almost my final chapter?

Hopefully I am heading to the final chapter of my leg wound story. I am so sick and tired of bandages and wound wash, doctors visits, endless doses of antibiotics, gauze and ace bandages and tape that pulls off my skin till it's raw. And lets not forget the MRSA that is the worst of the worst, heaven knows how I got it and every time I think it's gone it comes back again.

Two weeks ago when my wound was no bigger than this capital "O" they told me I had MRSA again- or maybe it never went away in the first place.....who knows! Two days after I started the antibiotics an abscess formed right next to my wound. My regular doctor then added an additional antibiotic to the one the wound doctor gave me; like one isn't enough right?

The abscess is just about absorbed back into my body it never fully formed. Monday I go to see the wound doctor, he know's nothing about the abscess or the addition of the second medication since I went to my regular doctor; wound guy only does Monday's. With the wound closed I'm hoping he'll discharge me, but this abscess business bothers me. I still have a boat load of antibiotics to finish, this time pills not an IV thank goodness. Not that it hurts because it doesn't I was on antibiotics days before it formed so it didn't really amount to much.

The whole MRSA thing has me concerned however; I don't really feel like I have a proper understanding of the condition.The testing says it is not in my blood it's only in my wound and the wound is gone so that should be it right? Why don't I feel confident that it is so?

the bane of my summer is back..uhhh!

Due to our whole hurricane situation I cancelled my leg wound appointment today.The past few weeks my wound has been at a stand still, not much healing going on so my doctor took a culture. Then this week it started to get smaller again so I was comfortable skipping.

Frankly I didn't want to waste the gas when we might need it for the generator  and drive 35 miles each way for a wound smaller than a pencil eraser with no depth at all. My wound didn't start out that way, it was more like the size of a plum or a small peach and down to the muscle back in April.

I have endured therapies that were pretty uncomfortable and pretty yucky since I couldn't shower when undergoing them. But I healed really well; then they found the MRSA and they did some more-therapies that is.

I did my hospital stay like a trooper, learned how to do my own antibiotic infusions and it was my understanding that several weeks on those powerful antibiotics would make me good as new. After all my MRSA was only in my wound and not in my blood. It should have kicked this infections ass, or so I'd been led to believe; NOT!

They called me today, my MRSA is back, but they found it in my surface skin cells that he tested me last week.

MRSA is the bane of my summer; bitch!

light at the end of my tunnel

If all things go as they have been my wound doctor thinks I could have my own natural skin fully covering the wound on my leg in as little as three weeks.

I have some concerns that it will close up before they can re-swab to test for MRSA. He's encouraged that all is well and my healing has accelerated since I've been on the antibiotics.

Worst case; speaking hypothetically is I run the risk of getting an abscess if bacteria are trapped below my new skin so these antibiotics better work.

Thursday is my last bandage change by the home nurse for my picc and blood test to check my blood count and kidney function. Friday is my last infusion of IV antibiotics and my picc line is being removed on Monday by the surgeon who shares the office with my regular doctor.

I have a two little blisters from the bruising under the butterfly bandage which hold the picc securely in place . My wound doctor is more than a little curious to see if they need to be treated; I have thin skin literally and it's easily damaged; easy to bruise then blister.

I've seen little else than the inside of my house and although I love my house I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm liking what I see!

before my leg goes to barbados it needs IV drugs

Since I was released from the hospital a week ago Wednesday I have met with a home health nurse twice and she has taught me how to administer my own antibiotics for my MRSA. I've been thru with a ton of stuff with this leg and, if you've somehow missed it you can read it here.  I'm taking this leg on vacation eventually.....

It's the newest thing in home IV's it's called infusion therapy. There are no needles involved all the connections screw on so it makes it easy for the patient to learn how to do it themselves; safer too. They say it keeps down the cost and makes the need for prolonged hospital stays unnecessary.


my IV ball

This hooks into my picc line which they put into my arm before leaving the hospital. That stands for (peripherally inserted central catheter), the IV can go into the line that is on my right arm or blood can be drawn when the cap is taken off different tips are connected to the end. My picc line is for two weeks of antibiotics however if need be it could stay implanted in my arm for up to a year. It is threaded up my arm and into my chest in the direction of my heart by a specially trained nurse. 

Like everything else I didn't have much luck with the insertion of this line. There are three veins she failed to get the line in the first two, the first vein the line kept bending, the second the vein ran to close to a nerve and was to painful, then finally she was successful with the third. My arm however looks like it got beat the shreds by Muhammad Ali it's so black and blue. I even have two blisters; I know I know! That's how this whole wound in my leg started right?

my arm's to black and blue

to show!



So I push thru a little injection tube of clear fluid (sodium chloride)to clear the IV line,  then I attach the ball of antibiotic. The ball shrinks as the antibiotic is transferred into my body thru the picc line and when it will shrink down which indicates it's empty. Then I disconnect it and flush a second (sodium chloride)clear fluid followed by another tube which is yellow and contains (Heparin) a drug that keeps the blood in line from clotting; all done until the next day when I repeat the process.

My husband and I are taking a leap of faith that my wound drama will be all over by Thanksgiving when we go to visit my brother Gerard and sister-in -law Denise for Thanksgiving. We've decided to book a week at an all-inclusive in Barbados the Saturday after; boy do I need a vacation. It's in Christ Church so not only will we be able to be at the beach and eat and drink until our hearts content but we'll be able to walk the streets of what I've heard is a beautiful and picturesque city as well.

our resort pool area

our resort beach area

My leg can't wait; like me it needs a vaca!

We've never been to Barbados or stayed at an all inculsive, has anyone had any experience they'd like to share?