ProfessorTomoe

Today is hopefully the last day that I have to wear a surgical boot on my forays out of the house. I'm going to the podiatrist for a followup visit on my broken foot repair surgery. As far as I can tell, the thing is healed - I can walk on my foot just fine inside the house. Doctor's orders have been to wear the boot outside, though. Let's hope today's visit changes that.

You're lucky your doctor has good aim. My former doctor missed the joint space once. I had a knot in my knee that hurt like hell for a week or two afterward. Hence "former doctor."

I've finally got another new piece of music! It's a theme song for a radio show over in the UK, called "The Cyber Den." (airs every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. GMT) The song is up on Bandcamp and YouTube: https://leejackson1.bandcamp.com/track/the-cyber-den-theme You can download the file - for FREE if you want! - from the Bandcamp link.

I used that, too, on my knees. It has a tendency to curve out. Watch for your body to develop a tolerance to it - the stuff will slowly stop working. At least, that's what it did in my case. I hope your knee rebounds before that happens.

Tried wearing a compression stocking on my swollen right foot. Believe it or not, it seems to have reduced the swelling. The pain is still there, though, so I'm still going through with the vascular specialist appointment.

And where do I find myself waking up? On my back again, which has begun to hurt in the lower left region this morning. Back to the usual pain, just like it was before this whole chronicle of infections and hospitals and nursing homes and a broken foot began. Sigh.

My left foot is finally out of the surgical boot, at least for walking around the house purposes. It's not completely healed, so I still have to wear the boot when going outside of the house. Finally, I can sleep on my sides instead of my back!

I don't think I'm going to need to call the doctor about the potassium after all. Doses over the weekend didn't have the same effect. Must have been something I ate on Friday night.

In fact, the pharmacist suggested dividing the dose if the doctor approves it. I'll need to call the doctor on Monday.

Picked up a specially compounded prescription yesterday - a liquid potassium supplement to offset the draining effect of the Lasix. Pretty hefty dose, way more than you can get OTC. The compounding pharmacist called me and warned me that it wouldn't taste good, which is a good warning since the stuff costs $65 a month. He said the manufacturer told him that the best flavor that they'd found for it ("it" being potassium chloride, technically) was cinnamon - not really my favorite flavor, but what the hell. He also told me that keeping it cold would probably make it taste less bad. I took my first dose after dinner last night, and I can confirm that he was right. The stuff isn't pleasant, even when chugged like a shot. It tastes like a mix of cinnamon and nasty. Fortunately, my iced tea is strong enough to wash the taste out of my mouth. The effect of the potassium is another matter, however: it set my heart on edge. I felt it throbbing hard, which really wasn't that surprising given what potassium does to the heart. It went on for about 30 minutes or so before things calmed down. All in all, I think I can tolerate the stuff for the next month. It's going to be a challenge.

Got a referral to a vascular specialist for my swollen right foot. The edema there has made my ankle as big around as a grapefruit, and it's headed towards softball-sized territory. Right now, I'm on 40mg of Lasix (a diuretic) to reduce the swelling, and that's got me going to the bathroom almost every hour. I don't think it's helping with the swelling, though - just making me thirsty all the time.

No, but I have an over-infestation of songbirds in the back yard. A bad case of chirpees.

Saw my hematologist today, for the last time. My problem with my white blood cell count and my neutrophils has gone away, so he released me from his care. Yay!

The potassium supplement has hit a bit of a snag. Turns out the one from the pharmacy has sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda) in it. I'm allergic to sucralose. Can't take it. So, the doctor is going to have a "compounding" pharmacy make up a special blend for me that has sucrose (sugar) instead. It'll take a week to get the order done, for some reason. Don't ask me why. Until then, I'm taking an OTC potassium supplement on the off chance that it will do any good. Meanwhile, my swollen right foot has swollen even further. It looks and feels like I've got a baseball down in the joint, with the rest of the foot relatively swollen. The 40mg Lasix dose hasn't kicked in yet, and my foot is reacting accordingly. I've taken my shoe and sock off - too painful.

