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I guess it’s been over a year ago now the podiatrist found something he did not like. It stemmed from what’s called hammer toes. I had a callous on the tip of my 2nd toe. The callous was cut off and the problems started from there. I was seeing the doc every 2 weeks. Infection set in. The same bacteria that causes strep throat. Antibiotics were started, I had to wear a surgical shoe because of the swelling. Bi-weekly visits continued until the point that it had been going on too long and I was referred to a second doctor.
Visits ramped up to every week and antibiotics continued. Swelling stayed as well until I started having fever spread up my leg. The ankle swelled to about the size of a football, I started having convulsions from electric shock that travelled up my leg every minute or so. Fever shot up to over 103 degrees and I got an ambulance ride to the hospital. I was put on a constant drip of intravenous antibiotics. They started talking about amputation. A MRI showed dead bones in my toe and foot. They took the dead bones out.
The doc said he got it all and the lab pathology reports confirmed. But the swelling did not go away. The infection came back with a vengeance. Antibiotics were continued. (They changed antibiotics several times so the infection would not get used to what I was taking) Weekly visits continued and I had a second minor surgery. After the second surgery things started to improve. Last week I was finally able to put on a shoe. The doctor was pleased. Things were looking up. The toe though while not swollen, was deformed.
This weeks visit was not good. I thought things were getting better, but the doc is not happy. I am waiting to be scheduled for another MRI to see if they missed anything. The infection is back. All this for a staphylococcal germ. Chronic Staphylococcus they are calling it. Causing osteomyelitis, which kills the bone and can be ultimately fatal.
I am getting so tired of fighting. But there is no quit in me. I am going to beat this.
Visits ramped up to every week and antibiotics continued. Swelling stayed as well until I started having fever spread up my leg. The ankle swelled to about the size of a football, I started having convulsions from electric shock that travelled up my leg every minute or so. Fever shot up to over 103 degrees and I got an ambulance ride to the hospital. I was put on a constant drip of intravenous antibiotics. They started talking about amputation. A MRI showed dead bones in my toe and foot. They took the dead bones out.
The doc said he got it all and the lab pathology reports confirmed. But the swelling did not go away. The infection came back with a vengeance. Antibiotics were continued. (They changed antibiotics several times so the infection would not get used to what I was taking) Weekly visits continued and I had a second minor surgery. After the second surgery things started to improve. Last week I was finally able to put on a shoe. The doctor was pleased. Things were looking up. The toe though while not swollen, was deformed.
This weeks visit was not good. I thought things were getting better, but the doc is not happy. I am waiting to be scheduled for another MRI to see if they missed anything. The infection is back. All this for a staphylococcal germ. Chronic Staphylococcus they are calling it. Causing osteomyelitis, which kills the bone and can be ultimately fatal.
I am getting so tired of fighting. But there is no quit in me. I am going to beat this.
Good luck Greg, hang in there pard.
