That Damn Black Cloud…
By Keiti | April 14, 2008
I swear, the weirdest things happen to me.
Remember when I wrote about my allergic reaction to the detergent that the laundromat used?
Well, as it turns out, it wasn’t an allergic reaction at all, but rather the onset of something called Fifth Disease.
Like the measles, it’s a viral infection and produces flu-like symptoms culminating in a lace-type body rash. It’s more common in children than it is in adults, but I am in that very small percentage.
I’ve been feeling better, thankfully, and it wasn’t until last night that I noticed the rash on my forearms. I was thinking it was a residual effect from the detergent having transferred to my blankets, so I took a Claritin and crawled in bed thinking it would be gone by this morning.
‘Twas not meant to be. The rash actually extended from my arms down to my feet, both front and back of my body.
Attractive, I know.
So, I called in to work, told them I was heading to the doctor’s office and would call them after I knew what was going on.
Thank God for walk-in clinics! Since I don’t have health insurance beyond a major medical policy, going to the doctor isn’t generally on the list unless it’s something dire. The visit cost me $45, including a strep test just to be on the safe side since I’m prone to them.
My initial thought was that it might be the measles, given the rash and the fact that my lymph nodes were crazy swollen last week. But the rash with Fifth Disease is more interconnected and “lacey” whereas the rash with the measles is separate and dot-like.
Anyway, there’s no treatment for it; it’s viral, which means antibiotics won’t touch it and the usual treatments for allergic reactions (steroids, cortisone, antihistamines, etc…) won’t do much because it’s not an allergic reaction. It’s not itching, anyway, so…Thank God for that.
So, I’m down to drinking lots of fluids, resting, and generally just taking it easy for a couple of days. I’m off work today and tomorrow. It’s pretty amazing to me that the week I was feeling really sickly, I worked 71 hours. I’m surprised I didn’t end up sicker than I did.
And I’m hoping that no one at work has caught it; they don’t call me Typhoid Mary for nothing - I’ve probably exposed a good 50-75 people, if not more.
Throughout all of this, (despite being the tiniest bit freaked out), I’ve been having a good (ironic) laugh at myself all day. It never fails that the most ridiculous crap happens to me.
Topics: Illness, Life in General |
April 15th, 2008 at 7:43 am
[...] sick and getting over something called Fifth Disease, (read more about that here), has left me with a couple of days off from work and time to do a lot of nothing. I get bored [...]