October 11, 2013

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I’ve been battling strep throat since Tuesday. 2013 has been a bad year in our house for strep. Just 2 months prior, I had the worst case of strep I have ever had, and I’ve had it a lot, and Syd suffered 4 bouts of it in just 4 months time.

Strep is a frustrating thing, because it comes on suddenly without warning or any chance to try and fight it with rest and fluids, like you may be able to do with a common cold or other mild illness. And because the complications with repeated strep exposure can be severe, although very rare, doctors almost always recommend antibiotics for it. When Syd suffered from his 4th case of strep earlier in August, I wasn’t very reassured when I left our exam room to use the bathroom, only to find the doctor he was seeing, hunched over a huge medical book, asking for advice on what antibiotic to prescribe this time. I was reminded that it’s called practicing medicine for a reason; even the doctors get stumped and don’t always have the answer.

For Syd, we’ve decided that our first proactive approach to fighting off infection is to get his tonsils and adenoids removed on November 1st. With a quick glance by the ENT we saw earlier this month, she immediately could see they were huge and swollen, from repeated illnesses.

For myself though, and this round of strep, I’ve decided to try and treat it naturally. The more research I do into repeated antibiotics exposure, especially to illnesses like strep, the more concerned I’ve become that I’m stripping away my body’s natural antibodies to try and fight off this thing on its own. So far I’ve tried to combat this naturally by trying oil pulling, gargling with cayenne pepper, taking Vitamin C, probiotics, and I’ve dug into a leftover stash of my placenta pills. I’ve also been drinking a tea concoction of lemon, ginger, coconut oil and raw honey, with a shot of whiskey added in at night, and it definitely helps to soothe my throat for a bit. I’ve also pretty much stayed in bed, or down on the couch as much as possible, and with the help of my dad and my husband who has been coming home at a decent time and taking over, the extra bed rest is helpful. While the results have not been as rapid as when I take antibiotics, I am definitely feeling an improvement in my symptoms with each passing day.

I’m not naive or stupid, and if the symptoms persist for a couple of more days I’ll go in and see what we can do. But I’m going to advocate for more tests this time, to see what the hell is going on. Each time we’ve seen a doctor this year, they’ve all hinted that we may be strep carriers, but when I ask how we officially get tested to confirm this, they all sort of brush it off and give a dismissive answer, claiming they don’t really test for it anymore, and let’s just see how you respond to this round of antibiotics. It’s frustrating to say the least.

Even more frustrating is that since altering our diet, I’ve contracted this 2 times now. One of the biggest benefits I was hoping to gain from eating more whole foods, ditching processed foods and refined sugars, and switching to clean meats, is to feel better and keep my body healthy. I’m trying to stay positive, but it feels pretty depressing to put all this work, not to mention money, into changing our way of life, only to reap the same shitty outcomes. Granted, the rest of the time I’m not sick, I’m feeling pretty great, but I feel bad enough right now that I’m finding it pretty easy to forget the good times and focus just on the negative.

From every thing I’ve read and every search I’ve done, the best ways to help your immune system stay strong is to get plenty of rest, something I have a hard time doing, and to eliminate stress as much as possible. Beyond that, exercise and sex are supposed to be great immune boosters, and then rounding out the health equation with a balanced diet. While our diets may be on track, we can always do better in the other departments, and my husband would agree, especially to the s-e-x part, although what man wouldn’t?

While we may want to use one thing as an easy fix and cure-all, in times like this I’m reminded that in life, there are no easy fixes, especially when it comes to internal health. I may be down and out right now, but I’m not discouraged and will keep on keeping on.

In the meantime, I’ll keep trying any remedies you can throw at me, and furthermore, if anyone has any advice on keeping Syd healthy through all of this, I would appreciate feedback. It is especially crucial he stays well because he cannot take any meds 2 weeks before his surgery on November 1st. If he gets strep again before then, I would of course get the poor kid on antibiotics, but then we’d have to push back his surgery further into cold & flu season and the holidays.

When I’m able to sit at the computer for more than 20 minutes, I’ll post our meal plans for last week along with recipes too. Thanks for your understanding.

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