Went back to my doctor today for the edema (swelling) in my right foot that accompanied me into the hospital several months ago. It's still swollen and flaking (due to repeated cycles of growing and shrinking). I'm being referred to a vascular specialist to see what's at the root cause of this. In the meantime, I'm being put on a higher dose of Lasix plus a prescription potassium supplement (Lasix makes you urinate, which leaches potassium from your bloodstream). I'm supposed to be on a liquid potassium, due to my gastric bypass. Also brought up the fact that I'm still getting headaches and that my sinuses still hurt. He switched my antibiotic to doxycycline as a last resort before going back on the PICC line. Lord, please keep that thing out of me. I also got a steroid shot - but almost didn't. Everyone forgot. He prescribed it, left the exam room, and my wife and I went over to get my prescribed blood tests done at the lab. We were in the car and about to close the door when my wife asked, "Didn't you get your steroid shot?" Park the car, go back inside, wait for a nurse to be available, and have the shot done. Wackiest thing I've ever done at the doctor's office.

Got a refill of my headache medicine. Also got told not to go through them so fast. (?) Still on antibiotics for my sinuses.

The headache medicine did work. "Did" because I'm out of it. The headaches are back. Trying to get a refill. In other news, the surgeon removed my stitches from my left foot today and pronounced it healing well. I get to come back in two weeks for a re-check.

Am I the only one seeing Diane transforming herself into Sarah?

The headache medicine does work to a degree, although it makes me a bit wonky in the head. Saw the infectious disease doctor for the last time today. She checked me out and said I don't have to come back.

Saw the doctor, who diagnosed my headache as acute maxillary sinusitis. He's put me on Augmentin and on a pain medicine called "Fioricet w/Codeine." I'm a little concerned about the latter, but he says it attacks pains that my oxycodone doesn't touch. I hope like hell it works, because on a scale of 1 to 10, my pain was pulling a hard 7 during the appointment. Fingers crossed.

Going to the doctor about the headache today. It's been over a week and the pain hasn't gone away. I'm starting to think that the biggest culprit is a sinus infection, but other parts of my head hurt as well. Hope he can figure this out for me.

I am running on day four of a non-stop headache. I don't know if it's a stress headache, a sinus headache, or a migraine. I'm treating all three, but nothing seems to be working: Tylenol, Sudafed, nor rizatriptan. Has anyone got any advice on how to get rid of one of these? I'm feeling miserable.

Bulgarian-style Buttermilk. Nom. Good for keeping you out of the munchies, while providing good, tasty nutrition at the same time.

Got to see my left foot yesterday for the first time since surgery. Both Mrs. Prof and I were surprised by the straightness and neatness of the stitches. Quite a few of them, too--at least ten, possibly more, with a central stitch running the length of the incision. Looked like a very long American football. The doctor was satisfied with them and said they'll come out October 1st. Had him look at the osteomyelitis on toe #2 of my left foot. He concentrated on the external symptoms, saying that it appeared it was healing. If, however, it broke open again and began to do nasty stuff, then amputation might become an option. Not now, though - it looked good now.

Double retirement parties for Mrs. Prof yesterday. She had her official retirement lunch at a Mexican food place. Lots of people attended, including myself and my son (who drove me over there). After work, her contacts at a major international shipping company (that will remain nameless) took her out to a little German/Austrian food place near our neighborhood. Just three representatives, her, and I attended. She got some very nice gifts from the second group, and some very delicious food from the restaurant. Great dinner reminiscing, with her at the center and me just kind of guiding the reps through the best parts of the unfamiliar meal (case in point: not much sauerkraut was left at the end of the night). Mrs. Prof enjoyed the evening immensely. I can't say exactly how long she's worked there, unfortunately. She (and I) started in the summer of 1982, but with seasonal employment, layoffs, and other interruptions to her service time, I can't calculate her exact time off the top of my head. Just let it be said that she worked there for a long time, and when the end of the month rolls around, she's going to reap the benefits.