• Wow. Everything has changed. I'm writing this update two weeks late, because life.
• Monday the 6th of March 2022. My period started. A few days early and heavier than normal but who can know with these things.
• Tuesday. In the afternoon, around 2:30 actually (I've become so accustomed now to tracking my health hour-by-hour these last few months), as I sat in the back room and looked out into the garden, I noticed my left jaw was a little swollen and a little sore.
• Wednesday my jaw was more swollen and more sore. I could roll my fingers around the swollen area and I could see the change in my face. I went to the office to co-work with my friend, I said, "touch my face, can you feel that?". It was the last day of my 12 week covid recovery and I felt a little disappointed that I was still thinking something was wrong with me. I ordered a mouthguard on Amazon, I was probably just stressed. There was also a small red rash-like area under both of my armpits. Strange. Perhaps razor burn.
• Thursday I had a temperature and ached all over, flu-like. It felt bad but I could not fathom that something else was happening to me, that I'd have to chase down a doctor again. I took off work, hydrated, rested and hoped for the best.
• But it wasn't better on Friday. The rash was more than doubling daily—it was definitely not razor burn. My temperature climbed. I called 111, I went to an urgent care appointment. My friend met me there. The doctor determined I had mumps (my swollen jaw) but wasn't sure why I had a rash so he gave me antibiotics and sent me on my way.
• Saturday was worse still. The rash spread and was a dark, dark blood-purple and was no longer small, maybe-a-spider-bite, bumps but was spreading wide and merging with others giving me scary patches all over. Video GP appointment then to A&E to rule out meningitis. They told me it was impetigo—to be fair, this rash was changing shape and nature every other day—because the bumps on my stomach had a few blister-like spots (though other areas did not). They changed my antibiotic. I went home.
• Sunday the temperature are rash are worse. But I'm on medication? I've seen two doctors? Now it's on my lips and in my mouth. I'll just keep resting. Keep hoping. It's getting harder to take care of myself, if I don't take pain tablets every 4 hours on the dot I lose 2 hours of mobility as they wear off and ramp back up.

Published on — Fri Mar 24 2023