Medically Necessary

I’m feeling down, unnecessary, hence the new post.  This is therapy.  Regurgitating my feelings on “paper” helps me sort myself out.  The holidays arrive like a gust of wind and remind me that my 4-year anniversary is around the corner.  The most special holiday, Christmas, is a token of my greatest joy and my greatest sadness.  (though, the sadness has served as many positive things)

 

Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury has become a daily way of life, kind of ho-hum.  Mood swings make things either bearable or excruciatingly difficult to deal with.  It’s not always possible to muster the mental strength to get up and do stuff, but that fiercely independent girl rips the covers off in the morning and forces me out of bed.  I’ve learned to fake a feeling and act it out until I’ve achieved the end goal.  For instance, I’m not a gym rat or physical exercise enthusiast, but I’ll do it and feel better afterwards.  Positive results encourage positive behavior and co-behavior, such as healthier eating and taking time to meditate/breathe.

Physical pain has increased to the point where I’ve requested a prescription for medication, me, a girl that doesn’t even take Tylenol .   I was recently hospitalized for 10 days for semi-elective surgery (while missing out on Halloween :( ).  I wore the wrong shoes about a year ago which caused pressure points, which resulted in pressure sores that bruised, blistered, and eventually opened up.  After almost a year of wound care my doctor suggested a radical procedure that would shave down the heel bone (calcaneus bone) by about 10% so that he could sew the skin closed and prevent similar recurring events.   

While in surgery it was discovered that I had indeed acquired a bone infection bilaterally and ended up on some of the strongest I.V. antibiotics.  It was also necessary to shave the bone even further due to infection, about 40-50%.   

I have to add a side note.  I have a really nice doctor.  In anticipation of my boredom while being hospitalized he brought me magazines, cough drops, and a Sudoku book.

(Pause for an idiosyncratic moment.  I just looked at my computer clock and notice it was 4:18.  That’s the date of my birth and I always feel better when I see that number pop up somewhere.  It makes me feel like I’m important and have things to accomplish.  Maybe it’s just residual OCD, lol, but I always feel better.)

I’m now on leave for a total of 8 weeks.  A PICC line was inserted into my arm to accommodate I.V. antibiotics and blood draws that have been ordered until December.  My primary physician also put me on 2 other medications, one to lower cholesterol, as he wants my numbers medically low, and one for blood pressure which is actually being used to prevent diabetic scarring on my kidneys.  Including the insulin and other medications I’m already on, this has proven to be very hard on my body.   Sometimes I can’t tell whether I’m coming or going and can’t wait to be rid of this regimen though I will always be thankful for technology and science as they ease my routine.  

I concurrently have a pressure sore under my right leg, where the ischium tuberosity is located (read: where the thigh meets the butt cheek), also due to an improper shoe that displaced pressure on my body.  I was sent home with a wound vac.  It’s a cool little device that absorbs/suctions out seepage and blood while simultaneously drawing the tissue closer together.  This all works cohesively to speed up healing.  I’m like a cyborg with all kinds of things attached to me and need to monitor myself at all times so I don’t accidentally pull out a line, cord.  Bah!

Today, I had a random moment in which I cried for a good 10 minutes.  Pity parties have been reduced to 10 minute periods and are less frequent.  As a matter of fact I have less pity on people having prolonged pity parties.  Instead of feeding into their woes, I have begun agreeing that things suck, then offer suggestions to get them back from the dark side. :)

So that’s where I’m at right now, just learning how to get stronger, learning that I need to answer the voice inside telling me to use it more, and learning how to further heal spiritually, mentally, and physically.

A quick med tip on wound care.  

If you’re on I.V. Vancomycin (hopefully, not), for prolonged periods of time, it’s normal to experience lower back pain.  Drink more water.

If you’re healing a wound of any type, take:

• Zinc Sulfate (hospital dose is 220 mg) once a day
• Ester C twice a day (Ester C is less acidic than regular vitamin C supplements)
• And be sure to ingest about 80 gm of protein.

A wound takes 90 days to heal from start to finish, so be patient.

Any other comments, remedies, or suggestions are welcome.  Leave them in the comments.

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