You know, I tell my superiours everytime they try to give me a patient that is strep positive that I don't need that patient, or you can be assured I will have strep. Sometimes I get strep when I can never recall being in contact with it. I have had at least 4 cases a year since I was 6. Now that I am nursing, every time I have had a patient positive for strep, I give it.
Well, I tried to tell them this when they were sending up a patient strep positive, and when they sent me the second patient strep positive. No one listened. They just laughed and told me to wash my hands. Well, here I sit after calling in sick this morning. I have a 102 temp that no amount of tylenol and motrin is breaking, and I freezing to death, and I have a sore throat with red streaks and "pus pockets". And that awful strep taste in my mouth.
Do they just think this is funny? Am I being punished for something?
I live in MN and everybody gets strep at least once a year.
It's a family joke that I get it every year on Xmas and my Bday - which is in February. Once I had mono and strep simultaneously. That was the opposite of awesome, especially when I lost my job because I was sick for so long.
I live in MN and everybody gets strep at least once a year.
?? What an odd statement? Are you joking?
I've never had strep, and I've lived in MN for 6 years now. My husband grew up here..has never had it..and neither have my kids.
I think I have some odd immunity to it though. I remember I had a friend in HS who got it constantly. And..as most young people do we shared drinks all the time. Everytime she got strep....I was tested for it. I've never gotten it..even after drinking after someone the day before a positive swab.
dont forget to throw the tooth brush away.....but it would seem that these things arent likely to be the op's problem....me thinks (s)he needs a good medical workup to see why (s)he is so vulnerable to this...good luck
And remember to wash your hands. You are not just pulling strep randomly out of the air. You are having to pick it up from a surface and putting it in to your body, someone with it is coughing directly on you.
This scares me too. I am extremely susceptible to strep. I'm sure you're all sick of me mentioning my IgA .. but this last stint in the hospital with my acute kidney failure, all started with a + screen for strep.
I hope you feel better soon. I just wanted to let you know, I know how you feel.
Take care of yourself.
(BTW... I had my tonsils out in 1989 and I've had strep over 15 times since then)
If you are prone to strep infections: Wash your hands religiously and keep them away from your mouth, nose and eyes; change your tooth brush once a month and every time you are sick, and gargle 2-3 times a day with warm salt water. Remember that strep does not like a hypersaline environment--hence the salt water gargle. You can also do saline nasal irrigation once a day routinely to help prevent general nasal and oropharyngeal infections.
This scares me too. I am extremely susceptible to strep. I'm sure you're all sick of me mentioning my IgA .. but this last stint in the hospital with my acute kidney failure, all started with a + screen for strep.
I hope you feel better soon. I just wanted to let you know, I know how you feel.
Take care of yourself.
(BTW... I had my tonsils out in 1989 and I've had strep over 15 times since then)
Unfortunately, as I found out 4 year ago, the downside to having your tonsils out is that you can have strep and not realize it. That is how I ended up with rheumatic fever and pericarditis.
HM2VikingRN, RN
4,700 Posts
I live in MN and everybody gets strep at least once a year.