At this time last week, I was in the hospital waiting for
the doctor to hopefully release me. Which he did do.
I just wish it had helped. But while I may be out of the
hospital, I still have to stay off my foot as much as possible; I can’t drive (It’s
my right foot) or go to work. In fact, I got scolded for driving myself to the
emergency room when my right foot hurt so bad. Plus, I have to have an infusion
of antibiotics every day around the same time. So, between that and medical
professionals coming in at all hours of the day, when would I have time to
work?
And now I know the pain in my foot was severe, after all, several
people at the hospital were surprised I could even walk at all because they
had seen other people with the same sort of joint infection who couldn’t walk, they
were in so much pain.
Maybe I should point out my high tolerance for pain.
Like my stepmom who fell back on her standard, “Well did you
take anything for it?” When I told her I have a really bad earache. Then she ran
for the phone when I told her I had not only taken Tylenol, but I had also
tried a warm cloth.
From my stepmom’s point of view, it was serious because I
actually took medicine!
And I’ve had doctors notice, most particularly my current
one, that if I’m complaining about pain, it’s bad, like worse than what other patients
tolerate.
He once asked me why I didn’t come in sooner; my answer was
it didn’t hurt that bad sooner. I mean why bother with a doctor’s visit if it’s
just a nuisance pain? Apparently, some people do.
Yeah, I tend to not call the doctor until the pain pills don’t
work or it last more than a couple of days.
This makes me wonder about how accurate my pain levels are on a scale of one to ten compared to others. I mean I do feel pain, I’m
not one of those people that feels no pain at all, but clearly, I can tolerate more
than most.
I have also never once told a medical professional my pain
level was higher than like seven, including when I was in labor. Though I might
point out I was home and not around medical professionals when a jumping child fell
on top of my very recently sutured belly. Believe me, that was more like a
fifteen.
So maybe someone else would have said ten instead of seven?
I don’t know. Doesn’t matter anyway.
I’m home and dealing with the aftermath. I just wish it wasn’t
taking so long.
By the way, they determined eventually that I have septic arthritis.
And yes, it is painful. It is also annoying that for several days I couldn’t
put any weight on my foot at all. Bathroom trips were the hardest part to deal
with. At least I don’t need help for that anymore.
Of course, the doctor at the hospital (not my primary)
ordered in-home care for a while, which included not just physical therapy but
also occupational therapy. This person seemed to think I would need to adjust to staying off my foot as much as possible while my foot healed.
The problem is, every time my knee goes out (thanks to EDS)
or my gout or sciatica acts up, I have to stay off my feet as much as possible
until it calms down, stops, or goes back into place. Let alone that I have flat
feet.
I’ve lived in this place for nearly eight years, and I have places
to sit near my sink, my stove, and my microwave, because I can not stand long
at all. And where I sit in the living room and where my bed is
positioned affords me the shortest possible distance from there to the toilet.
I don’t need help adjusting to doing chores like cooking and
cleaning while staying off my foot because I’ve done that for years. I don’t
need help adjusting my shower routine either. I already have a shower seat and
a handheld showerhead. I’ve been using it for years.
The doctor didn’t ask me what I thought I needed or even asked
what kind of aids I already had in place at home, she just ordered the occupational
therapy.
I can see a nurse and physical therapist; I am getting intravenous
antibiotics still and my foot was operated on to get the infection out, but
little else.
I’m also a fast learner, so I don’t need that much help from
the nurse.
Anyway, at least I can still write!
Happy Writing everyone!
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