I have been enlightened... or so I seem to think, I have been hospitalized for nearly 6 months and just got out on April 7 I think, it is now two weeks later and I'm adjusting to life at home quite well. never knew how much I was missing til you can't come home for half of a year. O.k. so this is the story of what happened so that the one other person who is reading my blog can know the story.
Last year around May I woke up to a cramp in my shin that seemed as if the devil himsel;f were standing on my leg and wouldn't let go of my foot! it hurt so bad that it actually made a snapping sound when I tried to stretch it out, after that it was still painful but somewhat operational, so I went to work and started my day out, well when I got home from work it had swollen to the size of a regular size grapefruit, that would be my foot. My foot was as if you took a small ham and put your foot through it and tried to walk, and it started to hurt...the next day I decided since there was a lot of pain I should go to the doctor and see what exactly was wrong with the appendage. At the doctors he told me it was a case of what is called "Edema" which for you non-medically mindeds, basicaaly means accumulations of liquids or fluids in that area (which was my foot). At that he gave me some pain killers and some pills to deflate or reduce the swelling . so at that I went back to work and kept going back to the doctor for about 5 months for meds and eventually stoppped taking the pain killers (this was a good thing in the end). In the middle of November the pain began to get worse and the swelling wouldn't reside, it had seemed for a while that my foot was getting smaller and better so I didn't see the point of seeing another doctor, but as it got worse and worse I started to get a fever and slowly my body started to fall apart. By the last week of Nov. I was a mess and my gf told me I had to see another doc, well I went to the doc and he just started writing a letter of introduction to a big general hospital and said "there is nothing more I can do" It had gotten out of control. I left his offoce and went down stairs to the taxi and luckily for me my gf was with me because apparently I passed out just as I got in the taxi. By the time I was recieved at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Hosptial (this is going to be ironic afterwards) my fever was at 106fht I was in and out of consciousness and basically unaware of my surroundings. I was immediatly taken to the...regular doctor there...this is Japan, from there although I had a fever that could start the sun, and no awareness the scare of the new strain of influenza was stronger and had to get checked for the flu first!!! I do realize and appreciate the methodical extreme of Japanese people buuuuuutttt!!!! you know lemme in!! O.k. so now I'm in the hospital and seeing a doctor who immediatly sends me to surgery and sets up all the details for me.
The surgery consist of slicing open my foot with three long cuts on top on the right in the middle and on the left and one across the bottom of my foot around the lower middle part, then like lyposuction, suctioning out the bad parts or flesh and infected parts then leaving the incisions open to let the puss and infection( I know gross) flow out of my foot. Apparently I'm also losing blood by the litre ( this is Japan we use the metric system) and am having transfusions by the gallon!;) as this operation is finishing I slowly regain consciousness and figre out that it wasn't just the flu that was bothering me!
Now having had that done to me my feet are wrapped in gauze and tape ( right foot was like collateral damage just a precaution) can't walk I start my 5 month stay at the hospital.
Im7 in the general ward where they really take care of you and it is really nice except that, you guessed it I am Diabetic...which means a 1200 calorie diet of soft boiled food and rice (again Japan). Which might I say was extremely healthy....yeah what ever! but good service. Everyday running fever is about 100fht and I.V.s are hooked up like a lab test subject, getting protien, nourishment, blood, and a shmere (is htat actually a word) of antibiotics, actually it is called a broad spec of antibiotics. Now for 2 weeks this was the routine I was going throughthen I was moved or transferred to the surgical ward and that will be the next blog.
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