my (Somewhat) return

3 weeks ago(-ish). My tonsil was swollen. Went to a doctor and he took a look and said, "Hmmm...yeah, that's no good" and then gave me some antibiotic.

Excellent, thank you, just what I needed. I took all the antibiotic.

Tonsil is still swollen.

Went to another doctor and he took a look and said, "Hmmm...we'd better test you for mono."

What? Mono? No, no, surely not. Ho ho ho, how absurd. They tested for that last time and it came back negative.

"Well, let's test you again."

Test came back negative. Again.

"Well, let's send some more blood down to the lab for a confirmatory test."

Apparently this doctor really really wants me to have mono.

Well, I went home and started doing some research on mononucleosis. I don't know much about it, honestly, other than it's viral, there's no treatment, and it can be passed from person to person usually from saliva exchange (that sounded much ickier than I meant it to. sorry).
Here are the symptoms:

• swollen lymphnodes and tonsils
• fever and chills
• cough from the chest
• increased fatigue

Now guess what I've been suffering from for the last month or so:

• swollen lymphnodes and tonsils
• fever and chills
• cough from the chest
• increased fatigue

No more. No less. Dang it.

I think I have mono.

I won't know for sure until the test results come back (which I expected to hear about this morning and haven't. Hmmm...) But wait! There's more!

A few days ago I noticed some random red bumps, very itchy, forming on my feet, towards the back of my heels and ankles. Then I noticed more a few hours later on my elbows. (Feet and elbows?? Really? What could this mean?) But when I scratch them, and I can't help but scratch them from time to time, they get bigger and turn redder and look like welts.

What kind of allergic reaction (I asked myself) could this be? What got on my feet and elbows and nowhere else? Was it something I ate?

Regardless of how thoroughly I racked my brain, I could come up with no logical answer.

And then I found this online (and it's from the internet, so it must be true):

In most cases of mono, no specific treatment is necessary. The illness is usually self-limited and passes much the same way other common viral illnesses resolve. ... Occasionally, strep throat occurs in conjunction with mono and is best treated with penicillin or erythromycin. Ampicillin and amoxicillin should be avoided if there is a possibility of mono since up to 90% of patients with mono develop a rash when taking these medications.

Guess what antibiotic I was given, in the beginning, by the first doctor, when we thought I definitely did not have mono?

Amoxicillin.

And now I have a skin rash.

Coincidence? Hypochondriac?

You tell me.