that my chest is sore due to the coughing. Haha
I just found your miso recipe!! God Bless you, MP!!
I’m going to have to pick me up some miso paste tomorrow.
Yay! I’m telling you, this soup is a LIFE SAVER. And I really do eat the whole pot myself.
Re: nasal irrigation, don’t knock it ’til you try it! Jussayin!
I know, I know. Shooting water in any bodily orifice just kind of freaks me out.
It’s weird…but really helps. As long as you have luke-warm water, you’re good. If it’s too cold, you get a “drowning” feeling.
LOL – but seriously, definitely worth trying! Hope you get better soon!!
Thanks! If this ends up going to my head (knock on wood it doesn’t), I may have to try it. I have a friend that swears by it.
I will third the earlier comments! I have been using a Neti-pot for awhile now and went from having sinus infections all the time to getting them very rarely.
Thanks! Now I have to try it!
Agreed, I freaking love it when I’m sick. Nothing makes me feel better.
I hope you feel better soon. I can’t tell you how many times, as a grown woman and mother, I’ve been miserably sick and crying into my pillow that I “want my mommy”. Seriously.
I postponed using my neti pot for a very long time because I thought I would drown myself. I finally watched my roommate do it, got brave, did it, and my life is forever changed. Seriously. Nasal irrigation is quite possibly the most amazing thing for allergy sufferers out there.
Oh gosh. Now I’m curious…
I have a vote in favor of neti pot use too. It helps during allergy season and when you feel the beginning of a sinus thing coming on. just make sure it’s not too warm, not too cold, has the neti rinse salt in it. Don’t use regular old iodized salt as that is too harsh. It’s awesome really and you don’t get the rebound that sprays give (worse swollen passages once it wears off)
Even sick, you make me laugh! Take care of yourself, I hope you feel better soon.
Being sick sucks. Feel better soon! And not because I wan’t that almond toffee bar recipe.
I feel a little guilty for having found so much humor in your post. I especially liked the advise WebMD gave to seek medical attention if you experience a pain in the neck…I myself, have a few of those at work. i need an on-call doctor, or better yet, a cute EMT. Oh, and that my hair looks EXACTLY like Lulu’s every morning…when I look in the mirror in the morning I often wonder who put the dynamite in my hair last night and who lit the fuses!
In all seriousness, I hope you feel better soon. Sore throats are awful since it’s so hard to get even the good things down the pipe! Sending some good vibes your ay!
Thank you…and I’m glad you found the humor. Here’s to finding that doctor.
Oh no~I’ll be praying for you Mama Pea! stay strong and hang in there! weird~my baby nephew got this today too. did you guys cyberchat by any chance? haha but all jokes aside, I hope someone takes care of you too.
You may wanna double-check with this, but I believe that ginger and orange peel+honey tea helps with this kind of stuff.
Mmm…that sounds awesome.
Feel better, Mama Pea. Take some time for r&r.
P.S. My mom once tried to online diagnose herself for some dizziness she was having and it said she had syphilis. It was kind of hilarious.
OMG, that’s outrageous!
Oh no I hope you feel better soon.
Worse than self-diagnosing yourself online is OTHER people diagnosing you online. I get sent a new disease each week by various concerned outsiders. And worse is my mom who mixed up mange for dogs with mange for humans and was sure she’d die of scabies.
Ha ha ha!!!!
Hoping you feel better soon!!! I’m so glad to finally be over the flu + other crap that was keeping me down..although I still only feel about 90%. I think reading webMD and those sites have literally almost made me have heart attacks….lol
I’m sorry! So many germs out there. Usually I try to just “man up” & power through, but this time I am just knocked flat.
Heres hopin that the fever doesn’t take you out! Oh! And the muffins you made the other day look AMAZING! You impress me very much.
They’re cupcakes…
I woke up with a slight sore throat and stuffiness, but it subsided, thankfully. Considering I haven’t gone anywhere in days, I’d worry a bit about my immune system if I contracted a cold out of nowhere.
