Cellulitis!!!

Hi everyone,

Joey - Im glad you are all moved in now and settled in your new home - its great that you have the space to use your chair!! Hope that things are settled properly now for you all and you didnt suffer for all the hard work of moving - i will catch up on everyones blogs soon - It has been a bit rubbish this end but some bits have been great too!!

Odette and Louise all i can say is again i am so sorry that i have been rubbish at blogging recently! For parts of this recent absence from the blogging world i have been feeling a bit run down and not myself and at other times - i dont have any excuse except that i have been visiting some friends around my end of the country and also visiting my familt where i celebrated my pretend birthday (and got to celebrate with my mum and dad!!!)

I wanted to give you a very well overdue update!!!

Sooooo, last week i drove around 580 miles across my surroundings in yorkshire visiting various good friends of mine - some in hospital others at home!!! unfortunatly by Sunday i was yet again shattered!!! I had a restful day on sunday - but thought nothing really about my left foot aching!! It gradually got more uncomfortable as the day and evening went on but there didnt look to be anything wrong with it so of course i just put it down to pushing myself too hard and tried (and failed) to get an early night!!

On Monday morning S came to get me up etc and i went to move my foot and got a sudden pain. I pulled the covers back to see that my left foot was twice the size of my right foot and was bright red (it was also red hot to touch!!) S was gonna leave me in bed but I wanted to have a shower so I hobbled to the bathroom. Walking was incredibly painful!! I called the GP and requested a home visit as there is no way i would have managed to put weight on it much!! I managed to organise my prescriptions to get picked up by the pharmacy and get my new medicines and all my regular ones delivered for the next day. My GP came round at lunchtime, she came in when i shouted for her too come in :) Dr W took one look at my foot and asked how long it had been like that etc - given the fact that i have had 6 courses of antibiotics for the phlebitis in this foot and only just finished a course she was slightly concerned it had now turned into cellulitis!! I was given a script for two lots of strong anibiotics which she insisted i had 3 doses of that day so my neighbour went to the pharmacy for me then brought them and some shopping home for me :)!! My GP had said that i should see an improvement within the next 24 hours and that if it was not improving the next day to contact the surgery or go to A and E.

Tuesday rocked up and no - it wasn't any better but i hadnt slept properly as it had kept me up all night so i decided to get a lie in catch up on some sleep - keeping it raised all day and see how it was today!!

This morning came round too quickly too!! R came this am to get me up and i couldnt stand my foot was now three times the size of the other one and incredibly sore to put on the floor!! Anytime that i put my foot off the bed in a sitting position it throbbed!! I kept it raised again!! by lunchtime - despite the fact my bedroom window was open and my fan was on full the sweat was dripping from me. My skin was clammy and i felt really nauseous, which then proceeded to full blown vomitting!! I took my temperature 41.4 (rather high!!) I then took some paracetamol and some antiemetic (cyclizine via sub cutaneous injection- stings like hell - but works quickly!!) I then called the surgery! The duty doctor called me back an hour later (lunchtime ish!!) and told me he would call in and see me between 4 and 6pm!!

It took me an hour to get dressed and a further 25 mins to get down the stairs. By which time my brother, his fiance and my nephew arrived outside my house stopping for a quick pit stop on their way back to my parents house from J's parents house!! They had brought a mate with them too :) I had a brief chance to cuddle my nephew and had just started to feed him a bottle when the GP rocked up outside!!

The crowd in my living room dispersed into the kitchen/utility room and let the doctor in on their way through!! He wanted me to go into hospital for IV antibiotics (I know it was stupid now - i know that but at the time it seemed like the best thing, really!!) I told him i didnt want to be admitted!! He outlined the risks of leaving things as they are etc - i outlined the fact that i am very susceptible to infections and usually come out with worse than i go in with etc!!! After he had reviewed my notes - he agreed to a plan of action. I could stay home this evening on the provision that if the foot is the same tomorrow i will go in to hospital for the IV's!! I was going to see if I could push it to friday but as the paracetamol is wearing off and i can feel my temperature rising again, i think i will probably see sense and go in tomorrow afternoon! :( I was hoping to be able to get S to clean for me on thursday afternoon but im not sure i will be able to do it all!! I will see tomorrow - i am still secretly hoping that the rubbish oral antibiotics i have been taking for almost a week to kick in and knock this infection into the ether!!!

sooooooo - sorry its a bit of a rambly post!! I will be going into hospital tomorrow or friday then for a few days to a week of antibiotics on my poorly foot!! (unless the oral antibiotics are slow starters and miraculously cure this over night!!!) least this way i will be able to pack a couple of sets of PJ's and some clothes too!!
Im hoping to take the laptop in with me so will hopefully still have contact with the net world whilst i am in there!! if no laptop i will still have my mobile so i will have a form of internet but albeit a rather slower connection!!

KSD and wheezy tux are currently not very well WT just out of hospital and KSD still in so you guys i am sending you both big hugs (((((hugs))))) and loadsa lv!!

I hope that everyone else is ok! take care everyone
lotsa lv Rattles Xxxx