Miss Scarlet

It was Miss Scarlet in the family room with......scarlet fever. You heard it here - SCARLET FEVER. I mean who really gets that now a days? No one except the Tollestrup's who make it an art out of getting strange sicknesses. We just really enjoy being different.

This is how it started. I was making breakfast and racing around like a chicken with my head cut off (my normal speed) getting backpacks ready, snacks packed, breakfast made etc. I kept overhearing the kids saying that Lexie looked funny. I immediately told them to stop teasing their sister and repeated the oft quoted line from Bambi "if you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all". Although I did use proper English otherwise I might have cringed. Then when little Lexie came up to me saying "I don't feel good mommy" and I actually stopped for one second and felt her I noticed that she was burning up and her face was VERY swollen. These pictures just don't do it justice. She looked like Little Debbie - you know, the girl on all the packaged treats? I really shouldn't know that inane fact but I do.

She was quite hot and said her neck hurt. I bundled her up on the couch and sent the kids to school all the while telling them to stop making fun of her face. (Tanner) Then I of course consulted my best friend (google) to see what was going on. Her symptoms were throat, fever and rash. The most I could pull up was mumps or measles. That sent me into 12 kinds of panic. I immediately called the Doctor and we got into the Doctor as fast as we could. Our Dr. didn't take long to give a diagnosis - he said she obviously had Scarlet Fever. I kept thinking of the Quakers and Pilgrims and couldn't wrap my mind around something I had only read about. Luckily with AMAZING non-socialized modern medicine it was something that would clear up rather quickly.

She was a trooper and super tough. The McDonald's ice cream cone for her throat REALLY helped. She thinks that helped more than the special medicine. I am sure Ray Crock would be happy to know his cones are more powerful than Amoxicillan. When I told Trav what she had he said and I quote "that is REALLY bad - didn't people in the olden days have to wear a letter on their chest when the got scarlet fever"? Through my tears of laughter I told him that no they didn't have to wear letters on their chest but Hester Prynne had to wear a letter on her chest in the book The Scarlet Letter. To which he sheepishly replied "Oh" with a big grin.

Through it all she kept smiling!

Here is the rash - since I know you were DYING to see it.

After Scarlet Fever and 10 days of antibiotics we were back at the Doctors office 2 days later with a secondary diagnosis of strep throat. They made us wear the masks because of the swine flu. I am sure this is not out last visit to the Doctor this winter but a quite brilliant and world renowned Doctor (my Dad) had fabulous advice to stave off any unwanted swine flu. "Eat plenty of bacon, ham and pork chops - oink oink"