Feel better soon!!
Feel better soon. You are right there are no sick days for us Mom’s but hopefully you get some down time to rest. My youngest has a sore throat, cough & congestion so I am battling it with green juice, vitamin C and multi’s … here’s hoping.
I’m crossing my fingers for you!
Neti pots and nasal irrigation seriously sound sooo gross but honestly…they work. They sort of flush the germs out and once you get used to doing it, they keep you from getting sick b/c they keep your mucus membranes and sinus cavities clear. Anyone with chronic sinus issues or allergies or just wants to prevent sickness should try them…gross as they may sound! It took me years to actually try a neti pot and I dont do it daily but it’s a good thing to have in my repertoire.
And I hope you feel better soon!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alright, I’ll consider it…
Hang in there, dear MamaPea!! xoxo
Hope you feel better soon!
Im sick too:(:(:( And aside from mexican sunset mucus, we have the same symptoms! I have an infection in my throat and had to get antibiotics so you might wanna get to a doctor! But green juice and miso soup might just work better:)
I’ll keep an eye on it…thanks! Feel better!
You are way prettier than Anderson Cooper! And I know for sure because I met him when he went on a date with my (male) roommate when I was living in LA. He is a sweetie though–that is for real. Feel better soon Mama!
What?!?? You are my hero!
Feel better soon! Being sick when you’re the mom is the worst!
I am an IE and we talked a lot in one of my classes about automation of medical diagnosis. Web MD: you are not omnipotent (nor accurate ever)
Why don’t they organize the results by the actual odds you have the disease? I’d say 9 out of 10 times the answer is “common cold.”
I am the worst at google diagnosing myself. I’m sure my doctor doesn’t ever enjoy when I come in with my list of “possible illnesses”. I just like to think of myself as proactive.
Feel better!!! Praying you stay healthy. And Praying for Spring. I think that is what we all need to get rid of this sickness that is going around.
Are you sure it’s not SARS?? That’s generally what we get around here when someone (ahem, male) gets a cold and the world ends. I wish I’d insisted on him wearing a face mask though…
I think it IS SARS…
I’ve diagnosed myself with diabetes, ADHD, and many other things that I def didn’t have. It’s almost comical! Feel better, mama!
LOL I guess Web MD would be a danger zone for hypochondriacs!
Feel better! Web MD is honestly…hilarious. It plays into the hypochondriac in us all!
… you could have the …common cold … orrrrr… leukemia. They must feel good that they give us options. haha
Web MD is such an enabler for hypocondriacs. Or anyone, really…every time I go on there I’m convinced I’m going to die or go blind within 24 hours.
I hope you feel better soon!! Miso soup and green juice sounds like a wonderful cure to scarlet fever
Oh my gosh, that’s awful. I can totally empathize because I had TB, pneumonia, or lung cancer from November until the the end of January. I ended up on antibiotics the first week of January and that (possibly combined with a vegan diet experiment) helped me get better. It was a miracle.
Have you tried “immune support” Emergen-C? Eating raw garlic? Putting a little apple cider vinegar in water to help cut mucus? Gargling with warm salt water? Inhaling steam? Those are just some things that I did — in addition to the neti pot!
Feel better soon. I hope you can get some rest…
Those are all great home remedies! Thanks for the suggestions!
Hope you feel better soon!
Aww, sorry you’re sick! Hope the lemon water does some good and you’re feeling better soon!
Hope you feel better Sarah : ( it’s not fun being sick and having kids to take care of, I hope whatever it is , you fight it off and get better asap! : )
I really just want the recipe and post on the replica starbucks toffee almond bars ; ) so get better asap! lol! Kidding! kind of ; )
I’m on it!
Feel better soon, MamaPea! And don’t get too addicted to that Afrin!
I hope your Scarlett Fever and/or swallowing an object gets better soon.
Wacky Wednesday Video: MamaPea does the NetiPot and makes almond toffee bars in the kitchen!
