My Right Foot
(Page 4 of 8)
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2020-10-01
6:30am. Up bright and early for an appointment
with my surgeon.
Sitting by the patio sipping a coffee watching the fog disappear.
Bandage removed, still weaping a bit.
Temporary gauze while the nurse stepped away
for some supplies.
Of course I notice this cart made of PCV tubing.
I'm bored, so compared leg lengths. LOL
I also saw my prosthetic specialist and he fitted me with my first
shrinker sock. This is the beginning of the stump shaping process.
Took the shrinker sock off before going to bed,
and mom noticed some weaping coming through.
Looks like another part of the wound is weaping too.
We put some thick gauze over it and I wrapped my
tensor bandage on the stump. Will have to keep an
eye on it, and change the gauze as needed; I don't
see Home Health Care again until Monday.
2020-10-03
I got this little bag from Amp*Unity, and found it
useful for carrying a few small items when I am out
and about in the wheelchair. It needed a "handle",
so dad got me some of the strapping that he used
on the amp board, and we stapled/glued it in place.
I made sure the strap was long enough to fit around
my wrist if need be.
My head wound healing nicely after 4 days.
Dad finished the amp board he has been working
on for the past few weeks. Turned out pretty good.
The loaner amp board from Royal Columbian Hospital.
Why did he make it? The hospital told me to get one
from the Red Cross. The Red Cross said they didn't
have any. The hospital loaned me one for 10 days.
Then I find out thst the Red Cross doesn't even loan
amp boards. I get a 2 week extension on my loaner
amp board. I do some research and find out that
amp boards cost upwards of $200 to buy.
That is why he made it. And he enjoyed doing it.
Shrinker sock on at 11am, and off at 9pm. No pain
or anything, so let the leg breath for a while then
wrapped the stump with the tensor bandage before
going to bed. Tomorrow the goal is to have the sock
on for most of the day. Soon I will be able to have it
on for the full 23 hours that is recomended.
2020-10-04
Dropping off the loaner amp board to Royal Columbian
Hospital. Well, mom is, while I sat in the car.
On the way home we saw this. I thought it was neat.
They were chatting up a storm.
Got home and mom noticed a small spot on the
shrinker sock. I think it is the regular weaping wicking
across the bandage that Home Health Care put on
there on Friday. Mom taped some gauze over the area
to protect things until I see Home Health Care
tomorrow morning,
2020-10-05
Home Health Care day. Nothing alarming, just the
normal weaping. They wrapped me back up, and
we decided that until my next visit, I should back
off on having the shrinker sock on for long periods.
So, 2 hours on, 2 hours off sort of thing, and we will
re evaluate how things look on Thursday.
2020-10-06
Got a new toy today; a bath and shower transfer
bench. Should make getting in and out of the shower
fairly easy. Need to get a hand-held shower head
before I get to try it out.
2020-10-07
Day 9 for the staples. They were supposed to come
out yesterday, but my doctor cancelled. Have an
appointment for later this afternoon to get them out.
Morning visit with Home Health Care. Still some
weaping, but less than last week, and it was all
contained. Good news. They bandaged me back
up and I will keep doing what I have been doing.
Staples removed.
2020-10-10
Got a home made card from my Auntie in New Zealand.
2020-10-11
A beautiful start to the day.
Early morning visit with Home Health Care. Things
are looking good.
2020-10-12
Went for a "walk" today. It is pretty hilly around here
for a newbie in a wheelchair, so mom drove us to
the end of the block. The green is us "walking", and
the rest is driving. Next time we will find a flatter
place to go, and I won't tell the smartwatch I am
"walking" until I actually hit the trails.
2020-10-13
Woke up to some weaping from the stump and stained
sheets, tensor and bandaging. I wore my shrinker
sock for too long yesterday and this is the result.<
2020-10-14
Had an early morning visit at Home Health Care.
The extra weaping is from two pockets. I watch as
one oozed a steady flow of a white substance. She
wasn't concerned, but also wouldn't say if it was
normal. She did a few different things, and wrapped
me up and sent me on my way.
So, the day was going great. Sat down to one of
mom's yummy turkey sandwiches. I barely get the
first bite down and I'm not feeling right. I finish half
the sandwich and wrap up the rest (unlike me). Then
I have the chills, so I go lay down under a blanket.
Then the muscle shakes/contractions start. WTF. Oh
wait, then I yell to mom and dad for a barf bowl. Dad
barely got it into my hands before I filled it up with
turkey sandwich. Nice!
