Saturday, December 6th

Morning all...Can you believe it is December already? Where did the year go?
It's been two weeks since I updated so I'll start from where I left off...
Thanksgiving week was nice! Caitlin arrived home Monday evening and then she and my mom picked up Sean on Tuesday afternoon, so both kids where home most of the week. On Weds morning I went into Boston and they removed the new drain put in the week before. I was draining about 4 ml per day so I was under the 5. Thanksgiving morning we all headed up to Bernie's sisters house in Gilford NH (over looking Lake Winnapaske (sp?)). When I say we, Bernie, Caitlin, Sean and my Mom and Dad! We had a wonderful day....very relaxing and I think mom and dad enjoyed it very much! It was wonderful for us to have my mom and dad and Bernie's mom together on a holiday! We spent the night in NH, actually went "shopping" at midnight down at the Tilton Outlets! Bobby and Sharon actually came up and went shopping also! On Friday we headed home around 2:00pm or so and Bernie and I immediately changed the suitcase contents and headed back out to the Holiday Inn in Peabody for my 25th High School Reunion! Through it all I was tired and didn't feel great, but kept taking Motrin and hung in there! Well, when I was showering at the hotel Friday evening before the party, I noticed the surgical site was red again! We went to the party and had a great time! Amazing to see people after 25 years! We came home on Saturday morning, not feeling very well but basically considered it a hang over!!! I'm getting too old to drink alot!!!!! But my early afternoon, the redness was larger and I began running a fever!!! So since I thought I could not wait until Monday to get antibiotics we decided to head into Boston and go to emergency room at B&W. Long evening in the ER, but they gave me IV antibiotics and decided to reopen the surgical site and add a gauze packing drain instead of the previous types of drains! All in all it was fine...didn't feel anything when they reopened the wound because they numbed me up pretty well. They sent me home around 2:00AM, another prescription for same old antibiotics Keflex for seven days and told me to followup with surgeon on Monday. Also gave us all kinds of stuff because Bernie would need to pull out about 1/4" of the gauze each day! Bernie filled my antibiotics when we got home at the 24hr Rite aid and I took one and slept until around noon on Sunday. On Sunday I still felt like XXXX, but kids needed to get ready to get back to school so I tried to help but kept finding myself laying back down and sleeping! Bernie took Sean back to school by himself around 5:00 and Caitlin decided to wait and head back to school early Monday AM since her first class wasn't until around noon. On Monday AM, I got up as usual but knew I couldn't make it into work since I still felt horrible! I called the surgeons office as directed around 9:00 and they called back and told me to come in around noon to be seen! In the office they removed the entire packing strip and repacked it with new gauze and then the doctor said since I was not feeling any better, exactly worse, that I needed to be admitted for more antibiotics via IV. At that point I didn't care, I would do anything to feel better!! So, we went through the admitting process again! At least this time I had my own "comfortable" clothes....I put a bag in the car after last time with sweatpants and stuff just in case! Finally up in my room and hitched up to IV around 3:00pm. They still couldn't tell me anything other then there was an infection! What I did notice was the IV was different....all prior IV took about 20 min to administer and they hitched me up every 6 hours....this one took 1 1/2 hours and I was told it was once a day!!! On Tuesday am, a resident came in and changed the packing of gauze and said maybe I could go home!!! So, I got up, took a shower and was ready when Bernie got there!!! We waited and waited and at 1:00pm I asked what was going on since Bernie needed to get to work.....nurse called and was told I was not going home and the doctor would be in to see me!!!! With that I told Bernie to go to work and I would keep him updated!!!! They did come in shortly after he left! What they said was they found a bacteria from the culture they did on Saturday night. The bacteria is resistant to the antibiotic I had been on basically for the past 9 weeks! They said they didn't know where I got it from but said I didn't do anything wrong...ya right... then who did??? Anyways the antibiotics they started me on on Monday is known to kill this bacteria so I would stay another day, get another IV and then I could come home on oral antibiotics on Weds. But, since bacteria was found, the wound dressing had to be changed daily so they wanted a visiting nurse to come in daily! Right....I wasn't staying home....I had begun to feel better and planned to get back to work ASAP! Thus, I was not eligible for home nursing...I even asked that I arrange for a nurse to come to the nurses office at work and change it, but no! So we arranged to have my primary care doctor change it daily in the office which is right down the street from our house! So home on Weds, made appointment with PC for 3:00pm Thursday! Oh ya...these new antibiotics...even with prescription coverage they cost $82 for 12 pills...one a day for 12 days! Pharmacist said they are retail $400!!! My copay is 20%! So I went to work on Thursday am to try and catch up a little.....I hadn't been in the office since Friday before Thanksgiving week! Left early to go to a speciality pharmacy to pick up the packing gauze for the pc since that is not something they carry! I did get a prescription for it but they can not process gauze through a prescription!!! PC changed packing and all was well. Scheduled appointment for yesterday at 11:45 so Bernie could come and watch since he will need to change it on the weekend!!!! He did good, asked a lot of questions.....this was his third watching of it being packed, Saturday in ER, Monday in office and then now!! We where sent home with all kinds of supplies and directions, so will see how he does!!!! I did go to work Friday AM, left for appointment, then back again! I was non stop trying to catch up and get things back on track....still have over 100 emails to look at and action if needed but I'm getting there! While I was at PC on Friday I asked if she knew the name of the bacteria they found! She actually gave me the entire report sent to them for B&W....and there it was some long name! When I went back to the office I "googled" it.....first pop up from Emedicine.....99% of wounds or skin infections with this bacteria is transmitted in the hospital!!! So they gave it to me....whether in the hospital last time of during the many pricks and needles they gave me each week! Now, it feels a little better to know this is not a bacteria that I could have gotten by doing something wrong, but it also makes me mad that it took this long to figure out! And I do not how long it's been in there since they only cultured the draining fluid last time I was admitted back at the beginning of November. Nothing had been cultured during my weekly visits to be drained!!!! Anyways I feel better....Carol in the PC office is great, she actually cultured the drainage on Friday, which makes be feel better that they are watching and I have another appointment with her on Monday at 10:00AM!
Here's the problem....looks like this daily wound packing will go on at 10 to 15 days, if not longer!!!!! So still no radiation....looks like it will not be until January now by the time I get going!!!

All in all....I am feeling better...so I guess these antibiotics are working...still tired but that's normal for me! On the home front...needless to say our Christmas tree did not get put up as Bernie wanted and it was definitely tough on the kids being home and seeing me sick....but I'm better....sent them both back and told them to concentrate of their classes because I would not be happy if their grades were not good!!!! Looks like if all goes as planned both will be home around December 18th, although Sean is waiting to confirm he does not have to be there on the 22nd!!! I'm going to rest this weekend, hopefully get a little energy to get the house back to normal....yes the two of them home at the same time and the house looks like a tornado hit it again !!!!!!!

I'll post again soon!!!