No one wants to see that…
So funny you should mention “nasal irrigation” Last night I actually went out and bought a Neti Pot in an attempt to relieve some of my son’s severe allergy symptoms. He is on four medications year round to control them until he gets to an age where they are comfortable giving him allergy shots… I feel the medicine is barely taking the edge off and decided to take matters into my own hands… enter the Neti Pot. Of course being five he was nervous so his dad went first and coughed and chocked.. I thought great he will never use it now. Next was my turn I held back the chocking but my gosh it burned my nose… My allergies aren’t as bad I won’t be doing that again. Next my son went… he LOVED it! He thought it was great. He wanted to do it again and again. It really and truly did clean quite a bit from his nasal passage and was hilarious to watch !
Hope your feeling better soon! Get some rest
Really?!? If your son can do it, I guess I can too.
I really think you should try it! I would love to see a post about your experience, it would be awesome
do it for wacky Wednesday!
All you need is a neti pot – I think they even sell them at WF and other health food stores nowadays (years ago I had to order mine online). Then just follow the directions to a “T”. It will be weird at first but its actually soothing as long as you’ve got the temperature right and the right amount of sea salt (no table salt or any iodized salt!). If the mix or temperature isn’t right then it can be uncomfortable. Also, take the time to do the slow exhalations through the nose afterward (the directions will describe) to make sure you get all the water out – ‘cos having water remain up there is uncomfortable too!
I hope you try it, and more importantly, I hope it helps you!
Take good care and feel better soon!
Maybe this will be a Wacky Wednesday… Thanks for the suggestions!
We got our Neti Pot at Target for $15. My husband actually took a video of our son doing it because he thought it was cool and wanted to send it to MiMi & PaPa… we got a good laugh out of watching it a second time… Wacky Wednesday must! Just remember don’t laugh/snort while doing it… ouch!
How many readers would I lose if I showed a video of me streaming water out my nose…?
Just the thought of that is hilarious! I bet you would gain quite a few readers!!
Just think–You would show up at the top of every Google for “Nasal Irrigation”! Now wouldn’t that be something to be proud of!?
Ahh yes.
Although I have never tried it, nasal irrigation is suppose to work wonders. As is putting garlic oil in your ear canals (yes, you read correctly). I just take echinacea drops, eat lots of garlic and ginger and rest, it works for me! Feel better!
I’m going to stink…er, stink more.
Don’t you love how you can pretty much diagnose yourself with anything if you look for it? I diagnose that last sentence with sarcasm…or the ebola virus, depending on a symptom or two.
I say if you have kids, you have germs. However, last night feeding Gram dinner in the dining hall of the old people’s place, I overheard the nurse tell the aides to make sure to wear gloves when dealing with “Room 525 because she is refusing to use a Kleenex and keeps blowing her nose into her hands.”
Gigi isn’t alone–just (senior) light years ahead of her time.
Ugh! That’ll be me. Payback’s a comin’
Feel better soon Mama Pea! Hope you get some rest on that red couch of yours :>
Even sick, you’re hilarious
Haha WebMD is the best. I’m sure doctors lovvve it. Feel better!
The germs in Gigi’s hair made me think of Mean Girls and when they say she has secrets in her hair.
Feel better!
I was actually just googling “how to stop Afrin addiction” the other day. I got addicted after my last cold a few weeks ago. I tried to give it up for a day but the withdrawl symptoms of a stuffy nose were too much for me and I caved. I am going to try again next week…maybe.
I know it’s not funny but I’m dying here. Been there.
I worked in a daycare and had scarlet fever each and every day…with a side of pink eye biweekly. Kids can be nast….but so worth it when they say something funny or look as cute as yours do! Feel better!!!!
I LOVE webmd! So helpful, even though it sometimes comes up with the craziest things:) Feel better girl!
Feel better soon!! Not being able to swallow is the worst & it’s the worst when you wake up in the morning after a night of no liquids.
Also – never ever use WebMD. Their diagnosis for pretty much anything is a life-threatening or terminal illness.
