The best news of the week is that Baby Owen is at home with Bro' Ethan and Mommy and Daddy. My heart feels warm and happy. Other good news is that Hannah and Miles are adorable big cousins, and have had a lot of fun this week. I love hearing stories about them! Still more good news is that Dad/Paco/Lar/Grandpappy managed to survive techno-problems during a conference presentation and again the following day presenting the information to another group of people.
Here's my news, which most of you know in detail already, but it never hurts to beat a dead horse. Oh gad, what an awful image!
I got sick on Monday night with what I thought was a virus. When it didn't go away by Wednesday and had gotten much worse, I went to the doctor and found out I had a more serious problem. I was diagnosed with cellulitis on my forehead and eyelids (yes, I have cellulite, too, but that's in a different spot!), and the doctor pointed me right toward the hospital. I've been on Vancomycin since Wednesday evening, twice a day by IV. I'd had a high fever, chills, and then the red rash (actually puffy, hot, and shiny rather than rashy looking--kind of Phantom of the Opera, but red). Cellulitis isn't contagious, which is a relief for me since I was with the baby boys and Miles last Sunday, and with all of the people in my department for a dinner/book discussion meeting on Monday. Usually people get this stuff on their legs; the danger on the face is that if it spreads into the eyes and then the optic never, that means entry into the brain.
It got worse before it got better, but on Friday I was released (on my own recognizance) since much of the swelling and redness were gone. The dr. switched me over to a once-a-day IV antibiotic that he hopes will clean out any bacteria types not taken care of by what I'd been getting. When I was released from the hospital, they kept the IV port in, and I went back to the hospital this morning for an additional dose,but from now on will be able to take an oral antibiotic to finish up the work. I have to admit this was pretty frightening, especially when the diagnosis on Wednesday was followed by, "...and I want to admit you to the hospital right away." My forehead was fire-engine red, painful, and I had a 103 temp. Since then I've gone through various stages of redness and swelling on my forehead, around my eyes, and above my nose. I look like a poster-child for not running into brick walls.
I'd rather have that to deal with right now than a brain infection, which was the concern because of the location of the cellulitis. If I ever get it again, God forbid, I'm hoping for the lower leg as a location. Annie, in her sweet and humorous way, reminded me the plus side of having this on my face is that I didn't have to look at it! She spent the day with me yesterday, since Larry was supposed to present research he's been working on at a conference in Mpls and I didn't want him to miss out on that. He's not a patient hospital visitor, so it kept him busy and Annie and I could talk. I 've been extremely tired with this stuff, but feel much, much better today.
This is not ME, but it is a reasonable facsimile from the web. This woman
isn't as bright red as I was. Note the puffy forehead skin and eye area.
Like Botox gone bad. Don't look for pictures of cellulitis on the web
unless you have a strong stomach. I am so lucky I didn't have the scalp-dissecting version!
River's Edge Hospital (formerly known as St. Peter Community Hospital) may be rated highly for its patient care, but technology-wise, not so much. I didn't get an internet code until I'd been there a day, and then when it didn't work, the tech guy came into my room, rubbed his hands as if he were scared, and said, "Oh I don't know anything about Macs," which is what my laptop from work happens to be. He nearly fled the room, but then decided he could take it and call someone who could walk him through it. Three hours later, no dice. So, I had Annie bring Larry's PC laptop from home, and it responded the same way as my Mac. Everything was identical to get logged on, and I finally figured it out. I can't believe the guy even tried. Of course, I also happened to be on the side of the hall with no cell phone reception, and my doctor said not to go out and about in the hospital, not because I was contagious but because he didn't want to put me at risk for more problems. And then there was the 12-hour stretch of time when my bathroom had no toilet paper...Needless to say that in 2009, it felt like jail.
Well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I'm hoping for a better week ahead.
Here's the rash-from-hell part. It looks like this on my back, too. Interesting to learn that this reaction to Vancomycin is called Red Man's Syndrome.
I get to wear the IV port gizmo for a while, which is under the gauze. For good measure, you might enjoy the remnants of the bruise I took home as a souvenir the first time I was in the hospital. It's from a five-stick attempt to find a new place for the IV to be inserted. This was one of the needle stick spots, which is also embellished with the current rashiness.
So now I get to go in as an outpatient every morning for a while to have a dose of Rocephin by IV until I'm cured. I wonder how many gallons of that stuff it takes to kill off staph infection?? I'm missing the "final final" for our methods class today, which makes me feel terrible. I have never missed one, nor have I ever missed this much work because of an illness. The methods students work very hard all semester to get prepared for their next step, which is student teaching, and it's hard not to be able to say good-bye to them. I guess sitting around and getting well isn't such a bad way to spend a weekend. I'm trying to convince myself of that.
Owen, unaware of his brother's peril!
Happy Mother's Day to Angie (first timer X 2!), to Annie, and to Elisabeth. And Elisabeth, thank you for coming to meet the new babes and sharing your medical expertise with all of us. You make a great salad, too!
