there from their hearts the dogdayed pulse/of love and light bursts in their throats

[starfrosting]

1) I've got strep! again. This afternoon I squeezed myself into an appointment at the student health center on 12th st, where I bonded with a very new-yorky nurse by telling her my mom's a PA. She appreciated that I've been sick since Thursday but was only just now seeking treatment, and told me to tell my mom "that she raised a very nice boy, very well-trained."

(Incidentally, I was really impressed by how casually queer and trans-positive they were there, despite being initially put off by a disgusting piece of hetero clipart on their little desk basket of condoms. Their intake forms were good and probably facilitated the positive stress-free reaction I was able to have with the nurse and doc I saw. This compared to getting called "ma'am" over the phone when I called C-L's urgent care line early this morning. I know they were just trying to be polite but it's always too early for that shit.)

2) This is starting to look like a personal seasonal cycle for me: Last year only 3 weeks from now I had strep throat, what the hell. What can I do to stop this from happening??

3) I certainly skipped all my classes tonight as a result, last of the semester if I don't go to the French rendezvous tomorrow. It seems a fitting end to a semester I could scarcely fit into the groove. Now all I have to do is write something on/inspired by Aristotle's Physics I can actually be proud of in two weeks' time, but I'll deal with that come Friday. Right now I'm obsessively tailoring a mixtape like the Virgo I might've been, buzzed on a tiny tumbler of wine.

Comments

[taxishoes.livejournal.com]

Ugh, sorry to hear that you're sick. Priceless quote, though. Are you gonna e-mail that to your mom? :P <---this smiley is sarcastic.

I almost always avoid using gendered titles and manage to be polite anyway (I hope)! It is so unnecessary.

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

Nope, I told her it over the phone! It was too sweet to pass up, plus things have eased up a little around stuff like that. And I agree, politesse does not necessitate sir or ma'am.

[taxishoes.livejournal.com]

things have eased up a little around stuff like that

Well that's good to hear.

[wnb.livejournal.com]

2) This is starting to look like a personal seasonal cycle for me: Last year only 3 weeks from now I had strep throat, what the hell. What can I do to stop this from happening??

i don't have any evidence to back this up / this might not be helpful at all / what i do know about strep is that it's super ubiquitous, it's like always hanging out on your skin and shit. and that frequent hand washing is probably the main thing you can do. that plus maybe not putting things in your mouth. anything. ever.

a hypothesis about seasonal cycle - maybe a weather thing? did any of the healthcare folks that you dealt with yesterday mention that they usually see a lot of strep around this time of year?

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

Got it, nothing in my mouth, anything, ever.
Is there a harm reduction strategy I can try instead??

I think you're probably right though about washing my hands a bunch, which I think I do from working in a kitchen but it couldn't hurt. It's gross to picture strep just hanging out all the time! It must be good friends with HPV.

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

If you get chronic strep, the thing they usually want to do is take your tonsils out. For people I know, that usually hasn't been suggested until it's really chronic -- like, having strep once every 4-8 weeks for several months -- but you could ask.

I wonder if Listerene gargling would help? Tastes gross, but totally kills germs.

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

I've heard a couple tonsillectomy success stories, but it seems a little drastic for my situation-- though I've certainly fantasized in moments of despair. I need to do throat wards and back it up with regular salt-water gargles and yeah, probably gross mouthwash wouldn't hurt ;)

[orpheuskiss.livejournal.com]

Ugh strep! I hope you feel better ASAP!

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I am-- the wonders of penicillin.