I am very addicted to Afrin
. How did you stop? I am afraid I have ruined my nose forever.
Oh no! You just have to live through a few bad days.
I hope you feel better. Gotta say the germs are abundant this time of year…be they in the air or your childs hair
ahhahhhaa. loved this post. hope you recover soon from the myasthenia gravis.
Feel better!:) Web MD is the best haha- but it definitely gives you the worst possible thing ever.
It’s the airplane for sure. Airplane air is awful!
Hope you get better soon. Mainly because I want that toffee bar recipe. Cough *selfish* cough
Today! I promise!
I hope you feel better!
And nasal irrigation is amazing — get a Neti pot!
I did a Nedi Rinse a couple days ago and still feel like it’s in my sinuses! Oh dear me.
I’m sorry you’re not feeling well…that never makes for a great day.
Feel better soon!
Yeah, I don’t think I want that feeling of water just hanging out up in there.
Thanks for some laughter this morning. It is the best medicine you know, and I’m not even suffering from a life threatening illness like you.
Happy Healing. Maybe you should watch the angry factory dance from Footloose for some laughter and see if that helps.
Ohh..yes, this would be a good time to make Pea D pay up on that promise to watch Footloose.
http://boomama.net/2011/01/25/a-little-kevin-bacon-makes-everything-better/
Bless you.
Aww, boo, hope you feel better. I hate going on WebMD. I always walk away thinking I have cancer or cholera like we’re playing Oregon Trails with my life.
I love Oregon Trail. I thought only us Oregon kids got to play that in school.
Hang in there!!!! Lots of tv, soup, and quiet children!
If you can hook that up, I will marry you.
Get well! Crap is going around. I think my son has the chicken pox and I’m freakin out since I’m pregnant. Life.
Oh no! I’ll say a little prayer that that’s not the case!
Thankfully it isn’t chicken pox. Whew! It’s a viral rash. Can’t wait to get/see these bars you keep talking about! I think I need some
Ahh…thank goodness! Bars are done. And man, they’re good.
Feel better soon girlfriend!!
Thanks, Kel. I feel like such a wuss considering you are “with child!” That’s like 9 straight months of sinus congestion.
Next time, use the Mayo Clinic website. They never tell me I have nose hair cancer. Good for medical information, probably bad for funny post topics, though!
Good idea! I’ll check it out.
WebMD usually tells me I’m pregnant. And have cancer.
I’m not sure which diagnosis is worse…
Cancer is definitely worse.
until i fail at being sober for 9 months and inflict my poor offspring with FAS.
yikes, scarlett fever sounds intense. let’s just hope it’s the flu and that you’ll start feeling better ASAP…faster than me anyway!
Yes…hope you feel better too!
Feel better soon Sarah! I am with you on being sick…I was out of it all week last week and thankfully getting better now. I hope it goes quick for you!
Thanks Sarena! I already feel a bit better today.
I used to love WebMD, but unfortunately (or fortunately) my husband has banned me from the site because I always walk away having some kind of extreme diagnosis. I had diabetes for a week once, and that’s only one example! I think the ban is probably for the best.
Feel better soon!!!
As others have said – try the nasal irrigation. My dad and I are allergy / sinus sufferers. He has done irrigation for years, and would always tell me I should try. It freaked me out. Two years ago I was hooked on Afrin for months. Literally, I had to use it every few hours to breathe – that stuff is nasty. I finally tried the irrigation, and after a couple days of discomfort (i.e. breaking my addiction to Afrin) I was golden. The irrigation takes a little practice to get used to, but it works. It’s the best natural remedy I’ve ever found.
Okay. You’ve inspired me.
Same cold in our house and I am STILL sick with it. Just took Afrin for the first time yesterday. My OB said it was “safe” for me to take just so long as I don’t take it 3 days in a row . . . I don’t know how I will survive w/o it! Being sick and pregnant tops the cake . . . longer to recover and practically nothing you can do. I survived on miso soup and green smoothies last week and honestly the thought of anything with dairy in it has me ready to vomit because my sinus will pulse against my face and say “what are you kidding me!” Best way to turn 100% vegan I suppose!
