Persistant Infection in Leg

[mickeysaver]

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[mickeyboat]

You definitely need to go back to the doctor. If it is not improving each day, and seems to be getting worse, you need to see someone who will take you seriously. Is there a walk-in clinic at the hospital where you went?

Even if you do start getting better, your doctor told you no work until the 13th, which means no work until the 13th!!!!!

Hope you are feeling better, soon.

Denae

 

[Ciao Mickey]

If I were you, I wouldn't waste time calling a doctor, I would go back to the ER immediately.

 

[mickeysaver]

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[mickeysaver]

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[tink1978]

As for staying out of work until 8/13, I had every intention of not going back to work and following my doctor's orders, but when you work in the healthcare field and your boss.....a doctor.....says "Come in we need you" you do what you have to do for the good of your patients and your job. GA is a will to work state, they can fire you for anything at any time here. I have worked at this office for almost 12 years and while I know that my work is valued, it's still hard for me to tell them "No, I can't come into work".


While I understand your fears, going into work when you are sick with something that is painful or potentially contagious...it is not the best for the patients or the business. You might get worse (which did happen), you might not be productive b/c it is hard to get around, and you might pass something along to someone else. TN is also a fire at will state...and I will tell you...we have never fired anyone from our business (mental health center) for being out due to medical problems. That is just cruel. If you are a valued employee...and I am sure you are...you're boss will understand...he/she is not going to want to make you worse. Also, if this is something that is taking a while to recover from...you may want to take FMLA...that way, your job is protected. Hopefully, you won't have to do this and your boss will understand and want you to get better so that you can help the business again.

 

[ilovejack02]

Oh hell no, you work in a Dr's office and you arent fully healed from a bout of MRSA???

I dont want to be an alarmist either, but that Dr. should have his licensed pulled for wanting you to be in the office until you are fully healed!!!!!!!!


My 5 yr old cousin just spent 5 days in the hospital after being on antibiotics for a week and resting at home.... he really did rest too. You need to see your Dr. now heck id forget the dr and be at the ER.

 

[solferino]

Two weeks ago, I was sitting there at work feeling kinda tired and achy like I didn't sleep well enough. Gabby's flight left out of Atlanta late for Omaha and it took her another hour or so to get to her hotel from the airport, so my bedtime was a little off, but not too bad. Out of the blue, I get chills so bad that my teeth are chattering and my abs are spazzing, goose bumps....not my usual state of being at work. My temperature was ok and blood pressure was ok....no reason for me to be ill....no other obvious symptoms. So, I went and stood outside for a few minutes in the sun and warmed up a bit, but got nauseous and I threw up.

I figured that I had some tummy bug at that point, but my lips were purple and my fingertips were blue. I scared the heck out of one of my bosses, who are pediatricians, and they sent me to the doctor, they wanted me to go to the ER, but I wasn't about to pay a big ER copay for a viral bug. So, a coworker followed me over to the doctor's office. I went in, without triaging me, they refused to see me and told me to go to the ER.

So, being that I am thrify and know more about me and my health than anyone else, I went home. My fever was going up, up, up. I was still having chills so bad that I just rolled down my car windows and enjoyed the hot car. I didn't want to have to walk the dogs and I knew the house would be too cool, so I laid back my car seat once I had parked in the garage and slept in the garage with the windows down for a couple of hours before I went inside. I walked the dogs. Then I turned off the air conditioning in the house, because I was freezing inside the house. Fell into bed and covered up with the king sized heavy quilt. I was having those dreams that only come when your fever is over 103......well, the dreams that I have are freaky, repetative, and usually kinda disturbing. I awoke about an hour later and found Advil. Crawled back into bed. Went back into delusional dream land and woke about 2 hours later in a puddle of sweat that left a body outline on the bedsheet and my clothes were so wet, you could wring sweat out of them.....scary, but at least I wasn't cold anymore. I had no energy, but I had no more nausea. I figured it was just a bug and that everything was going to be ok.

