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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

foot

The foot – a year later

November 4, 2014

I can’t believe a whole year has gone by when it comes to my foot.

For those of you who haven’t read the blog for a while or don’t know through social media things, last year I stepped on a nail. The nail penetrated a hiking boot/sneaker, through a sock and pretty deep into my foot. I went to the ER that night and got a tetanus shot, though they didn’t give any antibiotics, which seemed odd being I’m diabetic.

From there was a whirlwind of different things, enough to make me want to just say hell with it.

The short of the story is this – the nail ended up giving an infection. As a diabetic, they got truly worried with some things they saw, and I can totally understand that.

Here’s what I went through:

  • X-rays
  • Several trips to a podiatrist
  • An MRI
  • Foot surgery, which was postponed when I had a bit of an anxiety attack, which led to…
  • A trip to a cardiologist
  • Scans of the heart, stress test, echocardiogram and, eventually …
  • A heart catheterization, which found my heart was fine …
  • And, finally, foot surgery (turns out one issue was one tiny bone in my foot was shattered by said nail and had to be removed as part of this)
  • Six weeks of home IV antibiotics
  • Eventual clearance that my foot was fine

That’s the basics. During this time, they found an antibiotic I was allergic to, and that Benadryl makes me hallucinate. Good times!

But, though those six months or so were crazy, I was thankful I had insurance and a job where I could do what I had to do and still be supported in whatever I needed to have done.

Also during all of this, my diabetes got out of control, which forced me to change a lot of my habits to get things in control.

So here we are, a year later.

My health is way better. My foot is doing very well. I have my diabetes, for the most part, in check. My numbers have been pretty solid and I like the direction it’s going.

One year later and I’m doing way better than I was at this point last year, in many aspects of my life. But I’ll tackle more of those soon enough.

If you want to read the saga of my foot, you can see some of the posts below:

A perfectly timed break (Dec. 2, 2013)

30 minus 2 Days of Writing: Damn (Feb. 8, 2014)

A heart and a foot surgeon walk into a bar (March 25, 2014)

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: Health, My world Tagged With: diabetes, foot, foot saga, foot surgery, health, my foot, my health, nail in foot

2 Comments

A perfectly timed break

December 2, 2013

An extended weekend couldn’t have come at a better time.

OK, now hold on a second … before you go getting all over me about how I just went back to work and such, allow me to explain.

On October 28, I was helping a friend doing some demo work at a house. Well, truthfully, I was doing some grunt work and was thankful for it. But, like a dolt, I ended up stepping on a nail, which then pierced my shoe and my foot. I pulled the nail out quickly, pulled off my shoe and saw the blood. Lovely.

Alas, I kept going at it for the rest of the day.

The reason I took a second trip to the ER…

That night, I went to the Emergency Room. See, I hadn’t had a tetanus shot in more than a decade (maybe two), so it was probably time for one. The ER doctor came in for all of 20 seconds, looked, said I had a puncture wound (thanks, Doc!), to keep it clean and covered and check in with my personal doctor if things don’t improve.

Check.

Mind you — I told him all my medical issues in that time span, figuring an antibiotic would be smart. Apparently not.

Things seemed OK. Well, until that Saturday. That’s the day it all changed. I went to hop in the shower and my foot looked like a club. It was massively swollen. And it hurt. So back to the ER I went. The person who saw me that day, despite a needless wait, prescribed me some antibiotics. They seemed to work decently and when my personal practitioners office called me, I said it looked like it was getting better, so we left it at that.

That medicine ran out and a few days later, things got a little crazy again. The swelling (though, to be fair, not as bad) was back and some redness was there.

Oh, great.

So I call the doctor’s office that morning, trying to figure out how I can pull this off. See, I had just started the new job, It would be rather difficult for me to call in already. I didn’t need to be “that guy.” So, after spatting with the hospital on the phone, I decided to go to Convenient Care that night, which is in a neighboring town, but in the same network.

The person I saw that night decided this was of grave matter. Well, that’s the way he made it sound to me. See, I needed to take the next three days off — and he gave me a note. If I didn’t, I could be facing a long stay in the hospital. I told him, under no circumstances, would I be taking three days off just two days into a new job.

