Pharyngoconjunctival Fever

What does it say about a person when they get an illness that is usually limited to kids 0-2 and "institutionalized individuals?" Hmm...

At any rate, I finally know what it is and it feels good to know that I wasn't a total wimp--it really is nasty. First I went to my regular doc, who prescribed vicodin (thank you Dr. Miller!) and an antibiotic before sending me to the eye doctor. From my doc I got that I had infection going on in my eyes, nose, throat, lymph nodes, and urinary tract. The stuff in my eye had spread. Or at least that was the working diagnosis.

By the time I got to the eye doctor it was 2:30 and I hadn't taken any medication all day. I could barely drive because of the light sensitivity and horrendous headache. I could barely talk because of my worsening sore throat. Plus I'm peeing every 5 minutes!

I was a total "show and tell" at the eye doctor's office. It is a practice of 8 doctors and all of them came to look at my eyes because it was such a "teaching case." Yeah...thanks. Now get the bleeping light out of my eyes! ;-)

Pharyngoconjunctival Fever. That's what it is. Finally I'm not crazy. I knew that it wasn't "just" an eye thing. My fever was over 102 and everything on my body hurt so bad.

The good news is that I don't have to be hospitalized (family doc thought I might need to be). The bad news is it's basically a viral infection throughout my whole body that will take 7-14 days to "run its course." No medicine to help. And the entire time I am "extremely contagious." Yep. Awesome. Not. The doc said that the virus could literally live for like a week on anything I tough after being in contact with any of my own bodily fluids (tears, saliva, etc.). Yikes!

The best news of the day though, is the vicodin. Seriously folks. I wasn't functioning well today. The pain was just too much. The bottle said to take one, but that didn't really touch the pain. Two vicodin and I am feeling much more like my old self. As long as I can keep taking this wonder drug for the next two weeks I should be okay. I know I sound like a total addict, but it is such a relief just not to feel that pain!

I have to go back to the eye doctor in a week to make sure some sort of scale isn't growing over my eyes. If so, they "scrape" it off. Nasty. Now if I can just keep the rest of the family from getting this we should be okay. Doc said no church, limited contact with "outsiders", etc. until it is completely gone.

AAI families, I should be more "around" now that I've got pain control.

Last but not least, I give you the final nasty eye pic!