Rheumatic Fever

Hi, my name is LucyLupus. I'm here because I believe my childhood diagnosis of rheumatic fever was really lupus.

#MightyTogether #Migraine #RheumatoidArthritis

My whole life I’ve always gotten terrible body aches and rheumatic fever when I come down sick with anything from strep throat to a head cold.

I thought every one else did too.

Now I’m learning that it’s quite uncommon in my peers.

I assume it’s because I have an autoimmune neuropathy.

Does anyone else with autoimmune neuropathy get this?

What about if you don’t have autoimmune disease, do you experience this?

#AutoimmuneDisease #AutoimmuneAutonomicNeuropathy
#Strep

When my parents approved a biopsy from my 3.0.0.75 year old ankle to differentiate between RA and rheumatic fever, they never explained what lay ahead of me. Not even in my teens when I had a synovectomy of my left knee just prior to senior year in high school did anyone say things would keep going down hill. Probably a good policy as a preschooler but not helpful as a nearly adult woman who saw few limits I. Her future. Hmmm. I don’t blame anyone because looking at possible future “me” might have been too depressing. Fortunately, my father was a street fighter in the sense that he ran away from home in 1925, lives with virtual strangers, and put himself through dental college with minimal help back in Chicago at Loyola Dental School. Even at age 82 he was still climbing onto his roof, albeit a ranch house, to clean gutters and whatever caught his fancy. Terrified my mom, the other rheumatoid arthritic in our tiny family. I have walked away from more physicians than I can recall, concluding that they were more clueless about m condition than I. I am currently searching for another rheumatologist who will write scripts for generic ultracet, a drug I have used for 20* years that is the best option to augment my Xeljanz, Celebrex, and assorted heart medications and antihistamines. Ohio, my current and probable final residence, has a lousy attitude toward low level opioids which is ridiculous in my case. I don’t abuse them. Don’t exceed dosage levels. Don’t request scripts far in advance, a real joke since our drug insurance enjoys sending refills a month or four in advance. I am a good patient. I’ve endured right and left hip replacements in 1986 and 88, an ankle alignment in 2000, bilateral knee replacements in 2006, a left hip revision that required a second surgery a week later when the tip of the new implant popped through the femur in 2011,, aright hip revision in2018, a second right hip revision in 2021…so many incisions and so much fun. I gave up ballet and toe shoes in 1970, piano in 1977, cycling in 1882, walking without a cane in 1887, the list goes on.
It is difficult to accept each physical loss. I still experience enter over the piano and ballet. Of course, using a Rollator now to protect myself from falling makes ballet a joke. I am lucky to walk upright since I have a propensity to fall at odd moments. Some of those stories are hysterical. I had five falls in two weeks after our move to Ohio and loosened screws in my right hip. Yes, just like the ones in my head EXCEPT that one was pressing on my iliac artery to add a bit of drama to that last right hip revision. Scares that surgeon a bit but came through just fine. My wrists barely bend abs my elbows abs shoulders ache to varying degrees daily from use as supplemental legs. Five years after that right ankle surgical fusion my left ankle voluntarily fused itself. So thoughtful to keep both feet at 90 degrees. The list goes on but so do I. I am determined …
#RheumatoidArthritis

Fever. I did have it as a child.
#RareDisease

Losing a sibling young is an abomination of the natural order of the universe. Your siblings are, in theory, the only ones who know you your entire life. They share every childhood moment. They watch your children grow up. They help you survive a parent’s demise. At least this is how it’s supposed to be — in theory. Unless you lose your one and only sibling at a young age. Then you effectively become the only one who knows you your entire life.

This is my new solo journey now. My wingman, my partner in crime, my younger brother, was taken from me at the age of 27.

My brother was born the day before my 4th birthday, so I was convinced he was my birthday present. And when he came home, I was convinced he was mine, period. “Don’t touch my baby,” I’d say to anyone who dared to go near him. At night, after my parents went to sleep, I would steal him away and lay him in bed beside me.

And throughout his life, I continued to be the big sister with a vengeance. In my mind, I was his protector, his guardian angel, even when he didn’t really need one. We fought as normal siblings do, but we laughed more. We had that rare sibling relationship where we actually enjoyed spending time together. We were best friends, movie buddies, had the same sarcastic sense of humor.

#RheumaticFever, the doctors said. Irreparable heart damage. My brother spent his 18th birthday in the hospital, and was gifted with a 50/50 chance of living another five years prognosis. He defied them all by living another nine.

Grieving the loss of a sibling while they are still living is one of the most heartbreaking yet valuable lessons one can possibly learn. Knowing my brother was going to die sooner than later forced me to confront the notion of mortality, showed me you must seize every opportunity to live life to the fullest. But mostly it taught me the most valuable things in life are your loved ones, and you must never take them for granted — not for a single second. Because when they are gone forever, all you will have are your memories of your time together. And if you have any regrets at all about how you treated them or how little time you spent with them, they can haunt your soul.

The memories of my final years with my brother will forever burn brightly in technicolor. The trips we took, the birthdays we spent together, the afternoon we just randomly stopped and played a game of catch in the park. Leaving the hospital on the day he died, all I recall is the outside world looked grey, devoid of all traces of those vivid colors. Where had they all gone to?

That first year, I barely slept, rarely left the house, walked around clutching Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking.” I was wading through knee-deep snow to place flowers on his grave for his birthday. What little sleep I did manage culminated in dreams about him that caused me to wake up bawling hysterically.

But one particular dream I had was beautiful and gave me much needed peace. In it, we were walking over a bridge together, looking out over a beautiful meadow. In the next instant, he was no longer beside me. I looked over to see him standing in the meadow, arms reaching overhead skyward. Was he trying to send me a message from heaven? Was he trying to tell me that it was OK to let him go?

