All this because of a TOE?

(Sorry... you would NOT want to see pictures for this one!)

Okay, so I have MANY posts to add to give you all an update on the many different things that have gone on over the past couple of months, but for those of you wondering... I will give you an update on the most crazy and unexpected little "situation" we've been dealing with for the past month... It all started with a toe - my big toe on my left foot. Now, as a runner - sore feet are not a new thing to me, but when this toe got to be sore enough to bring tears to my eyes should Ana happen to bump (or more often - step on it), I began to think that there was a bit of a problem brewing... So, feeling ridiculous, I took myself into Prime Care one Sunday morning (the beginning of September), and expressed my concern that I had an infection of sorts. I mentioned that I thought it was odd that the entire bottom of my foot felt as though it was on fire... The nice, young, (and inexperienced) doctor assured me that there was no infection and suggested I call a podiatrist in a few days. That Wednesday, I went to the podiatrist to have a "minor surgical procedure" to essentially remove part of the toenail, in case there was an infection under the nail. Well, things went from bad to worse, and by the time the numbing medication wore off that evening, I was in pain that far exceeded the delivery of either Joel or Grace. I did not sleep through the night, and by morning, I was so physically ill, I told Brian I needed to go into the emergency room - something wasn't right. So... at 5:00 a.m., our dear friend, Leah, came over to stay with our kids while Brian and I went to the hospital. Though I was throwing up, shaking, having bouts of hot flashes, then chills, they still didn't think I had an infection. They gave me anti-nausea medication, Morphine for pain (which did next to nothing), and sent me home with pain meds and more anti-nausea medication. The rest of that day, I pretty much spent curled up on our bed shaking and vomiting and sleeping between doses of medication. By late that evening, my foot had swollen up so much that I had streaks running up my leg. Back to the ER we went, and this time, someone thought I "may" have an infection. They admitted me with a white cell count of 25, 000 (average being under 10, 000). I immediately went on IV antibiotics, but aside from that, I really did not receive very good care. No fluids were hung to replace all that I had lost, and my foot was never cleaned or dressed - it was just left open to the air, which caused a variety of post-op issues, but basically, it just got worse and worse. I was released from the hospital a few days later and went home with oral antibiotics. A re-check appointment with the podiatrist revealed that so much damage had been done to my foot due to the cellulitis that set in, that a further surgery would need to be done to essentially clean out all the infection. Surgery was set for the next day, but that evening I began feeling ill again, and started a fever (again). This time I had Brian take me to Spectrum, where I received excellent care. (As an aside... If you've ever watched a TV show that depicts an inner city ER... it is pretty accurate... As sick as I felt, the ongoing scenarios of people coming and going all around us were not only shocking, but terribly sad. Because I did not have anything that I could give to anyone else, I was put in the side of ER that had all of the homeless people and individuals that had had too much to drink. The stories we heard through our little curtained-off area in a matter of 2 1/2 hours were absolutely unreal.) Anyway, the next morning I had surgery to put drainage tubes in my foot to allow the infection to escape. This essentially put me back at ground zero in the healing process. The next several days would bring repeated cleanings, new incisions to allow for further drainage, and mounting concern on the faces of my doctors. Finally, last Tuesday, when my white cell count was still not in the normal range, my doctor admitted me to Holland Hospital again (after filing a formal complaint and ensuring I would have better care this time). Within 4 hours, I had had an MRI, blood drawn, fluid hung, and x-rays. The tests revealed that there was still more infection trapped in the foot and that it appeared as though it had gotten into the bone. The next day I had ANOTHER surgery to clean out my foot and a procedure done to insert a PICC line (basically a port) into my arm for the necessary IV antibiotics that would need to be administered for several weeks. After three more days at Holland Hospital, and very little improvement, I was feeling emotionally the worst I had felt in weeks. My white cell count was still in the 14, 000 range, and my ticket home was to be under 10,000. Additionally, they began running tests for a variety of other things that could cause an elevated white cell count. Upon talking with a special friend that evening she said, "You sound REALLY down... that's just the time when God shows up and does a miracle." I asked her family to pray that my white cell count drop enough that I could go home to my kids (even though I knew that a drop of more than 1,000 - 2,000 points in
12 hours was unrealistic), that my pain would go away, and that my nausea would decrease so that I could eat a real meal and not lose anymore weight. (This was at approximately 9:00 p.m. in the evening.) By 7:00 a.m. - the VERY next morning, I had NO pain in my foot, my appetite was back, and my white cell count was down to 7,800!!! I felt SO thankful that God had truly taken control of the situation. Needless to say, the doctors were quite amazed at the dramatic drop in my numbers... to the point that they said it was "unexplainable". From that point on, everything has continued to improve. I had my first positive visit with the podiatrist yesterday and he FINALLY indicated that he is seeing improvement in my foot. (This sounds funny, but I am feeling like I will be able to keep all of my toes... which truly was not a sure thing for some time...) Today I met with the center for infectious disease (sounds great, doesn't it) in GR and the doctor there was also very positive. Instead of 5 more weeks of IV antibiotics (3 times a day - yuck!), she feels that 3 more weeks will be all that is necessary. YAY!!! 20 days and counting. (I've never been one to look forward to Halloween, but this year, I can't wait! My foot will be healed over and I will not have this port in my arm!) I plan to SKIP around the neighborhood with my kids this year, loving every minute of it!
I apologize for not personally contacting many of our friends and family while this "situation" was occurring, but we didn't really feel like it was going to be as ong and drawn-out (and serious)as it was. And... each day seemed to bring about a new set of challenges, so we were basically surviving one day at a time - unsure of what the next would bring. My parents were amazingly helpful and took over with the kids. Brian's mom also took several days off work to help us, and graciously drove me to my appointments. To those of you who found out about this on your own, thank you so VERY, VERY much for the many acts of kindness you bestowed on our family. The meals, the offers to help with the kids, the flowers, and the thoughtful cards and calls meant so much. I am SO not used to being "in need" like I was the past several weeks, and I so appreciate all of the love shown to us by our friends and family. Praise God!