ICK! ICK! ICK! WHAT A MESS!

Tuesday feb 16
Tucson
Another short blog. WHAT A MESS I AM IN!!!   My hand was healing fine -- I was beginning to feel human again and WHAM--i got hit with a massive infection in my hand.  Superbowl Sunday after watching the Saints win, my hand started to swell up---I thought it was gonna' pop!!!  ANd it really started to hurt.  I took two painkillers and went to bed---and even the painkillers didn't touch the pain.  Monday found me in the hand doc's office begging for relief.  Yup---got an infection---sent me home with antibiotics and wrapped my hand and told me to keep it above my heart at all times (take two asprin and call me in the morning routine?) Back to see him Wednesday, I am no better.  He lances the incision and takes out the stitches OUCH --  ever had 4 shots in the palm of your hand that was very sore to begin with?  OH MY GOSH -- I thought I was going to faint!  And by this time I am the queen of pain pills - taking two every four hours, and still no relief.  Anyway, to make a long story longer, he drains the incision, and has me come back early on Thursday - to which I was still no better.  So,,off to the infection doc I go -- same one Al had last year and that I really liked.  His words were "ICK" nasty infection.  And we still don't know what type of infection it is, but staph is suspected.  He decides to put me on IV antibiotics, massive doses.  So last Friday I had a picc line installed ( I asked if they could put a USB port in as well, but guess technology isn't that far along) and started on massive doses of antibiotics -- home healthcare nurse trained our friend Denise how to administer the IV, twice daily.

Speaking of Denise -- her and her hubby Gordon are very good friends from Montana who are thawing out here and spending the winter parked in our RV pad we had built.  WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE THEM HERE -- AND WE THANK GOD EVERY DAY FOR SENDING THEM HERE.  I truly don't know how we would had managed without them.  She not only does my meds, but she has basically had to be cheif cook as as well.

Back to the hand -- it is much better now.  Saw the infection doc yeaterday and he said if I keep doing well I can get rid of the picc line possibly by Friday, which I would be very happy to do.

Thursday
The infection is Staph -- great!!  However I am doing much better and hope to get rid of the $%^&*# picc line tomorrow!!