Monday, September 20, 2010

An Update: The Days After the ER

First, thank you for all of the kind words and prayers. It means more to me than y'all know.

So, I slept off and on the night after my ER visit. We kept a close eye on my blood pressure (BP). I've been tracking it at different times, and it's fluctuating more than normal... so that is a bit of a concern right now.

My foot:  I remember it hurting bad in the ambulance and at the hospital, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Apparently, when the people that carried me inside picked me up, my feet drug on the concrete a bit. The day after the ER, my foot started hurting me pretty bad. It got to the point, by the end of the day, that I could barely walk or put pressure on it. It was red, swollen, and there was a red line that started at the scrape and went several inches up my foot toward my leg. An infection. So, my mom and I started washing it with hydrogen peroxide, soaking it in Epsom salt water, and putting Neosporin on it (repeating several times a day). We were able to stop the infection from spreading (thank God). It still hurts, but the past few days have been progressively getting better (more mobility and less pain and swelling).

My head: Still having daily migraines. I had one that was really bad the latter half of Saturday... preventing me from going to a friend's wedding. I felt horrible not being able to go - angry as heck at these stupid migraines that keep interfering with my life!

I'm still trying to get in to see my doctor this week because we really need to talk about what's going on. This is the first time that I've ever written a 5 on my 1 to 5 pain scale. I told my doctor up-front that I rarely give either extreme, and that it would take an extreme emergency for me to even go to the ER (which would "deserve" a 5 rating, i.e., excruciating headache/migraine). I'm extremely stubborn / bull-headed, and tend to push through (or at least try) pain that perhaps I need to seek professional help for... but that's a whole other thing...

I'm so glad that my husband came into town this weekend because I really needed him to take care of me. I hadn't seen him in almost a week, though, so it stunk that the weekend was spent with migraines and pain. I have been irritable and increasingly frustrated the past few days. It takes so long and so much energy to get done even the smallest of tasks, and I HATE IT! I'm trying so hard to be patient with myself and pace my activities. I'm doing a lot better, but I hate the feeling of getting nothing done... all the time. I hope to see my doctor on Wednesday, and then my family and I are going to a seminar about neurostimulators that evening. We'll see how all of that goes.

P.S. Please check out my other blog, which I recently posted on: Unfolding the Rosebud.


  1. Oh dear one, I am so very sorry what you are going through. So glad your mother and husband have been able to help you at this time. Wow, glad that infection was stopped. Keep an eye on it. Thank you for the update.

    Praying for a speedy recovery for you Jamie!

  2. ((((((JAMIE)))))
    I DIDN'T realize you were in the hospital!! I am so sorry :-(
    Please take care of yourself, and let me know if there is anything I can do, or the group can do for you. Have you joined the Facebook group yet? Sorry, I cannot remember off the top of me head.
    I have So been there, and I am so sorry that you are going through such a tough time... If you need to chat you can always email me.
    HUGS and LOVE

  3. Oh gosh I'm sorry you are having such a hard time! I'm glad you're home and that at least your infection is getting better. That's the last thing you need on top of everything else.


  4. Hoping the headache cools its heels as you heal. You definitely need a new solution that works without hurting you like this!

  5. Thank you all so much for your care and support.

    I'm still struggling with the migraines daily, but my foot continues to improve. I've been in TX visiting my family for a week, and I'll head back to OK in a little less than a week. It's been great to have my family here to support me through this. My husband was here for the weekend, but he had to head back home to work (since he's the only one of us that can work). I'm trying to get things together/prepared for my neurologist appointment in the morning. I hope it's a productive appointment... the pain has been worse the past couple of months, so we need to make some major changes.

  6. Thank you for the update on yourself. Glad your foot is improving. It is no fun to mess with an infection. So glad you have family around to support you Jamie. Continue healing. Blessings.


