| Author |
|
Berylla
Registered
Joined: July-29-2006
 United States
Posts: 258
Gender: Female
|
| Posted: March-08-2010 at 4:07PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
OK Some of you may know this, some may not. I'm posting here because I won't be online much for a while...
First off for those who don't already know, Karalav = my husband Steve. He has various other toons but most of the SGA remember his priest. He's a diabetic and has been for nearly twenty years. For much of that time he did not care for the diabetes properly, and for a few years he didn't even take medicine at all for it, just ignoring it entirely. In recent years he has been battling with sores on his left foot - sores that have been the cause of multiple amputation surgeries. At this point (the last amputation was in July last year) he has no toes at all on that foot and most of the ball of the foot is gone. There was one more sore - which in a sense was a place where the surgery scar ulcerated and opened - which he's been fighting to heal for the past several months.
His foot was fine on Thursday; he bathed and let it dry and
bandaged it. He spent much of the rest of the day in the recliner and
he slept quite a long time. He had some chills and low grade fever but
we couldn't find anything obviously wrong. I admit to not looking at his
foot beyond checking that there was no redness near the bandage - I
didn't remove the bandage. If I had I don't know what I would have seen.
Friday morning (well, actually around noon) Steve decided
he wanted another bath. He got ready and when the bandage came off his
foot we were shocked and appalled: there was an enormous thing - it
looked just like a blood blister - on his foot about an inch away from
the wounded part. The whole foot was swollen and there was a lot of
redness around both the new blister and the old ulceration.
I called the doctor and arranged for Steve to go see him right away.
When we got to the doctor's office, there was blood seeping through the
bandage - the small amount of walking between car and office had opened
the blister. The doctor looked and said, "I want you in the hospital;
we'll put you on some medium strength intravenous antibiotics now and
see how it responds." He admitted that he could just prescribe Steve
some pills and let him wait a few days, but he was very concerned about
how fast this thing had blown up - literally less than 24 hours, and
we'd seen no signs of incipient ulceration! I agreed and so did Steve,
so the doctor signed him in and he was admitted. Probably the fastest
ever admission.
Steve is still in hospital; they want to do some tests and scans to see
if they can determine the extent of the infection. If the infection is
flesh deep, they will attempt a technique that involves a vacuum seal,
which hopefully will promote the wound healing from the inside out
(rather than the outside in). If the infection has reached bone, there
will be another amputation surgery. Right now it's very much up in the
air. Steve's stay could be as long as a month, or as short as another
ten days.
We've been told by a couple of different sources that Medicaid will not
cover prostheses of any kind. I don't know if this is so, but I'll be
researching the subject thoroughly. We don't have any other insurance,
so if this turns out to be true, Steve may be confined to a wheelchair.
Send your prayers and good thoughts our way. Steve is trying to keep a
positive outlook, and so am I, and right now that and waiting is all we
can do.
__________________
Berylla, 80 Warrior
Aladrea, 80 Druid
Calakiiri, 80 Hunter
Tarrma, Kethryveris, Stingerette, Sindathiel, Katyana- alts in progress
|
Back to Top  |
|
| |
Hashel
Registered
Joined: January-28-2008
United States
Posts: 124
Gender: Male
|
| Posted: March-08-2010 at 9:28PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Yes my prayers and good thoughts are going your way, I do hope that all goes well as I'm sure it will. Please keep us informed. - Akata
__________________
You ROCK like White Snake should have!!!!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Lochia
Registered
Joined: September-08-2009
United States
Posts: 18
Gender: Female
|
| Posted: March-08-2010 at 11:07PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Keeping you guys in my thoughts and my fingers crossed.
Hoping they are able to prettily debride it, slap on a wound vac, and send him home!
<3 <3
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Valanthe
Registered
Joined: September-18-2006
United States
Posts: 989
Gender: Female
|
| Posted: March-09-2010 at 10:06AM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well wishes your way
__________________
An isopod is cute in the eyes of an isopod!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Sharps
Registered
Joined: December-07-2005
 Canada
Posts: 286
Gender: Male
|
| Posted: March-10-2010 at 2:46PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Prayin' for you guys.
__________________
Prodigal Son of The Forgiven.
I'm not going to quit again. Really.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Iola
Registered
Joined: July-05-2007
United States
Posts: 6
Gender: Not Specified
|
| Posted: March-10-2010 at 4:07PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Sending our prayers and thoughts. *Hug*
Iola & Ethelwulf
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Wend
Registered
Joined: January-28-2006
Canada
Posts: 49
Gender: Not Specified
|
| Posted: March-10-2010 at 4:47PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Praying that all goes well and the wound heals properly without further amputation!!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Berylla
Registered
Joined: July-29-2006
United States
Posts: 258
Gender: Female
|
| Posted: March-15-2010 at 11:40PM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Update on Karalav's status as of today (Monday March 22)
The doctors are performing another test - this one is called an Indium test. The actual scan happens tomorrow afternoon so we will probably hear the verdict Wednesday.
Basically, what they have done is take a blood sample, "tag" the white blood cells in that sample (I presume with an isotope or something that will make them show up clearly in a scan). Then they put the blood back into his veins, and wait for a bit. Then, finally, they will scan his foot, leg, and his liver; this should pinpoint with more accuracy where his white blood cells are going and thusly determine the level of infection and whether there is actual bone infection in the foot.
As far as Steve's comfort goes, he's in pretty good shape. He can still make it to the bathroom unaided and he pretty much gets to stay in bed and watch TV all day. He keeps bemoaning the fact that hospital rooms aren't made for married life, but I think that's just his notion of funny. His worst complaint generally speaking is a certain level of boredom. He is in no pain even when they've done another cleaning of the foot - he has no feeling in his feet at all which of course is how he got into this fix.
He is looking forward to finding out the results of this latest test, and although he isn't precisely looking forward to whatever that may lead to, it at least means that the waiting and not-knowing will be over.
Thanks for your many kind thoughts and prayers, expressed in game and here on the forums. We're hanging in there and hopefully soon we'll be back to playing and even raiding with y'all again!
__________________
Berylla, 80 Warrior
Aladrea, 80 Druid
Calakiiri, 80 Hunter
Tarrma, Kethryveris, Stingerette, Sindathiel, Katyana- alts in progress
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Lochia
Registered
Joined: September-08-2009
United States
Posts: 18
Gender: Female
|
| Posted: March-16-2010 at 7:55AM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Your family needs to invest in a laptop. Many of the hospitals now provide wireless service for patients and families.
Still in my thoughts and hoping all will go well.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mystakl
Registered
Joined: May-07-2009
United States
Posts: 61
Gender: Female
|
| Posted: March-16-2010 at 9:36AM | IP Logged
|
|
|
Keeping you in my thoughts Berylla...if theres anything i can do just lemme know
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/spacer.gif){kind=spacer}
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/header-bg.jpg)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/top-left.gif)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/top-right.gif)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/left-side-table-bg.gif)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/right-side-table-bg.gif)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/bottom-left.gif)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/hide_off.gif)
![]](/wwc/skins/SubBlack/forum_images/hide_min.gif)
Topic: Karalav