Something isn't right, so off to the hospital. Got there
around 3pm, and was in the ER by around 3:30pm
or so. Blood was taken three times, a covid test,
two big bags of antibiotics, a chest x-ray, and a
swab of the white stuff in my stump. The best part
was at 5:15pm I got served a yummy hospital dinner.
Then at around 8:15pm they released me. They couldn't
pin-point the problem, but there is an infection
somewhere in my body (the stump is ok).
Get back home and lay down. What an exhausting day.
2020-10-15
Started the morning with an early trip to the hospital
for my daily IV therapy. Not sure how long this goes
on, but it will be daily until the doctor says otherwise.
Went to the dentist in the afternoon to check on a
sore tooth that I was in the middle of getting fixed
before the foot took its left turn. Yup, I need a root
canal or a tooth extraction ASAP. Sweet. And me
with no health coverage.
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
2020-10-16
Another early morning trip to the hospital for my IV
therapy. Saw the doctor and he advised me that I
have type G Streptococci in my right leg. Yay!
The antibiotics I am on are good at treating it, so
the daily IV therapy will continue.
Went to Home Health Care in the afternoon. They
cleaned things up and bandaged me up really well
for the weekend. Other than the few pockets that are
weaping the infection out, things are looking very good.
2020-10-17
This mornings trip to the hospital for IV Therapy
and my IV leaks, so they had to switch locations.
Went shopping with mom in the afternoon. Picked
up some new jeans (to replace my big old size 46).
I have never paid $15 for jeans in my life.
2020-10-18
IV Therapy.
2020-10-19
Got to IV Therapy at 7:50am. Have a busy tomorrow,
so requested to do my blood work today. Was told
it could be busy being a Monday, but when I got
down there, there was only two other people there.
Nice. Rolled out of the hospital by 9:00am.
Next appointment was 11:00am with my optometrist.
I saw him three weeks ago and my prescription
had changed, so I got new glasses. Since then, my
eyes have been acting really strange (at least
I've just noticed it), so I had him do some more tests.
Things don't look good, so I am seeing a retina
specialist tomorrow. Each day keeps getting more
interesting.
2020-10-20
IV Therapy in the morning.
West Coast Retina Consultants in the afternoon. I
have swelling behind my eyes which is messing with
my vision. I will now get monthly shots in each eye
to help reduce the swelling. This will continue until
the swelling is gone.
2020-10-21
Had IV Therapy in the morning. After my antibiotic
drip, the nurse un-bandaged my stump so the
doctor could take a look at it. He was happy with
how it looked so far, and advised to continue the
antibiotics. The nurse bandaged me back up and
sent me on my way.
The circles are where the infection was weaping
from; they are pockets, but are healing up niw.
Went to Home Health Care this afternoon. They
cleaned things up, took their images and
measurements, and bandaged me up.
2020-10-22
Busy day today. First stop was the hospital for IV
Therapy. The doctor wanted bloodwork, so I had to
wheel down to the lab before I left.
Next we zoom off to New West to see my surgeon
for a follow up. He is happy with what he see's, and
advised me to keep doing the antibiotics as instructed,
and he doesn't need to see me anymore unless
there are any problems.
Had some time to kill before the last appointment,
so got Subway for lunch and went to my place to
eat and relax.
Back to New West for my first and long awaited
appointment with a physiatrist. We talked and he
confirmed a lot of things for me, and I am to see
him when my stump is healed (a few more weeks).
2020-10-23
A dark and rainy Friday morningtrip to the hospital
for my IV Therapy. Saw the doctor afterwards, and
good news..... I can stop the IV and go on oral
antibiotics. Yay! No more hospital visits!
2:15pm; this just arrived. Ordered it from Amazon last week.
Probably be a week or so before I can use it.
2020-10-24
Home Health Care visit this morning. Hardly any
weaping at all, and the rest of the stump is looking good.
2020-10-26
Home Health Care today. Very little signs of weaping
on the bandage. Good news.
2020-10-31
Got behind the wheel of my car. Wanted to see how
I can do with just the left foot, and it is doable.
Put on my Amp*Unity sticker.
After dinner mom commented on the extea swelling
in my right thigh, so we took another trip to the ER.
Got there around 6:30pm and out by 10:00pm. They
swabbed the stump and took some blood. Nothing
alarming came up, but the doctor decided I needed
more antibiotics just to be sure. So thet stuck an
iv in me and I got a small bag of antibiotics. And I
get to go back for IV Therapy each morning.
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