April then asks me incredulously: "Have you studied this yet?"
So you can fully appreciate just how loaded this question is and what she is really inferring, allow me to give a little context and background.
Slapped Face Disease
About seven months ago I started learning about all of the little bugs that can cause human illness and disease. The course was Medical Microbiology; and it had been, perhaps, the single greatest cause of anxiety during the two previous quarters. There is a reason I chose to do my Master's research in physiology. Petrie dishes, cultures, gels, microbes, toxins, antibodies, interleukins . . . these were all reason enough to stay as far away from the department as possible! Then, I learned about Parvovirus B19 . . . firsthand!
BlepharitisOn Labor Day, the last day of my summer vacation, I took the kids to Thousand Hills State Park where we managed to find a dried-up feeder stream and wade in the semi-stagnate water. There were lots of water bugs, mud, tadpoles, and water! What more could a kid want? The weather was absolutely beautiful; humidity was low and the sun was shining! It was the perfect way to officially end summer!
As we were wading through the murky water to regain the trail, Isaac managed to find a twig that was waiting for his ankle just beneath the surface. After a few tears, we resumed our hike as he wobbled his way back to the car. The next morning he woke up with a swollen left ankle. Later that day we noticed what looked like a rash begin to appear on his right eye. The following morning, not only was the swelling in his foot creeping up his leg, but now he could barely open his eye.
My mind immediately began to peruse the mass volumes of bugs and disease presentations that I had "learned" -- or, rather, been exposed to -- just a couple months ago. I vaguely recalled that the reduviid bug (i.e., the "kissing bug") preferentially bit its victims near the eye, transmitting some kind of disease or infection (i.e., Chagas disease). I reasoned to April that, perhaps, Isaac was bitten by the same bug. (Note: I failed to remember a small fact that the reduviid bug is found only in South and Central America.)
The swelling in Isaac's eye progressively got worse. Three days after our little adventure in the wild, April acutely observed that Isaac had small little pustules, blister-like lesions, appearing on his forearm. Diagnosis: type IV hypersensitivity reaction to poison ivy. The doctor confirmed what we had suspected. And upon further questioning, Isaac acknowledged that while playing at the lake he was pulling off some of the leaves from the overhanging plants.
Cat Scratch Disease
A couple weeks ago I was in the basement reviewing some OTM treatments with a couple classmates. After putting the kids in bed, April comes down and forbids me to show the kids any more pictures from Infectious Disease. Apparently, Isaac had just asked April about a little bump that was on the back of his neck. After feeling it, she let him know that it was nothing to worry about, that is was probably just a mosquito bite. "No!" He protested, adding, "I think it is Cat Scratch Disease." She assured him that it was not. His response is classic: "How do you know?"
Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease
While attempting to write this blog, I heard April yelling my name. I went upstairs and found her changing Elias' diaper. Pointing to his feet, she said, "Look! Look at these!" The small, little dots that will soon turn vesicular confirm the diagnosis. And if that is not enough, then we have Enoch waiting on deck. If our diagnosis is correct, then he too should break out in the next day or two just like Elias -- as he ran a fever just last night!
So I guess you can say that school has been quite the integrative learning experience! And in case you are wondering, we have just covered STIs and I am pleased to say that I have nothing to report. No ulcerative lesions! No cauliflower-like adhesions! No fishy smelling, purulent discharge!
Stay tuned . . .
