You know, it seems that we can't have one of us get sick without someone else coming down with something. And usually it's something normal, like strep throat, or a sinus infection. This time, I was not so lucky.
Before I go on, let me warn you...This gets a little gross. If you're not one for gory details, stop reading and scroll to the bottom. There will be a picture or two of Steve there, plus a link to the new March album. :)
So, a bump appeared. Not unlike several others that I have had, including one on my inner thigh before Josh and Teri's wedding, and then one on my knee about a year later. The first one was never seen by a doctor, just a PA in the ER who prescribed an antibiotic and it eventually cleared up. The one on my knee was seen by a doctor, tested, and found positive for MRSA, a type of staph infection that is resistant to most antibiotics. It healed, nicely, and I've gone on with life. Then, last Friday, a new bump appeared, in a place where you don't want things to go wrong. ;)
I tried, very hard, to ride it out. I thought it was just a minor problem that some Boil Ease (a cream) and warm water would take care of. I was totally, 100%, completely WRONG. Saturday night I ended up in the shower because I had the chills so bad I was shaking. After 10 minutes under scalding hot water, I finally started to feel a little warmer. By the time I exited, I looked completely sunburnt. But then I was cold again. So, I gave in and went to prompt care first thing Sunday morning. While there, I also found that I had a UTI (super fun stuff!). The doctor prescribed me the antibiotic, Bactrim, that gets rid of staph infections the best, and I was on my way. The rest of Sunday wasn't too bad. I had moments where I felt great and played with Steve. There were other, more frequent moments, where it was painful just to be. Thank goodness for my wonderful family.
I assumed, once I started on the antibiotics that things would be fine. I guess I need to stop assuming. Monday morning I woke up in so much pain that I couldn't even stand up straight, and the shower didn't help. I called in and was lucky enough to have a sub take the job, as well as have WONDERFUL coworkers who filled in the gaps where I wasn't able to plan anything at 6:15 a.m. under the wrong circumstances. I returned home to remain as motionless as possible and wait for the doctor's office to open.
When they did open, I was able to get the only open appointment for the day, at 1:40. It was a while to wait, but I had already waited all weekend, what was one more day? The doctor came in, took one look at me, and knew right away that it was a staph infection, and that she would have to open it up to get the infection out as fast as possible. At it's worst the hard area under the skin, where the infection was, was the size of my palm, had a fever all it's own as well as gave me a fever, and throbbed any time I moved. I don't know why, but I didn't ask Matt to come home for the appointment. STUPID! I don't do well with needles, and I was in so much pain that I really needed someone to hold my hand. Instead, I bit my hand leaving teeth marks. She lanced it, got a good amount of pus out, and then had to pack it with this medicated tape. That hurt almost as much as the lancing!!!! Now the healing begins...
We were back at the doctor's today because that medicated tape had to come out and new stuff had to go back in. See, the problem with some staph infections, especially BIG ones, is that the outside heals before the inside, thus keeping infection and pus inside for another flare up. So, we have to keep doing this until the inside is healed. We are hoping that we can work it out so Matt will be at every appointment to hold my hand, and let me bite his sweatshirt. The re-packing part REALLY hurts. Remember when we were kids and would get a scraped knee? To clean it up, if you were *lucky*, it would get peroxide poured on it, creating a lovely stinging sensation. Multiply that times 1000. That's what this business feels like. I think it is worse than labor. Can't they just give me an epidural, then do it, and I'll just hang out for a while until the medicine wears off?
I am moving faster than a few days ago. It is important that I keep the tylenol and ibuprofen flowing. Oh, and I haven't been sleeping well. I think part of that is because I was so afraid of the pain that awaited me today. I was terrified of it. Hopefully tonight will be better.
Okay, enough about all of that.
Nana was scheduled for a visit this past weekend and what a surprise I got when I arrived at the airport! Papa came along too!!! We had so much fun, even though Steve was still shaking his cough/hives/crappiness and I wasn't moving very well. We shopped, ate, played, and just had a great time! We'll see them again at Easter in Atlantic.
Saturday night, Steve was so tired and not feeling well. We got into a stand-off at dinner time because he wanted cheese and only cheese, while I wanted him to have some carrots with his cheese. He alternated for a bit, but then it just went downhill. After 10 minutes or so of intense crying, he decided he was all done. I pulled him from his chair, and sat with him on the sofa. I rubbed the side of his face for a while, and he fell dead asleep on my lap. He ended up going to bed without a bath too, he was just exhausted. The only downside was he was ready to be up and playing at 5:45 a.m. But, Nana and Papa were here so we all took turns napping and playing.
A few older pictures, and all of the pictures can be found here:
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