My little carrier family

When you go in to the doctor for your 3rd strep test in 4 months, the conversation inevitably turns to tonsil removal.  I mean, enough is enough, right?

It seems weird.  I had strep a lot as a kid, but the last time I had it was senior year of college.  Which was...-gulp-...13 years ago.  So why are my tonsils suddenly a problem after a decade of no issues?  Also, I had a friend a few years ago who had strep 4 times in one winter, and it turned out that her 2 year old was a "carrier" of strep.  She was treated and my friend never had strep again.  So I had this one solitary hope that someone was a carrier and was simply reinfecting me.

I immediately suspect Jeff.  I swap spit with him quite a bit and our toothbrushes cohabitate a cup in the bathroom.  He hasn't been sick AT ALL this winter, despite the petri dish of illness surrounding him.  He has super immunity!  He is carrying strep bacteria in the back of his throat and spewing his germiness with superiority.  Bastard!  I know it is him!  Sew a huge letter "C" for carrier onto his shirt!

Since I can't make him go to the doctor, I dragged the three kids in this afternoon.  Andrew took his throat swab like a pro, Lily like a kidnappee getting her kidney taken out in a bathtub of ice, and Michael like a cornered animal at the zoo.  It was....fun?  The nurse thought I was a crazy person...3 kids, no fevers, no coughs, no rashes, no sore throats, nothing...getting their throats swabbed. 

I was vindicated 2 minutes later when a different nurse popped her head in and exclaimed, "They are all positive!  Really really positive.  The strip turned in like 30 seconds for all of them."

All.  3.  Positive.

It was all I could do not to recoil from all my infected little carriers.

Turns out, they don't treat carriers.  Because it isn't hurting them even a little bit to be walking around with strep on the back of their throat.  But once I explained my situation, and how I was going to have to undergo surgery the next time I got it...they agreed to treat all 3 kids to try and wipe our slate clean.

Now to get Jeff in to the doctor.  He can't be spared.  Just in case.  And I was so sure it was him.