#Grief completely consumes your life at first, but its almighty power over you gradually subsides. Over time, you are able to laugh again, to look through old photos with a smile instead of through a haze of tears. The color does return, but it will never be as vivid as before.

Someday, I will be the only surviving member of my birth family. My intimate childhood recollections will remain mine alone, as the only other person who shared them with me is missing from the story.

This is not the journey I chose, but I have to somehow make peace with it. Although my brother will no longer be accompanying me on this journey through life, I like to think there will always be a set of invisible footsteps walking beside me.

It was as simple as going down memory lane.I was a sick child. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself raising my head from under the very starched hospital sheets.I was doing the usual things that 6 year olds do.I began to feel very sick.I began to feel extremely hot all over.I didn’t know what to do.I had no clue of what hallucinating was.I looked out of my small almond shaped eyes and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.I began to see snakes,many snakes crawling all over my bed.I began screaming and my voice echoed throughout the old farm house.I didn’t know what was happening.I ran into the other room and everyroom was another hallucinating experience.There in the other room stood a hunter with a fur hunting hat and rifle.Once again yelling like a scared child.I found myself running to my father.I recall being rushed to the local hospital.It was there I found out that my temperature was very high and hallucinating was inevitable.I found out I had #RheumaticFever.I would stay at the hospital for a while.I could never get these scary images out of my mind.Even while being treated at the hospital I was petrified.My sheets became my security blanket.I would cover my face from every thing that was moving.I developed Pneumonia,Double Pneumonia and would bring many illnesses in my adult life.My hear was scarred because of the Rheumatic Fever.I got my tonsils removed the following year.I was back in the hospital.It became a very scary place.I currently live with Pain now and have pain from Diabetic Nerve,#Lupus,RA, spondylitis.I have had many more hospital stays, surgeries,I’m not longer afraid.This one thing I can honestly say,The impression this hallucinating left on me is one that even today 40 years later,I’m scared and hope I will never hallucinate again.

Some things we can never forget and for me it was definitely the snakes.

A sore throat or pharyngitis refers to the pain, itchiness, or irritation in the throat that generally gets worse when you swallow. The most frequent cause of a sore throat infection is a viral infection, for instance, a cold or the flu and it may usually resolve on its own. However, a sore throat can also be the first indication of more severe illnesses, so you should observe how it develops. Visit an urgent care doctor if your sore throat gets worse or persists longer than the usual.

What Does a Sore Throat Mean?

A sore throat infection can be the result of exposure to airborne contaminants, or it could be an indicator that a virus is targeting you. Sore throats often occur once an infection has had a chance to become established in your body. Sore throats and fevers usually go hand-in-hand and can indicate many different types of health issues.

What Causes a Sore Throat?

Sore throats or bacterial throat infection are often caused by bacteria or viruses that enter the body through the nasal passages or the mouth. A sore throat infection may be the result of an ear infection. As the ears drain, the mucus and fluids that flush the inner ear may irritate the throat causing it to be sore, red, and inflamed.

Can a Sore Throat Cause High Blood Pressure or a #Migraine?

A sore throat does not usually cause other health conditions like high blood pressure or migraines. They are, however, indicative that something is wrong within the body. Both high blood pressure and migraine headaches can be symptoms of other health conditions that are associated with sore throats and chest pain.

Are Sore Throats Contagious?

In most cases, a person is contagious for as long as they have a fever.

How Long Does a Sore Throat Last?

Sore throats will often last as long as the virus is attacking the body. A sore throat will generally stick around until your immune system gets the upper hand against the infection.

Can a Sore Throat Cause a Fever?

A sore throat doesn’t necessarily produce a fever but accompanies an illness as your body tries to eliminate the virus.

Why Does a Sore Throat Often Cause a Fever?

A fever is the body’s natural defense mechanism to fight infections by raising your body temperature. Most viruses won’t survive temperatures above 100 degrees and will get killed by the fever in short order.

When to See a Doctor in Case of a Sore Throat

Sore throats can be an indication of more severe illnesses like #RheumaticFever and malaria (if you have been exposed to it). Fevers are meant to be a short-term solution to fighting a virus. If you have a sore throat or fever that lasts longer than 72 hours, you may want to make an appointment with your doctor.

How to Cure Sore Throats

If your throat starts to hurt, you should drink plenty of fluids and get as much rest as you can. You can take over the counter pain medication to make your throat feel better. Talk to your doctor if you start to feel like you may have something worse than a cold or the flu. If you are experiencing sore throats that keep recurring, last longer than a week, and you get dehydrated, visit our urgent care center near you for a check-up and get relief from cold, cough, or throat pain.

I’m in a waiting area at my local. Last year, when I had a mild  #Stroke. I was sent for a bubble echo. It was interesting to watch, but so painful. As any person who has a #ChronicPain condition knows, comfort is the most important thing. An examination bed for an hour does not remotely resemble comfort. Also the leur had already been in for 3 days, and it freaking hurt. I told the nurse, but she didn’t want to take it out and resite it. So now the Doc really has to work, to get the leur to do what he wants it to do. That was 10 months ago, and now I’m waiting to see a cardiologist. I’ve seen the nurse, and he did an EEG. “Please say it’s nothing, just send me off home” After an hour, she calls me in. she’s reviewed everything. It turns out, sometime during childhood, I had #RheumaticFever. My parents only took us to the GP if we were burnt, broken, bleeding or dying. A sore throat was none of those. So now, thanks to my parents, I can add a damaged Mitral Valve, to my ever growing list of medical conditions..