What in the World is the “Tok Crud?”

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I’m posting a question to Tokites who are following this blog:

Have you ever heard of – or come down with – the Tok Crud?

We’re stymied by this diagnosis from our local clinic.

My husband has been sick since Friday of last week (while we were in Anchorage for the week) and getting sicker each day. It started with him feeling a little achy on Friday morning. By Saturday morning, he was feeling weak and his muscles ached even more although he did drive us most of the way home.

Sunday, he had a sore throat and his chest hurt. He was feverish. It has gotten progressively worse each day although last night he thought his fever broke and figured he was getting better despite increased congestion.

This morning he had no energy. He felt really weak and his muscles were still aching. He has also been spitting up phlegm with some blood in it. His chest still hurts and not just when he coughs. Oh, and he has had a flu shot this year (I haven’t).

Without running any tests other than checking his blood pressure and listening to his chest when he breathed (he was told he has “good lungs”), the diagnosis was “Tok Crud.” He is to call Friday morning if he is still feeling bad. Then they will prescribe an antibiotic without any further testing.

A quick Google search of “Tok Crud” doesn’t bring anything up. Hmmmm…maybe it is rarer than we thought.

Someone suggested that a trip to Fairbanks might be in order, just to be sure. (For those unfamiliar with our medical care out here, the closest hospital is 3.5+ hour drive to Fairbanks.)

We’re playing it by ear right now, but thought I’d put it out there in case this sounds familiar to anyone. We’d love to know:

• How long does it last?
• What did you do about it?

Thanks for any input you can give!

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has been asking how my hubby is doing. Jackie’s comment prompted me to post an update. Husband is still coughing but the bulk of the congestion did slowly diminished over time and his fever finally broke for good. We pumped him up full of Airborne, echinacea and vitamin C but can’t say for sure if that helped or if everything just ran the course it was supposed to run.

We ended up going to Fairbanks that Sunday not to see a doctor but to see a show, but he still wasn’t 100%. I felt so bad for him. By this past weekend, he was probably 90% other than that nagging cough, and he did say he still feels weak – not up to his usual strength – but we feel he is slowly on the mend.