Feel better!!
I hope you feel better too. I don’t know how I ever survived a cold without Afrin, but yes, per my OBGYN’s okay, I took it during pregnancy too…
I hope you feel better soon! And while nasal irrigation has seemed to work wonders for others, I just can’t stomach it.
I know.
I love what WebMD will give you. Congested? You might have nasopharyngeal cancer. Stomachache? You have dysentery.
It sounds like your treatment plan’s a good one. Feel better!
I actually did have scarlet fever as a child.. weird I know. I can still remember the red rash that plagued my body — especially my belly (that’s where I remember it).
Oh no! I’m sorry to make a joke at your expense
Haha it’s okay! It just made me think of it — since people think it’s uncommon!!
Hahaha no wonder so many people end up in the ER at the hospital where I work. Apparently even if you sneeze you should seek immediate medical attention!
i’m not a vegan so i don’t know if this is offensive, but i’m seriously asking this is the most non ignorant way; do you not use some medicines because they are made from animals? are any medicines made from animals? i don’t know, i’m just curious and i thought you might be the one to ask
I really steer clear of most medicines in general, so I haven’t researched it much. I wish I had some answers for you, but i don’t! Not offended in the least.
At the first sign of a sore throat, I drink whiskey with lemon and honey. Works every time. Or at least I think it works…
uh oh… mama pea down!?!? what are we all going to do???
i honestly think it has less to do with your children (although i’m thinking scientific research on the germs in gigi’s hair could be interesting HAHA)… and more to do with the airplane! i always get sick after any flight longer than a couple hours. planes are GROSS!!
feel better… and let me know if you need anything.
Thanks, Sus. I think I got it from you. I keed.
Oh my gosh, I am obsessed with WebMD. Any time I feel the slightest tingle in my throat, WebMD confirms that I probably have something fatal.
Hope you feel better soon!
Heehee, nasal irrigation was the first thing my eyes went to. Never tried it, pretty sure I don’t want to.
I am here to attest that kids are, as my oncologist tells me, “little germ vectors.” When I was having chemo we would have them come in from school and completely strip off in the laundry room just inside the garage door and put on clean clothes before they came in the house. Winter-time school germs are just nasty and can put a chemo patient with a white count near 0 in the hospital for sure! They rolled their eyes, but did as we said, and guess what I never got sick. I hope you feel much better very soon. It’s hard enough being a Mama, but being a sick Mama is even worse. xoxo
I’m going to start making the girls strip. That’s genius.
I feel the same way…it is lingering and is terrible! Too bad my afrin is at home! Take some for me
Feel better.
I may have caved and hit the Afrin at 2 a.m. Ahhh…much better.
A sore throat has been slowly sneaking up on me! Thankfully it isn’t a full-blown scarlet fever delio like yours
I took a midterm today and I could almost feel germs crawling on me being in a packed lecture hall with 199 other students coughing and sneezing on me. Ughhh.
I hope you get better!
I have fallen under the Web MD spell many times! It usually tells me to consult a medical professional immediately. When I email that to my husband he tells me to turn off the computer. A slice of raw ginger, lemon juice, and honey in hot water will help get you through – feel better soon!
Thanks. That sounds great!
I agree with trying the Neti pot. Sounds awful but really works! Feel better soon!
oh my. being in med school seeing that list of possible diagnoses cracks me up. yep, myasthenia gravis FOR SURE.
my boyfriend’s dad (who’s a family physician) swears by his nightly nasal irrigation. then again i think it may cause as many problemsa s it solves because he clears his sinuses with this gag-tastic noise every 5 minutes. totally grosses me out.
Gagtastic. That is definitely the word. You know your boyfriend is going to be just like his dad when he’s older, right?
Mach 5 indeed! thats how am feeling this morning as well
Have a 11mth old waiting on my return from work that just doesn’t seem to understand what a sick day is! Maybe next year he will…… it must be all the coughdrops that have made me delusional!
