The Sorcerer's Progress (Page 43 of 62)

I'm waiting now to be called for surgery: ultrasound via a probe through th veins to see if I need stents in either of the big veins draining my legs.  That might explain why I've been so prone to these infections--and why this one is responding so slowly to treatment.

This time it's Vancomycin.  The ER added Nosym, but the ID specialist dropped it.

I'm up to it and have nothing better to do except the reviews lined up ahead of you.  Problem is, I don't have a keyboard.  I'm working on the phone's touch screen.  I'd hoped to get that fixed today, but there's a good chance it can happen tomorrow.

To answer some questions:

No, I'm not home yet.  Tuesday, for sure.  (Really.)  I should have been discharged today, but the various doctors and paperwork didn't mesh to get me out at a reasonable hour.

Yes, it was serious.  It started with what was probably the nasty strain of e coli in the digestive tract, which allowed an opportunistic staphlococcus aureous (correct my spelling, Amy) deep tissue infection in my right leg.  The fallout from the e coli made it hard for me to get to the hospital, and I got there just as the staph infection was increasing explosively.

Of course, they echo'd the leg to be sure it wasn't a blockage.  The sonagram looked good until a vascular surgeon took a look.  He found that the flow rates were not changing with my breathing, a sign of partial venous blockage.  He went in through right interior jugular with an ultrasound probe and found May-Thurner's syndrome, the result of one of the femoral arteries squeezing down the left iliac vein.  (All this is in the pelvic area.)  The vein was 70% occluded.  He used a balloon catheter, then put a stent in.  There's also some occlusion on the right, but not enough to justify intervention now, and maybe there never will be.  I have to see him in two to three weeks.

So, the vancomycin is over, I'm on ten days of doxycyline (Amy, my spelling) and I have to clean up the mess left in my house by the e coli infection.  There's a few other loose ends, but I'll not bore you.

Oh, and I'm a horrible vein stick, especially if you want to put a catheter in.  My veins are like angel hair pasta al dente swimming in alfredo sauce.  They move when you poke them.  (At least two nurses here have endorsed that description.)  I must still have a nice fat layer under my stiffening skin.  I've coined two phrases: vein angel (the nurse who always gets her vein) and 'no pain, no vein'.  The staff on the floor like them (but I'm sure they'll keep the second one to themselves).

I've got big purple splotches around some of the failed vein sticks.

I'm home.  (I've been home for over an hour now, but I had to start to unpack, and to take the first doxycycline, and to take some phone calls.

Tomorrow I have to get some stuff early to the laundry and cleaners.  The laundry will have instructions to wash hot with double detergent--and what can't be washed hot will be washed twice.  Now I need to rest and do some very minimal cleaning.  I also need to make follow-up appointments.

I'm thinking more of the rogue e coli.

WikiP says that MRSA can be vulnerable to doxycyline.

I expect and intend to pay double for double washing.

Welcome home njc!!!!!

That's ... ghoulish.

I've been accused of many things, and that is appropriate. I used that in my introduction to new members on the group. Don't blame me. Janet started it.

Airport taxis are a classic ripoff.  Maybe you could get a cheaper ride on a hotel 'limo' and rake a taxi from there?