The Joys of Strep (No, Really!)

So maybe the word Joys is a little bit misplaced here, in describing that vile, oh-so-contagious illness (muy contagioso, as I have learned to say to Sammi's aide in times of need - hey, if I'm going to learn any phrase in Spanish, I guess it may as well be that one...).

But in all honesty, there's a lot to be said for it.  As wretched (ooh, how I love that word!) as one feels in the throes of fever, delirium and the miserable sensation of swallowing large, pointy objects, the quick turnaround to recovery is all that much more sweet.

Sammi has strep.  After a perfectly good day at school on Wednesday, followed by two hour-long therapy sessions, she was still bouncy and full of energy.  By 6pm, when Daddy asked her what she wanted for dinner, she burst into tears.  Usually a good indicator that something's up...  Samantha, for all of her playing-doctor, telling us exactly what hurts during the role-play, being the model patient, is, in all reality, a pretty horrible patient.  She tells us nothing when something's really wrong.  She shuts down, puts her hands behind her back, looks at her feet, and responds to all questions, "Nothing." 

"Does your throat hurt?"  "Nothing."

"Does your tummy hurt?"  "Nothing."

"Does your head hurt?"  "Nothing."

You get the picture.

However, Sammi was sporting a pretty hot fever.  Within an hour, she was at the pediatrician for a check-up.  Strep hadn't even crossed our minds, and the doctor, after looking down her throat and seeing nothing, thankfully decided to do a strep test anyway.

Ohhh, how I hate to put her through that. 

But the test was positive. 

Yay!!  Hooray for strep!!

This meant a few things - a) we knew what it was and didn't have to worry about some unknown illness, b) we could swing by the CVS drive-through to get antibiotics right then and there and get her started immediately, c) she'd be feeling better by morning, d) she could go back to school on Friday.

See what I mean?  Nothing to it.  (Oh, and I won't mention how ticked-off I was at the CVS drive-through person who told me to park across from the drive-through window to wait and she'd motion to me in 10-15 min. when the meds were ready, who then proceeded to either go to dinner or leave for the night and neglected to tell her co-workers that I was out there waiting, in the rain, with a sick, crying child, how after waiting 25 minutes, happy that Samantha had fallen asleep, and entertained by Facebook, I finally went back into the drive through lane to see if they were ready and they were, but who knew for how long??) 

And just to show how not wretched she felt in the morning, and to tell me how right I was with all of my whispered promises that she'd feel better in the morning, (all while force-feeding her medicine through a syringe as she screamed and flailed her arms), she woke up and announced, loudly, "Mommy!  I'm awake and I feel better!!"

Whew.