Feel better Mama Pea
You too, hon!!!
Oh bless you mama pea – I knew we were soul sisters because of something and I found out what it was in this post…….Afrin addiction!!
I too was a mess to the point that papa randall refused to marry me until I had my addiction under control – true story……after a lot of q-tips smothered with metholatum being swabbed up my nose, sleepless nights, and more whining than you can imagine I successfully kicked the habit. Happy to say I have been Afrin free for 37 years this very day!
Your mom is right, we don’t get sick days we are only allowed to be sick from midnight to 7:00am!
I love you and hope you feel well soon!! xoxo
Hahaha! I was sneaking Afrin squirts in the middle of the night… Congrats on your Afrin sobriety!!!!
oh, i see she’s already confessed. i didn’t know the bit about the qtips… geez, mom, junkie.
This is going to sound disgusting, but a week ago I couldn’t swallow without wincing in pain and knew something had to help. Every few hours I drank hot water with lemon and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. The next morning it was slightly better and completely gone by that night.
Hope you feel better soon!!!!!
Are you sure it isn’t strep? Whenever my kids have a sore throat that is what I immediately assume it is.
Nah. I’ve had strep and this isn’t nearly as bad.
at least it’s not malaria. or hantavirus. those are really bad.
Feel better!
Nasal irrigation actually works! It just feels really weird and if you do it the wrong way, you get a throat full of salt water. I am not making it sound very good, am I? But is really does work, honest.
Oh no, I hope you feel better soon! Two suggestions:
1. Nasal irrigation. Do it in the shower to minimize grossing yourself out. It works.
2. My husband’s family’s medicinal recipe- hot water with sugar. Cures a lot around here!
LOL…can u please incorporate a slideshow of you and the girls practicing your nasal irrigation?? Maybe u can just use PK as a test run ;D It seems like the blog world is contagious, everyone is sick! Yikes I’m closing my google reader, xooxoo feel better mama!!
Thank you, darlin’!
Ok, I use a neti pot (nasal irrigation) all the time and love it. I swear it’s not bad. Just tilt your head a little bit forward and hum to help you get used to it- sounds weird, but trust me. Oh, and don’t use it if you think you might have a sinus infection because it can actually spread the germs around too much. I realize that makes it sound even grosser. Oops.
Nope, no sinus infection. My nose is actually the least of my worries. I like the idea of humming, though.
I think the campus nurse must have used Web MD when I was in college. She always assumed any ailment was because we were all pregnant (clearly this is an exaggeration, but it was often a suspicion of hers). Headache? Take a pregnancy test. Sore throat? Pregnancy test. Really??
Ha ha ha!!! I am NOT pregnant.
Yuck! I am so sorry that you are sick. Be careful lot’s of ugly things going around right now. We had a stint with flu a couple of weeks ago. Both boys and the husband – apparently I am the only smart one to get the darn shot
I hope you feel better soon. I will share this with you…
Oat Tea
4 cups water
3T oats
1 cinnamon stick
bring to slight boil and simmer for 30 minutes
strain and drink throughout the day. I also add honey to mine, you could maybe do agave or maple??
throw a little ginger in as well for health benefits!
This always helps my throat feel better when it is sore. I even use this for yucky sinus days.
Thank you! Wow, I’ve never heard of oat tea, but I will try it!
Mama Pea, homemade ginger lemonade served hot fixes everything! I love it with raw honey from my local bee farm. Please make it through the night so you can successfully replicate Starbucks’ Almond Toffee Bars. Have you noticed they don’t sell them anymore??? It’s because they have supposedly switched to all “natural” ingredients or something…. clearly they have failed in trying to formulate a recipe for the Almond Toffee Bars with natural ingredients. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!!!
I already made the bars. The post is ready….will be up later
And that is why I never let myself google my ailments… I always decide I’m about to die! Hope you feel better soon xoxo
I used to get strep throat about every other month. Once I just knew I had it, but it was New Years Day and I didn’t want to pay $50 to go to urgent care, so I decided to wait until the next day so that I could just call my doc and get a prescription. By the next day I really did have Scarlet Fever, which is really just strep throat gone bad.
