Persistant Infection in Leg

[mickeysaver]

Deleted.....drama's over

 

[tiggersmom2]

I don't give a crap what they have told you. If you printed this out and showed ANY MD they would be in horror. I am a RN ( but no longer practice, went to DH) and have seen the horrors, yes I said HORRORS of MRSA. What you have is a textbook case. You need IV antibiotics and then longterm oral antibiotics.

If you love Gabby and your pets you will listen to us.....we are not posting just to up our post count.

 

[solferino]

I asked my doctor's office about the need to see ID and they felt that it wasn't necessary. So, again, I asked the folks that are supposed to know what to do and what I need and they said not to worry. I still worry though because of how it looks and the pain. I see that it's improved, but certainly not well. I would have gladly gone to see ID last week had they chosen to send me there, but they didn't. Maggie

Sometimes asking to see a specialist is all it takes. Eleven years ago I was having difficulty breathing and my primary care doc told me it was asthma. He would have happily kept me on inhalers and robitussin and never spoke of a specialist until I refused to leave his office to get me a referral to someone who had a clue. Turns out it wasn;t asthma and I spent 11 days in the hospital, 7 of them on a ventilator after having surgery to repair my trachea.

 

[ilovejack02]

I don't give a crap what they have told you. If you printed this out and showed ANY MD they would be in horror. I am a RN ( but no longer practice, went to DH) and have seen the horrors, yes I said HORRORS of MRSA. What you have is a textbook case. You need IV antibiotics and then longterm oral antibiotics.

If you love Gabby and your pets you will listen to us.....we are not posting just to up our post count.

Yeah Im with Tiggersmom on this one, MRSA is NOTHING to play around with. My mother is an RN and we just had to deal with my 5 yr old cousin that had it. It is a horrible horrible thing and you really arent being as aggressive with your health. You leg should be cleared up if the meds had done their job and its not. I cant believe you just sat around all weekend waiting till Monday.

 

[RitaZ.]

OP, I must say I'm puzzled by your posts. In your title, you said, "opinions desired". You've been given opinions, some from medical professionals with firsthand experience with this, but you continue to come up with reasons for not seeking further medical care.

From your description, it's apparent that there is still a problem with your leg. This is your health you're talking about. Maybe you just want to talk about what's happening to you rather than getting opinions. I don't know. I guess I just don't get it. Really, it makes no sense to me.

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you good luck.

 

[llp479]

Sometimes you need to go with your gut, and forget about what the supposed experts say. Had I listened to the pediatrician 13 years ago, my dd would not be here today. Her "diaper rash" was actually strep A, at at 6 weeks we almost lost her. I kept a close watch on her and less than 1 hour later I was rushing her via ambulance to the ER where she was promptly placed on a vent. Not only did she not have a fever, she too had no open wounds, or anything they could culture and all of her blood work turned up negative. Thank God for the head of the peds ICU who felt certain this is what we were dealing with and started the cocktail of antibiotics that saved her life.

You can do Vanco IV at home. There are numerous specialized pharms that provide this and other IV meds to patients at home.

You know your body best and if you feel things "aren't right" go get that second opinion.

 

[mickeysaver]

Deleted.....drama's over

 

[mcco5543]

to the OP.
Drs. know more than the average person yes. But they dont' know everything. A 2nd opinion should be gotten immediatly. I don't care what reason you have for not wanting to. This is not about trusting or not trusting a Dr. This is about reacting to what you see. There is no such thing as over reacting. Wouldn't you rather over react then underreact and lose your leg or your life...Are you aware that becoming septic can kill you in hours....HOURS not days, not weeks, hours. I really REALLY don't want you to lose this leg or your life. ..but you seem to be hell bent on ignoring MANY people who you thought "had valid life experiece" ..if everyone's telling you to DEMAND to see an infectious Disease Dr. despite your Dr's insistance that you dont' need one...I dont' know what else to say or how to help you. ...Just know that I hope you start taking care of yourself, trusting your body and getting better really soon!

 

[solferino]

I asked if I should see ID, they said no. Maggie

Like I said

Sometimes asking to see a specialist is all it takes. Eleven years ago I was having difficulty breathing and my primary care doc told me it was asthma. He would have happily kept me on inhalers and robitussin and never spoke of a specialist until I refused to leave his office to get me a referral to someone who had a clue. Turns out it wasn;t asthma and I spent 11 days in the hospital, 7 of them on a ventilator after having surgery to repair my trachea.

Instead of asking and being told no, demand that you get a 2nd opinion with one. I'll apologise if I appear to be kicking you while you're down but I'm just not getting this. My insistence may not have saved my life, but it certainly improved the quality of it.

 

[eclectics]

I asked if I should see ID, they said no. Maggie

Second opinions have been known to save lives quite frequently. I hope you take that advice to heart. Good luck to you whatever you decide.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I asked if I should see ID, they said no. Maggie

What would you do if the love of your life was so sick and the doctors just kept moving along at pace of a snail thinking they know what's right? Would you just go along agreeing and keep thinking things would just get better? I sure hope not. I would think you'd fight like hell to get the best care you could for that person. You'd demand better health care and a specialist or 10 specilalists if that's what it would take to make the person better.

