Public Health Announcement

This person has single-handedly
spread coxsackie virus throughout
the Willamette Valley from the Oregon
Coast to Portland. Notice red blotches and
missing smile.

Let me just start out by telling all of you: I AM SORRY!  I didn't know I was contagious when I saw you! 

On Sunday Eric and I came home from a fun weekend at the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival.  I felt generally tired, a little sniffly, and I had a sore throat but I figured it was all due to too much fun the day before and I shrugged it off.  I also noticed that I had a tiny, itchy sore spot on my index finger- like I had touched fiberglass or something- but again, shrugged that off, too.

Little did I know that my body was mounting an extreme response attack to....Coxsackie A 16 virus...aka, Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease.  Don't laugh!  Eric thought the name was very special.  He thought of a few choice variations that I will leave to your imagination.

By Monday night I was unable to sleep because the palms of my hands and soles of my feet were tingling and itching unbearably.  I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something but could think of nothing that I had come into contact with that was out of the ordinary.  Tuesday morning I went to urgent care where they did nothing for me other than take my blood and tell me that they didn't know what the heck was wrong with me.  When I called to find out whether or not my test results were conclusive of anything the only thing they could tell me was that I was anemic. I was not pleasant to the poor MA who had to take my call: "Anemic?!! That's all you can tell me?  I already knew that! The freakin Red Cross tells me that everytime I try to give blood!  Geez.  Who cares if I'm anemic?  No- this does not warrant a follow up."  By Wednesday I was miserable and desperate for relief. I hobbled to my old primary care doc and she diagnosed me and then did a blood test just to be sure.  She said that if I had gone to a pediatrician they would have diagnosed me in two seconds.

Not only do I have these gruesome-looking bumps all over my face, under my nose, the palms of my hands, and soles of my feet, but everwhere that the bumps are is painful to the touch and swollen.  This means that for three days now I have had a really difficult time walking or holding anything.  Showering?-Forget it.  The only thing that brought relief was Ibuprofen and holding ice packs in my hands.

Things are feeling better today (Thursday) but the rash is definitely still present.  Thank God for a good Mom and a good boyfriend to take care of me and entertain Brooklynn! 

If you have been in contact with me in person from Monday, February 22nd, to today, do yourself a favor and google this crappy virus which apparently affects mostly children, and purchase large bottles of Ibuprofen.  Oh- and for the record, I have no sores in my mouth.  I don't know why I care but I feel like I need to let everyone know that I'm not as gross as all of the pics on google images.

High-five, anyone?!