Gabby was in Nebraska, so I knew that a trip to the ER was either going to be pointless because it was viral or harmful to the dogs because no one would be there to care for them. Gabby asked me if she needed to come home, I told her to wait and see how the night went.

Well, Tuesday morning, I woke up several times.....I finally decided that I needed to go to the doctor because while I didn't have other symptoms, I had battled fevers and chills all through the nights. I saw no real need to go to the ER, so I told Gabby to wait until after I went to the doctor to make any emergency plans to come home. We texted back and forth on the issue as I let the dogs out in the back yard to potty. Cindee jumped up on my left leg after she pottied for her usual "you are such a good girl pat on the head" and I was in PAIN! I looked down and it looked like someone had painted my entire lower leg red from just below the knee to at the ankle. That's when I texted Gabby to come home because I was now worried that I was septic.

I called the doctor's office at 9 and begged for an appointment with anyone. I got in with the Dr. Z. She is a good doctor, but not much on bedside manner. She was worried about cellulitis, as was I, and unfortunately said that I had to go to the ER. Ok, so I have a fever of 102 and I drive across town to the hospital that closer to home.

I limped into the ER, fever going up again, they asked what was wrong, I told them "Fever, cellulitis, possibly septic....need blood culture" Yeah, by that point, I was feeling pretty lousy. I waited about 2-1/2 hours in the ER. I had a fever over 102 and they couldn't give me anything without a doc seeing me first. I was sitting there half in and half out of it moaning with every other breath. Finally, they put me in an ER room. I changed into the gown and flopped out on the stretcher arms flailing off into space....just hurt, just weak, just sick. I had several sticks for blood. They were worried that this all might be due to a blood clot, so I had a doppler ultrasound. They though they saw a small clot, nothing major in a small vein. I was told that I was going to get shots in my belly of a blood thinner. I was told that I going to be admitted. I was so thankful that Gabby was coming home. I worried about how long it would take her to get home. It sucks to be sick and have mommy guilt issues on top of it.

Anyway, I was immediately started on IV antibiotics, fluids, and the never to be downplayed in importance, Tylenol! After several more hours, I was moved upstairs to a room. I was told that I was septic that my WBC's was 21 thousand and basically that with the 103 fever that day, not to mention the hell of the day before got me a bed. I spent 3 nights in the hospital. I had another doppler ultrasound, which found no clot. I had a chest X-ray at 4am. So, once they found the right IV antibiotic to make it all better, which was their 3rd try, it was then that I was told that my hot red swollen left lower leg was most likely MRSA. My blood and nasal cultures were negative, this is an atypical presentation, but the Vancomycin was working.

I wanted to leave the hospital and they said that I could. They wanted me to go onto an oral antibiotic called Zyvox, which is supposed to work on MRSA as well as if not better than IV Vancomycin, but of course my insurance wouldn't cover it. It only cost about $1600 for a course of it, I can't imagine why they only wanted to cover the el cheapo Doxycyline that is generic and I got for a $24 copay.

There were a couple of points during the week when I was afraid that things were going to go from bad to way worse at any time. I prayed alot. One of my prayers.....right or wrong....it's honestly what I asked my maker......
"Not now God, please, I can't go yet, I have to turn 40 at Disney."
I can only assume that God understands that I hold the kingdom on heaven in higher esteem than the Walt Disney World resort. While I love looking at those beautiful park gates and being there at rope drop in mornings, I just don't think I am quite ready for pearly gates just yet. I hope I still have a few good things left to do with my life.