Why are you so complacent about just letting the doctor's have your life in their hands and you not fight for it? It's your life and your legs and you dont' get a second chance if you mess up the first. Unless you are just wanting people to feel bad for you, you need to pony up and get some new healthcare who is actively trying to make you better. I really, really hope that you get the medical help that you need and you do get better quickly.

 

[mickeysaver]

Deleted.....drama's over

 

[mickeysaver]

Deleted.....drama's over

 

[disneynutt1225]

But, it's hard for me to fight for myself because I just have it in my head that it's probably not that bad.....kind of like when I tore my ACL and tried to tell myself that it was just sore from the "pop" when it "must have" gone out of joint. I tried to soldier on and not make a big deal out of it, but it was a big deal. This is sort of the same thing. I know that this is a big deal, but being that I am being told by people that should know way more than I do about such things that it's no big deal, it's just confusing. Sorry if it's maddening to you......you should try being in my head. lol Maggie

I think we always want to believe we're infallible. Maggie, you really need to get this taken care of. If you don't hear from your doctor tomorrow morning, it's really time to get a second opinion. This sounds way too scary to just let it go.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

I asked if I should see ID, they said no. Maggie

Then stop asking and demand. Take this out of their hands, you have one advocate when it comes to your health and it's you right now.

Both of my DDs had their tonsils and adenoids out two weeks ago, Ami was doing great but Belle came out of it a mess. Turns out her pain meds never worked, codeine just doesn't do anything for her. Her doctors office kept telling me it would be ok, she won't let herself get dehydrated. A day later I took it out of their hands and took her somewhere else. Not only was she dehydrated and in need of an IV, she was so behind the pain that it took several high doses of meds to get her better. It took them four tries at the IV because of how dehydrated she was. They were actually about to admit her if they couldn't get the pain under control. Even then the med they gave her didn't work (Oxycontin) and I ended up dealing with her pulmonologist to get her meds that will work.

This was no where near as serious as what you're dealing with, but its the same thing - take it out of their hands if it's not working for you. And it's not working!

 

[mcco5543]

dearest OP,
I see that you are trying, but you are not being forceful in the sligtest. You are so PAST the point of asking the Dr. what's best. clearly they don't know what's best or you would be better. You need to CALL tomorrow and say

Dr. so and so,

I expect a refferal for an infectious Disease Dr. Immediately, While I respect your opinion, I would feel more comfortable with a 2nd opinion from someone who deals with infections of this magnitude on a daily basis. Please let me know the name of the inectious disease Dr and where he is located. I expect you to make an emergency appointment with that person for me immediately. I expect that you fax the refferal over to his office immediately so that I can be seen as soon as possible. Thanks.

OP, You keep ASKING your own Dr. if you are doing the right thing and if he is making the right choices for you. He clearly thinks he is, but he's not even taking note of the fact that you've questioned him repeatedly and hasn't even offered to give you piece of mind by getting you an infectious disease dr appointment?? WRONG WRONG WRONG on your Dr's part. A good Dr. would notice immediately!

Please call the Dr.

YOU call the shots and TELL him what course of action is to be taken and that i'ts to be taken immediately and that you expect an appointment with the Infectious Disease Dr to be made BY HIS OFFICE for ASAP and that he is to fax the refferal. no ifs ands or buts from him. ...you can say it all nicely and still be forceul and STICK TO YOUR GUNS! you still have control over this...TAKE CONTROL!

 

[Muffin]

I have applied heat to the leg as advised.

I think you need a new doctor or whatever it is you've been seeing about this problem. I've had cellulitis in my leg and there's is no way in hell that I could have applied heat to it even if I wanted to. Absolutely no freaking way.

Get a second opinion!

 

[CEDmom]

The e-mail you sent to your dr isn't going to get you anything. You need to get on the phone with them or better yet go to the office and demand a referral. The fact that you're going to work isn't playing in your favor either. It'll appear to them that since you're well enough to do that things probably aren't as bad as you're making them out to be when in fact they're much worse.

Personally, I'd suck it up, pull out the Visa and go to another dr myself with or without a referral. How is it your partner isn't fighting this for you? If it were my DH or my child with these symptoms the dr would be doing everything possible just to not have to hear me rant and I wouldn't take no for an answer.

 

[DawnCt1]

I can't believe this thread is still going on and the OP is still dealing with a serious infection. Infectious Disease Specialists have offices and receptionists that answer the phone. They are also on call over the weekends so there is no excuse NOT to have a consultation. For emergencies, referrals can be made after the fact. One doesn't "need" permission from their Primary physician to see a specialist. They are not your parents!

 

[froglady]

I went back to the first post.

1. Your doctor wanted you to take the most effective medication, which you refused, due to cost. A cheaper but less effective medication was prescribed.

2. Your doctor told you to STAY OFF YOUR LEG! Again, you did not follow directions.

I'm not disputing that you feel you have valid reasons for not following treatment orders, but your actions do have consequences which have delayed your recovery....which is not your doctor's fault.

What are you going to do if you DO see an ID specialist, and he/she ALSO says that your only option is the more expensive drug and complete rest? Why should your first doctor think you'll be more compliant this time around?

So, WILL you be willing to follow treatment orders now that you've seen that you aren't getting better doing things your way?