ARGH, Cellulitis!

Well...I'm not one to complain a lot--at least not publicly. The top half of my incision has been getting redder and more swollen looking the last couple of days and then on Friday afternoon, when I woke up from a nap, I knew something was not right. I began to realize I probably had an infection percolating ... and both my primary and my surgeon's offices were closed. :P I showed it to TB and he thought it looked redder than usual and a little inflamed and suggested I call the answering service at Dr. G's office (my surgeon).

Unfortunately, Dr. G wasn't on call and I got someone I'd never met, someone named Dr. Holliday. What a big help he was! I explained what was going on to him and that TB had taken a picture and could email it to him. He didn't think it was necessary. I didn't have a fever and the area wasn't hot, just red and inflamed. He told me to put Neosporin on it but if it spread or I developed a fever, I should go to the ER where I had surgery...oh, but try to wait until 10 a.m. Saturday because "no one goes to the ER on Saturday mornings."

WHAT IS UP WITH THAT????

I said I didn't want to go to the ER and perhaps I could go to see my primary instead. He goes, no, don't do that because the primary probably won't want to deal with that, he'll want the surgeon to and our office is closed until MOnday. So you'll need to go to the ER.

ARGH.

TB put the ointment on and later we also applied hydrogen peroxide. The incision was burning and aching but I knew I needed to go pick up Kristin returning from her junior trip to Baltimore so there was NO WAY I was going to the ER last night!

After we got Kristin and got home at around 2 a.m. I couldn't sleep for a long time. For some reason, I kept remembering a scene from War of the Worlds in which the Dakota Fanning character got a splinter in her finger and said don't worry about it, all foreign objects work their way out of the body. I put more hydrogen peroxide on the incision and finally fell asleep.

When I woke up around 8, I went to check the incision and right away saw that things had come to a "head" and several places had opened and had begun draining. I put on more peroxide and boy, it was like the dam bursting! I woke TB up.

I decided, hey, I'm going to call the primary anyway and beg him to see me...and it was NO PROBLEM. Thanks, Doc Holliday! :P Dr. Guilano was on call and checked me over. He said yup, you have an infection but it's a little cellulitis, not MRSA (thank God!). He prescribed an antibiotic, told me to try a heating pad and see my surgeon on Monday.

I'd already emailed Dr. G at this point and bless the man, he emailed me back almost right away. I should have just contacted him in the first darn place yesterday and not even bothered with Dr. Holliday! :P

So now I'm back on an antibiotic and about to use the heating pad.

But you know what? I'm loving my DS in spite of everything!