hah!

it was strep all along - fuck the staph virus infection thingy. i knew it. urgent care from yesterday just called with the results of the 24 hour test (never mind that it was about 37 hours ago)... so much for staph kicking strep's ass.

hmmm.

however, i'm 1/3rd into my regimen of azithromycin and am actually feeling like a member of the living again. my throat almost feels ok when swallowing, the aches are almost gone - just the headache remains.

however - when one pain goes away, you're left to focus on one you were avoiding.

so round about the time on monday when i started coming down the throat infection from hell, i noticed my finger was starting to hurt. i ignored it.

then on tuesday, i noticed it was getting swollen around the finger nail. i ignored that too.

yesterday, it got bigger - i poked at it, then ignored it.

today, it started to look green. i may not know a lot about medical things (with the exception of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (http://www.itppeople.com/); that i know a lot about), but i know ones fingers shouldn't be turning green.

i went to urgent care (yup, 2nd time in as many days).

let me quote the doc "wow, a massively infected hangnail." - yup, quite possibly the dumbest condition ever; the classic hangnail. then i got a lecture on chewing my fingernails. yea, i admit it, i chew my nails - not sure why, probably stress, or boredom, or convenience - who knows... i wonder if this'll be the ticket to stopping. who knows.

before after

let this be a lesson to you - don't chew your nails. it's a gross, filfthy, disgusting (yet, oddly rewarding) habit.

well that's that - i'm finally feeling better, i'm going to work tomorrow for the first time since monday (and honestly, i'm excited for that)... oh and i ate the first real meal i've had since monday today. so that's what food tastes like, i kinda forgot.

music heard while writing this post.

hey jack kerouac / 10,000 maniacs
in our lifetime / texas
this song has no title / elton john
helpline operator (sick boy mix) / the the
nanny nanny boo boo / le tigre