I Want Your Flesh

I woke up at 3AM today to terrible pain in my left ankle, right at the joint of the foot. I got up and couldn't bear weight on that foot and saw that it was red and bumpy and swollen. Instead of thinking, "hmmmmm, maybe i got a massive bug bite or maybe my sandals really rubbed me the wrong way" i thought, "great, i've got flesh-eating bacteria." That tells you the mind of a nurse. We care for and treat patients all the while wondering when we'll get "it" next, whatever "it" may be. While this might sound fatalistic, it can be a positive thing. It can make you appreciate your health and that of your family and count your blessings on a more regular basis.

Flesh-eating bacteria came to my mind in large part because I've been on antibiotics for a strep infection and strep is one of the flesh-eaters. The pain and redness came so suddenly that I was really alarmed. I called the ER hoping i could just talk to a nurse and see if my situation raised any red flags in her mind, but she said she couldn't triage me over the phone. I convinced myself that i was overreacting (all the while hearing my sister's word echo in my head about the fate of those who don't ask questions or take care of problems when they're small). I took some Tylenol and went back to bed.

I woke up a few hours later and was able to bear weight on it, although it still hurt quite a bit. I finally called the nurse advice line at the hospital when it opened. I was told that I should go straight to an ER, "not an after-hours clinic," but an ER. I was told I should have gone in the night. Not very reassuring.

Off we went, the whole family, to the ER (since I am a rules-follower and was told by the nurse NOT to drive myself). Luckily we were able to go to the ER at my hospital since it's slow and nice (slow in a patient census sort of way). I checked in and was seen immediately. The boys enjoyed the magnetic sandbox for the majority of time I was being seen (I think if i asked Doug one more time if he'd washed the boys hands...). The ER doc came in and asked what i'd been doing yesterday and he said i probably got a bug bite while hiking and now it's infected. I commented that that happened awfully fast and he said it can happen. How i got a bug bite where my shoes and socks covered my ankles, well, yes, anything can happen. I'm kind of doubtful but what other explanation is there? I did ask (feeling somewhat silly) about the possibility of flesh-eating bacteria. He very casually said, "It's possible." I guess the treatment is the same right now. Since I'm already on Keflex for the pre-existing strep, he lengthened that treatment. He added Bactrim to cover what other bacterium Keflex doesn't kill (including staph, the other flesh-eating-offender) and then i got a lovely shot o' Rocephin in my rear.

So now I just have to "wait and see" if the antibiotics help. If the redness and swelling spreads any further (the pic doesn't show it well) I've been instructed to return to the ER. With all of these antibiotics onboard it should stop growing and eventually go away. Hoorah for modern medicine!...