I went back to the doctor twice last week for follow up. I was told that it was improving well enough on the Doxycyline, so they didn't feel that I would need the Zyvox prior authorization. I was told on Friday not to return to work until the 13th. I was told to stay home and stay off the leg as much as possible until then. The antibiotics are not going to be complete until this Friday. I got a call yesterday asking me to come into work because they were short staffed and needed help bad. So, I went in and was there for maybe 4 hours. I propped it up as best as I could under my desk, but it got more swollen again. It was redder and really sore again this morning. It's more swollen and tight again. I limped into work this morning. After making it through the morning at work, I was looking at the leg and my boss came by and saw the difference from yesterday. She freaked and said I should go home and probably should go back to my doctor, that I might need to have more labwork, and that maybe I should see and infectious disease specialist. So, now I am freaking out a bit because I am worried that maybe this isn't some sort of bizarre MRSA infection, maybe there is something more happening here that is causing the infection.

Does anyone here have an opinion? I have a call into my doctor's office. I have a feeling that they are going to say just prop it up and wait until Friday before I freak out too bad about it. My boss called me back to check on me. So, what do you think? Maggie

So, was being thrifty worth it?
And if they were that short staffed, couldn't they have called in a temp, . I just don't know what to say but . I hope you feel better soon because being sick is no fun, but I find the whole situation maddening. Especially if you have a MRSA currently being treated, but not under control and work in a dr office? Am I understanding that correctly?

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Wow, what you describe happening sounds so much like DW MeanLaureen's initial onset of Adult Onset Still's Disease. She started with the sudden change in temperature and them moved on to a deep red rash, only hers was across her face and down her arm. Her WBC/SED rate was off the chart and they assumed that somewhere there was an infection - lyme disease, etc - but no antibiotics helped because there was no bacteria, her body was just freaking out and reacting like there was some massive infection when there wasn't anything there.

If things don't start clearing up faster with the antibiotics, you might want to bring up the possibility of autoimmune problems. Lauri's been living with it for over 7 yrs now and luckily only has the rash issue several times a year. Unfortunately she gets the fever episodes like you talked about on average of 3 times a week, not including smaller ones that don't spike very high.

 

[mickeysaver]

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[tink1978]

well...at least you aren't contagious...but you are in a large amount of pain. You need to keep the leg elevated as much as possible. If you have to go to work, maybe use another chair to prop your leg? Also, are there no family members, friends, or nice neighbors who could come and help you around the house and get you to and from work? I, for one, would be the first to volunteer my time to help someone suffering like you and getting other lined up to do what I couldn't. You need to take care of yourself and resting is the best thing you can do right now.

 

[mickeysaver]

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[mickeysaver]

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[Disney Doll]

You are your own worst enemy.

I hope you do no permanent damage and that everything heals fine.

You are not listening to the advice of your doctors who told you to stay out of work till August 13th. Why would any of us think you'll listen to the advice of a bunch of people on a Disney website.

Good luck...sounds like you're going to need it. And BTW, the doctors you work for are idiots.

 

[mickeysaver]

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[ilovejack02]

I am a medical assistant, the women that I work for a doctors with masters degrees in medicine. I figure if they want me in their office bad enough to call me in with this red leg, then they must think that I am not a risk to others. As I said in another post, the doctor that took care of me in the hospital felt that I wasn't actively contagious. Maggie

Well thank goodness no open wounds, i was having a freak out moment there LOL!!! You are not a risk to others, but you are risking your own health by going in and the Dr you work for is partly at fault for it. Just because she has a masters, doesnt mean she is has any sense or even concerned about you, looks like she is worried about her office.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

Wow, sounds scarey!!! If it is MRSA and you need IV abx, you may need a PICC line to have IV Abx at home, if that is not possible you may need the zyoxx, MRSA is running rampant not just in hosptials but now in the community, please keep us updated

P.S. I am a Nurse and I would not have gone to the ER either, we always think NOTHING is wrong with us!!! Hugs to you

 

[mickeysaver]

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[mickeysaver]

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[crazyforgoofy]

I have no comment on your medical issues other than to say the insurance company needs to consider how sick you're going to be and how much it will have to pay IF they don't give you the expensive drug. Another hospital stay would cost them much more than the med, I'll bet. I think you, your physician and the insurance company need to talk.

I hope you are healthy again very soon.