Over this past weekend, I became terribly ill.

As is often the case, it initially appeared to be a CRPS flare. In fact, it IS a CRPS flare. It was just apparent by Monday morning that it also involved an infection in my feet that might also be systemic. 

So it was time to return to the hospital.

I was so fortunate that – since I was in incredible pain in both of my feet and having difficulty walking – the emergency room was not backed up at that time (so unusual these days) and I was taken straight to a room.

As expected, my feet were infected and I was found to be septic so I was started on antibiotics immediately and admitted. 

(This round of sepsis has proven to be a particularly fierce one.)

Early Tuesday, I was taken for a CT of my feet – and I knew I was in for some kind of news when I was greeted back in my room by my orthopedist – who I had not yet seen this admission – and the hospitalist to discuss a plan for the results.

By Tuesday afternoon, I had surgery on my right foot to remove an abscess. The left foot is actually more infected and inflamed but it is a diffuse infection so there is nothing to do but manage the pain and wait for the IV antibiotics to work.

As usual, with any hospital admission and dealing with chronic illness, this one has come with its share of headaches: from simple things like no available gluten free food after my surgery because dietary was closed even though I had been NPO all day, to more aggravating things like lab techs unable to stick me and imagining I was going to let them draw blood from my armpit – I am so damn serious! – when they couldn’t find a spot (of note, the next person stuck my left AC once, just like they would have anyone else’s, with no issues), to really significant things like staff having difficulty understanding CRPS and how to manage my pain because of it. . . 

However, it has also had all the wonderful things that keep me with the facility I use, namely, the very best doctors – my orthopedist and infectious disease doctor are amazing and the hospitalist I am admitted to is just fantastic as well – and, for the most part, I’ve had fabulous nurses too.

I’ve also had some unexpected health hiccups that are new, like a potassium level that just will not stay in range. I’ve had it run low before but it is just being truly unruly this visit. I suppose it’s a God thing for that to have been discovered while I’m here and being monitored though.

As it stands now, I’m here for at least a few more days as I await more blood cultures and the results from some additional testing I had done today. Once I have negative cultures, I will hopefully have a PICC line placed (again) and be discharged home on IV antibiotics for six weeks if a few other things also break my way.

This has been tough to swallow as I had been feeling relatively “healthy” – for me – but, as always, onward.

I am so ready to be with my husband and our daughter, Sara, as well as Henry the love of my doggie life, Mickodemus the Feline, our grandpup Goblin, and our sweet outside doggies in the Hippie Hut.

Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Grace and Blessings.