WHAT THE HELL.

My uncle, who was in the hospital with the mini-stroke? Has lupus. So Dr. House was wrong.

I mean, he still had a mini-stroke; it's not a case of "No, that wasn't a TIA; it was lupus!" It's just in addition to the TIA, also lupus. But...that was unexpected.

I actually don't really know much about it, beyond the fact that it's an autoimmune disease. Guess it's time to hit up Dr. Google.

Excellent! I'm now Barb's official RA.

But I ain't bringing you coffee. Too much work -- I have standards!

But I ain't bringing you coffee. Too much work -- I have standards!

Bebe, it's NOLA-- we'll find some delicious little coffeehouse with pretty boys to bring us our libations.

Write off!

It can vary really widely, Steph. My husband's dad has lupus and he's lived with it for decades. After this last hospitalization it looks like he might have Parkinsons' too. Which would mean both of our dads have it. Which is weird.

I dragged the SO painfully to urgent care this morning. It's strep. So he took double the dosage of ibuprofen he'd been taking while I went to the pharmacy for the amoxocillin and Lortab. But when I got back he was fast asleep, so I'm letting him rest. I know the sooner we can get the antibiotics in him the better, but he'll probably only be able to take one this afternoon and one after he wakes in the morning anyway, so I figure I might as well let him sleep. He hasn't been able to sleep, eat, or drink for the past two days, so he needs the rest.

Anyway. At least we have the diagnosis, and now I want to disinfect every single thing in the house because I do not want strep.

It can vary really widely, Steph. My husband's dad has lupus and he's lived with it for decades.

I should have mentioned, too, that my vague knowledge of it includes knowing that's it's often (generally?) easy to treat/manage/live with for a very long time.

That, though, is the extent of my knowledge.

And it's a little worrying only because he's 75 and on the frail side of healthy. He went through a long course of radiation last year for prostate cancer, which is in remission, which is awesome. But it took somewhat of a toll on his health, so the TIA was worrying enough, and now I just worry that an autoimmune disorder *on top of* the radiation and TIA is going to be very overwhelming to his health.

I guess it's the cumulativeness of ALL of it that worries me.

Anyway. At least we have the diagnosis

Strep is kinda better than general bronchitis-y stuff, because at least you can throw antibiotics at it. Will he eat popsicles? Those are yummy AND make the throat feel better.

I meant to Seattle, Barb. I will happily act as factotum in NOLA!

My aunt had lupus for many years. It has it's ups and downs.

Ugh, Liese. I hope you don't come down with it.

You know, I hear more and more about people getting good painkillers for strep and tonsillitis these days and it pisses me off -- not that people are getting pain relief, but that as a kid to my late 20's, I got strep or tonsillitis twice or three times a year, severely -- we're talking 103 fevers, throat swollen so badly you could see it from the OUTSIDE.

Never ONCE -- out of probably 35 bouts in my life -- did a doc offer anything besides anti-bios. And it was agonizing, and I have a high pain threshhold.

Clora-fucking-septic, my glowing white ASS.

wrong thread

Yeah, I went in with him because he was so loopy from the pain already and I wasn't convinced he'd be lucid for the doctor. He was, and it happened to be his cardio that gave him a $5 bottle of magnesium that resolved his heart flutter, so he trusted him.

Anyway, so I pushed for the pain meds. I mean, I didn't beg for narcotics, I was just trying to figure out how we could get him eating and drinking. Drinking mostly was what was worrying me. So then the doc offered up the pain meds.

But it was a hassle, because they said they'd call them both in, then I got there and only a partial of the antibio was there, so I have to go back tomorrow. And they said since it was a narcotic, they were supposed to have given me a paper scrip for the Lortab. But they didn't. Or at least I didn't have it. Thankfully the pharmo called them and convinced them to fax it over.

It's funny, because it's the same painkiller they gave him when he broke his arm. But if it lets him get some rest, then I'll take it.

No, hon, *he's* supposed to take it.

I hope he feels better quickly, and gets better quickly, too.

Hubby hordes his pain pills--his pain doc has commented that Hubby's the only patient he knows of who has pills left over at the end of the time frame they check on--because he's anticipating the times when the insurance company goes "You're really a drug addict, aren't you, we're not giving you those anymore." I've got the last of a bottle from a neck seizure a year or so ago, and half a one knocks down bad cramps beautifully.

Of course, in our household, Lortabs are Lora, and we'll say things like "Yeah, I'm staying in with Lora this afternoon."