Seven 9s and 10s

It feels like there’s a grapefruit lodged high in my throat.

So far high-dose (800mg) ibuprofen has been mostly ineffective at decreasing the swelling and has been completely ineffective at decreasing the pain. Mixing in some acetaminophen isn’t much better.

I try not to whine on Tumblr, but goddamn this is painful. I can hardly swallow and more often than not I’m just spitting into a garbage can - which is slowly rendering me dehydrated. Drinking water or tea is just excruciating. I know strep and I don’t think this is it. It’s not burning. There are no white nasty blotches.

Anyway. I’m going to the doctor at 2:45. I predict I’ll receive a rapid stress test, a phone call tomorrow telling me that the results were negative and “if it’s viral then there’s not really anything we can do about it*”, and advice to “continue with the ibuprofen and tylenol.”



*I have a long history with this exact symptom. At least once a year I find myself experiencing this same nightmare and yet my doctor has never been able to identify the cause. It’s frustrating and depressing. I’d recommend a tonsillectomy if I thought it’d help, but that scares the living shit out of me (and Erin’s experience didn’t make me feel any better about it).

High-res 20 Scary Old School Surgical Tools Tonsil Guillotine (1860s)This method of removing tonsils worked much like a traditional guillotine, slicing off the infected tonsils. This “double guillotine” design meant that both tonsils could be removed at the same time. Tonsil guillotines were replaced by forceps and scalpels in the early 20th century due to the high rate of hemorrhaging and the imprecise nature of the device, which often left tonsil remnants in the mouth. I hate my tonsils so much that if I stumbled upon one of these devices at a flea market I would buy it and use it regardless of its condition. (hat tip: emzbulletproof: trapezemusic)

20 Scary Old School Surgical Tools

Tonsil Guillotine (1860s)
This method of removing tonsils worked much like a traditional guillotine, slicing off the infected tonsils. This “double guillotine” design meant that both tonsils could be removed at the same time. Tonsil guillotines were replaced by forceps and scalpels in the early 20th century due to the high rate of hemorrhaging and the imprecise nature of the device, which often left tonsil remnants in the mouth.

I hate my tonsils so much that if I stumbled upon one of these devices at a flea market I would buy it and use it regardless of its condition.

(hat tip: emzbulletproof: trapezemusic)