The continued staph saga

Friday afternoon, after conferring with Enigma (I have access to her hotline), I decided to go to the ER to get someone to look and most likely clean my staph infection. She was not impressed with the care I had gotten from my doctor's office so she urged me to go to the ER.

So we went to a nearby hospital which is practically set in the country (we live on the outskirts of Austin) but which had an excellent ER according to my neighbour friend who took the kids in. What a different experience it was from other times we've been in other ER's more closely or in town. (of wherever we lived) It was Friday afternoon 2pm-sh and there were only a few people. It felt peaceful and oh before I forget, there was a big big parking lot and parking was free! (have you ever had that headache to think about? "I hope I have enough money to pay for parking once we're done here..")

I got 'processed' and was in the ER section in the back in no time. My doctor was awesome. Dr. Grayson better live up to my high regards as I will be (hopefully) seeing him again this afternoon for a follow up. That was one of the things they did not do at my doctor's office; do a 48hr follow up every time to monitor the progress or lack thereof of the staph infection.

He was extremely friendly, and tried to put me at ease about the potential painfulness of the procedure without "promising anything". I told him I was a big girl and I understood that promises like that can never be made. See, the day before I had gone into my doctor's office where the physicians' assistant (my doc was booked) performed the drainage procedure. Naturally, the site on my elbow was extremely sore to the touch so let alone sticking a lidocaine filled needle in it! She had to 'poke' me three times and was very apologetic for hurting me. Then, of course, she drained it by squeezing and they bandaged it up and told me to change the bandage however many times needed. I was going to come back the next day.

The next day however, I went to the ER instead. So this doctor Grayson looked at how she'd done it and said, well, it's not done incorrectly ..BUT..from our experience, the incision with infections like this need to be made much bigger. (the 'much' being relative, my husband dearest who was fascinated by the procedure said, oh, he used a 15 scalpel like on Grey's Anatomy! Whatever....(I never look)

Soooo...I was very worried about another round of shots but as it turned out, he was so careful and knowledgable about how to do it, he showed an intern and made her do it as well. He told her what he was doing and why;
use this angle to insert and push very slowly, it decreases the amount of pain
warm the liquid to room temperature, it makes it less painful
He also rubbed on the spot after he was done.

He got the particular lab results from my doctor's office and said, even though they gave you the right amount for what this lab report shows, you really should have twice the dose of what you're taking. So the long and short of it was, I should have been looked at so they could've figured that out themselves.

[ICK alert]

So husband dearest got to play doctor by changing my dressing, and the long thin strip of medicated gauze they put in there (a FOOT long! my husband exclaimed, yuk, gives me goosebumps just writing it yech) anyhow, a bit came out and there went the goosebumps up and down my back and head YUK!

so today, the gauze kinda fell down and a longer part came out..YUK again! Of course, they're going to take the whole (rest!) thing out this afternoon and I'll have to go over the whole procedure again..shees..

Now my biggest problem is the meds. It always agreed with my stomach, no problem there. But..I cannot swallow pills so I have the liquid version. Well, twice the dose of something you've already taken for over a week?? Normally by the end of an antibiotic 'routine' for other ailments, I'm totally done and cannot take it anymore. I'm going to ask for the IV treatment instead. I could not handle taking the whole, new dose and it almost came back out if you know what I mean..

So that is my big worry; will they give it to me because there is a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y. no way in hell I can take anything orally.

And that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I've rested as much as possible and as much as my husband is a good tag teamer, he did not get a relaxing weekend to decompress from work so the taking care part for which the details are not important to him (cut something of, if a part falls down, it stays down unless I point out to him he 'might want to pick that up'..slob!!) Anyhoo..he's having to do a lot and I'm being practical. The kids need me plain and simple.
They've bickered more, the youngest one is out of sorts as I've practically quarantained myself in terms of 'no hugs and kisses'.. and we're a very affectionate family. Oh yea, and I guess my husband would like to play doctor 'his way' too (hehe)

I have started to get visibly better, but I know I'm not done yet.
To be continued..

Staph, the infection

ICK ALERT!

Well crap. Last week, I thought I had just a freaky potential brown recluse spider bite so since that spot hurt and was kinda swollen, I decided to go to the doctor. They biopsed (-eed?) 'the spot' (it's on my elbow)and said, oh, we'll have the results in three to five days. Well, freaking out about a potential brown recluse spider bite, I had not heard anything all day Monday so I called and the verdict was; staph. Well, MSRA. I'm not going to link to it it's 'icky' and aside from being icky and painful as hell, it's apparently 'going around'. Many people have been coming into our doctor's office thinking they have some bug bite of sorts only to find out they have indeed MSRA. Naturally, I did a quick search and had a mini-freak out (more people die of 'it' than of aids) but the doctor's office assured me I was going to be just fine. (it's part of the medical vernacular..'just fine')

They/I got to it early and after almost a full week, nothing had changed other than the swelling going down a bit. I say a bit, it's all relative you know. So yesterday I decided I had enough (and would be almost out of the meds they gave me so I called for an appointment today figuring they had to drain it. NEVER YOU MIND that I asked for it on MONDAY!! I got the response, nah, just take your medicine and if it gets worse just call us. Well, I mentioned this to Utah Savage in a comment, 'we' ought to really listen to our own selves right?? I should've pushed for it but better late than never. The draining part was p.r.e.t.t.y. painful. Holy cow, at least when I birthed my youngest, there indeed was a hormone to cover that pain (at least the memory of it, it was mostly fear on my part), there's no hormone covering pain otherwise.

"Are you allergic to licadaine?" You mean the stuff they use at the dentist? "Yes". Oh no. Ok.. well...l.i.t.t.l.e. did I know..

lica(co?)daine is supposed to numb the spot but because I have that infection, it hurt so much I almost cried. I started to think about that one nurse in pre-birthing class saying "moan away, moaning helps with the pain, I even got my husband to moan when he was in a lot of pain in the hospital, it works!"

I almost moaned. Three separate spots from one very long needled lico/cadaine. Yikes. After it was sorta kinda numbed, she started , what was that term? Not scalping but they use that small scalpel thingy. Well, she 'dug deep' as she said and not being one to leave the patient in the dark, she gave me a description to always remember; "you know, it's kind of like a honeycomb in there so I have to dig in different places". Sweet! Tell me more.

And inspite of the 'numbing', it really hurt at times and I thought I was good with pain! Well, tummy aches and ehem, 'womanly' pain stuff you know, I can grin and bear it, just take meds and not move. Then she started to push to drain the lymphatic fluid and that was loverly too. It actually reminded me when I had my adrenal gland removed (long story) in Saudi Arabia and after the operation they did not put a drainage 'thingy' in my wound so it got infected and likewise, they had to squeeze the living daylights out of my side. So I guess, come to think of it, it's all relative. THAT one I did so moan for..sheesh.

So after the procedure, the put this, I call it anyway, a worm version of a stocking tube like in my elbow to let the whole thing drain. My neighbour friend across the street was all interested as she's capable of handling 'blood and guts' and she even changed the bandage on me (I had been draining quite a bit).

Anyhow, I got myself a whole bunch of chewable, immunity supporting stuff; multi vitamin, omega three, vit B boost and will try to think happy healthy thoughts. And take my additional medicine of course. I have high hopes that since the stuff is draining, that that should start clearing the infection at a better rate.

Did you know how much you use your elbow? I bet you don't.

Ah well, so much for gardening.