*warning....pictures below*
So I'm sure everyone knows this already but I have had a rather not fun encounter with a staph infection the last couple weeks. I noticed Thursday, July 15, that I had a small red irritated spot on my leg. I coach down on my knees on vinyl mats all the time and let's face it coaching gymnastics is a rather sweaty occupation in the summer so my knees get irritated kinda often. Well Friday when I woke up my first though was "OW my leg hurts" The irritated spot had grown and was red and swollen and very painful. As the days went on it got worse and worse. I could press my thumb into it and it would leave a thumb print like if there was clay or play dough under my skin. I thought it was a spider bite and was even kinda worried that it might be a brown recluse bite. By Saturday my whole leg was swollen down my shin and calf and I had a line of pain running from the wound all the way up my leg into my groin and my lymph nodes were swollen. Gunnar's mom, Ann, suggested that it might be staph from the moment she saw it. I tried twice to squeeze it as hard as I could to see if I could get anything out of it but never could so I had started thinking it was a bite instead of an infection. The actual wound started looking like a cigarette burn which was kinda weird. Anyway by Sunday night we decided that I definitely needed to go to the doctor and Monday morning when I woke up I could no longer walk without limping and I was getting fever.
I went to a clinic and the second the doctor looked at it he confirmed that it was indeed staph. They moved me to another room and begin the process of getting it cut out of my leg. He injected numbing stuff into it and then cut it open. It hurt quite a bit as he numbed it but then I watched him cut it open and it didnt hurt at all. He made a small slit and then blood and white chunky stuff came out. He proceeded to cut under my skin and use forceps to open it up more. I couldn't feel a thing and kinda enjoyed watching. Well after he got all the staph out (he thought) he packed it and then wrapped it up. I left the clinic and made it to Sam's to get my prescription. Every time I got off it and then would try to walk again it hurt worse. By the time I made it to the pharmacy in Sams I was shaking uncontrollably and felt like I was going to throw up. I've never felt that type of pain before I guess cause I've never needed to throw up from pain. My friend Michael works in the pharmacy and by the time my prescription was ready I seriously thought I was going to throw up all over Sam's.....so not cool!! Anyway Michael graciously offered to bring me one of those wheelchair buggy things and I made it out of there without loosing my breakfast. When I got home I almost fell down stepping out of the car it hurt so bad. By this point I was done trying to be tough and asked my mom to come get me and take me home. I couldn't go to work and didn't want to spend the whole day at my house by myself, not to mention I couldn't really walk. She did and I spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping and laying around since I couldn't really do much else. Gunnar came over later and we hung out with my parents. All my siblings were gone to House of Faith camp so it was kinda cool getting to hang out just the four of us.
The next day when I went back to the doctor my leg had gotten worse and the doctor sent me to a general surgeon. Mom took me to Community where they had to admit me through the ER. Well after two hours of waiting and lots of phone calls, texts, visits and prayers the surgeon, Dr. Jolly, finally came and saw me. Cool name huh?!?! Anyway she took one look at my leg and told us that the type of cut the previous doctor had made was not suffecient to get all the staph out. Then she took one look at the antibiotic I was on and said "ahh that's crap"." Well that makes you feel real awesome let me tell ya..... So she tells us that shes going to have to open my leg a lot more to get the rest of the infection. By this point my leg had filled with puss. Apparently puss is acidic which counteracts with the lidocane and causes it to not work as effectively.....short story...my leg never got completely numb!!! Yeah it hurt!! It was bearable at first and then she flushed it all out with saline and was about to pack it and wrap it up and then she spotted one more spot of puss. Yeah the staph had tunneled down into another cavity. So she brings out more lidocane and starts cutting away. AHHHH man!!! That hurt. I do not cry about pain or injuries, like I just don't. Well I had tears running down my face. Finally Mom says, "Kelli its ok to cry!!" After that I gave up and stopped trying to be tough and kinda started crying. The thing was that I was so tense I couldn't actually cry so it was kinda these shaky halted sobs as I let myself take a breath. Finally she finished and I will say that she was quick and effecient and I did really like her even though she cut a large hole in my leg!! After it was over I sat up and was shocked cause I really did have a big ol hole in my leg!! She packed it and then I got to go home. I spent the whole evening asleep on the couch....apparently fighting an infection and getting a hole cut in your leg takes a lot out of ya!! haha I could tell it was actually done right this time though because that evening I could already walk with very little pain and was feeling a lot better.
So the next day when I went to the wound care unit they asked for my permission to take a picture of the wound and I asked if I could take a picture of it too.
The doctor stuck her pinky down that hole to the right!!.....Like all the way!!!
If you notice the red surrounding the hole, well the day before that red was covering almost my whole leg. They marked it with marker so that if it was worse the next day they were going to admit me into the hospital on iv antibiotics. Anyway the next day it looked much better and they taught me how to pack it myself. I have to repack it every other day. Here's a couple pics of the first time I did it myself.
Yummy
Down the hole. Excuse the hair but I can't really shave around it so yeah...
Cleaning it. I had quite the audience. This was the first time Gunnar, Dad, Sara and Wyatt had seen it. Sara turned it into a photo shoot haha
Repacking it...
All repacked and ready to rebandage
So I am healing nicely now. I went to the doctor again Wednesday and he said I have to keep packing it for two more weeks. The hole has to fill up and then the skin will grow over it. I was rather discouraged Wednesday but Gunnar brought some healthy and Godly perspective to my mindset like that I'm not on crutches, that I didn't have to be admitted to the hospital and that I am healing and it will get better. What a guy!!
Through this whole process I was so greatly reminded of how blessed I am with family, friends, a church family, my employer and coworkers and a wonderful and godly man in my life. I received prayers, phone calls, texts, fb messages, and visits in the ER from so many different people. I just love how the body of Christ's operates. I truly am so blessed to have so many great people in my life!! Praise the Lord!!