Because I was getting it so often and the Z pack wasn’t cutting it anymore, my doc recommended getting my tonsils out. So I did. At 38 years of age. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever do that. It was worse than childbirth (I’ve had a cesarean, an induction, and a natural so I know all sorts of birthing) and it lasted 10 days. Couldn’t take narcotics cuz they made me sick.
So all of that to say if you even slightly suspect strep tomorrow, go in!
Thanks for the warning, my gosh! I’m pretty sure this is just a virus.
Ugh that is terrible! I hope you feel better soon…lots and lots of soup and lemon water
No matter how careful I am, I always get sick when I fly!
Hope you feel better soon!
I got one of those “nasal irrigation” bottles from a doctor once and I actually really liked it. It’s kind of hard because you have to hold your head funny, but I thought it felt good! Plus it got rid of the sinus pain I was experiencing. I hope you feel better soon!
The other day my husband said that something…delicate had been hurting on his body and he said “I’ll check WebMD when I get home.”
“OH NO YOU’RE NOT! Promise me you won’t.”
“Why?”
“When have you ever (ever) gone to WebMD and felt better about what was going on?”
Pause.
“Never.”
According to WebMD, I may have a brain tumor. I’m going to take some luck here and say no, maybe later.
Ha ha ha. I hope his delicates feel better.
I don’t know if nasal irrigation is the same thing, but you HAVE to try a neti pot. There’s no squirting, just pouring, and while it’s not pleasant, it feels SO good afterwards and has prevented me from ever getting a sinus infection. Do it!
Oh, hope you feel better soon Mama Pea!
I found your site through a friends comment on Facebook and I LOVE it! I strongly believe in the Neti Pot. I am totally grossed out by bodily secretions, so it took me a LOOOOOONG time to work up to it. I kept having this postnasal thing going on. Really sore throat, tickling cough, stopped up ears, etc. I constantly had an upset stomach from, eh-hem, drainage. Bought one, used it. Will probably never EVER take another antihistimine/decongestant, etc… even during the peak of pollen season. The trick for me was to tell myself that anything was better than a belly full of dayquil pills (the only thing I could stay away through). I also read somewhere (and it really really works) that to keep from gagging or “drowning” yourself, to practice saying the letter “k:”. *(or think of the work kick)Get used to the way the back of your throat feels when you say it. Learn to stop your throat up like that at will, and THEN irrigate while making that motion with your throat (its really more like the roof of your mouth area). It works great. Make sure to get your tissues ready and laid out before you start, to cut down on the ick factor. Also, lean your head really far forward. It got rid of migraines for myself and a close friend too. He was looking at surgery to sever a nerve and then discovered the Neti. Good luck and I really do hope you feel super better soon!
This was such a funny post…I was still chuckling to myself in the car on the way to the Y. I remember my granddad used to come over and read our “medical dictionary” and after about 5 minutes he was convinced he had every ailment in the book and was going to die very soon.
I am scared to use Afrin as I know once you start it’s hard to stop! I hope you feel better soon!
Here’s hoping to a speedy pea-covery! Seriously, though, the Neti-Pot has taken away days of dry sinus aches, sinus infections, allergy complications. Hey, if you would open the top of your head and scrape out the moldy fungus in your head, would you? Ok, perhaps I should rephrase. It’s a detox and flushing out of places that, honey, ya ain’t gonna reach. I wouldn’t lead you astray, MP!
I’m going tomorrow to get one. I couldn’t make it all the way to Whole Foods today, but mark my word, Friday will be blessed with nasal irrigation.
i hope you are better by now. i am a bit behind. uhhh.. back in ’09 i posted photos of me doing the netipot. on the blog. i should dig them up just for you.
ha, my mom was addicted to nose spray. hilarious that you mention that.
i have missed you dearly! i love the cover of your book!