OK, well, then make sure I keep the foot elevated as much as possible. And here’s a new antibiotic to take. Stronger, I’m told.

Fair enough.

Things seemed to improve. The foot was looking much better. But, boy, was I tired. I’d sleep decently, but quite restless. I’d wake up beat. I’d get through the day, but felt like I was dragging at the end. When I was at work, I was fine. I was focused, that that probably helped. But outside of it? Tired. Real tired.

I was going to bed at like 10 p.m., which for those who know me, is very early, even if I have to be up early.

Last week, I only had to work Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, I was scheduled to see my family doc. I went and, somehow, I wasn’t on an appointment time. I have a theory on that, but that’s better left off this. I made an appointment for Friday morning.

Wednesday night, I slept like crap. In fact, if I got an hour’s worth of sleep, I’d be shocked. That made Thanksgiving no fun. My stomach hurt. I was tired and grumpy. When family asked about my new job, I was snappy (sorry, all!).

I slept even worse that night. I woke up Friday with a rash on my arms, back and chest. What in the name of holy hell was going on?

(Now do you see why this break came at the perfect time?) 

I went to the doc on Friday. Turns out, for the first time in my life, I’m allergic to something. And that something is the antibiotic I’ve been on. Great!

At least the foot was in much better shape! (He also noted I should have been prescribed an antibiotic right away, but it probably would have been good if I had followed up with him a day or two after the initial ER visit … point taken).

So, he tells me to take a little Benadryl. Turns out that’s not good for me either. I had hallucinations, which apparently is a rare side effect of Benadryl. Mark that down as something I won’t take again.

Saturday night, with a finally clear system (I think), I slept like a rock. I felt like myself on Sunday and am ready to get back at it Monday.

Things happen for a reason, I imagine. Hopefully the foot can now finally heal and I can move on from it.

What a crazy few days, though. And I didn’t even get to each much on Thanksgiving because of how I felt. But at least I’m back to normal now … or so I hope!

And, if all goes well, this won’t be a “to be continued!”

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: My world Tagged With: allergic reaction, foot, life, medical issues, medicine, stepping on a nail

8 Comments

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Don’t mind me. Just watching a little TV with so Don’t mind me. Just watching a little TV with some snuggles on the couch! 

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It was haircut time with Cameron before Thanksgivi It was haircut time with Cameron before Thanksgiving and he challenged @studio11chris some with this festive art! 

#haircut #barber #barbershop @studio11barbersuite @harmm23 @dlinc27
Sunday was a day with some errands and such, but a Sunday was a day with some errands and such, but also a nice walk on the Vestal Rail Trail. Harper loved it, of course, especially because she got to also walk with her "Gram!" 

#dog #walk #outdoors #goldenretriever #goldenretrieversofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #love #photooftheday #iphoneography
Quick snap tonight while out walking Harper. #ni Quick snap tonight while out walking Harper. 

#night #moon #blackandwhite #spooky
The weather didn’t deter Harper for National Fet The weather didn’t deter Harper for National Fetch Day! And then friends came to Harper’s Landing to make it even better! 

#nationalfetchday #makefetchhappen #chuckit #chuckitfetchgames #dog #dogparty #goldenretriever #ball #play #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun #iphoneology #retrieveroftheday #ilovemygolden #dogstagram #dailygolden #dogsofinsta #fun @chuckitfetchgames
Who’s ready for National Fetch Day on Saturday? Who’s ready for National Fetch Day on Saturday? I’m pretty sure Harper is! 

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun #iphoneology #retrieveroftheday #ilovemygolden #dogstagram #dailygolden #dogsofinsta @chuckitfetchgames
Tis a dreary and rainy day. What better than to ha Tis a dreary and rainy day. What better than to have a cup of tea in my new mug, which was a birthday gift from my nephew/godson Cameron!
Live life the best you can. Have experiences. Smil Live life the best you can. Have experiences. Smile. Love the world. 

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Likely my final game of the year… but a nice nig Likely my final game of the year… but a nice night! 

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Harper and Phil! #goldenretriever #dog #dogsofin Harper and Phil! 

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Saturday was national dog day… posted on Faceboo Saturday was national dog day… posted on Facebook, but forgot here! Harper was spoiled all day!
How could we skip this? North of the border this How could we skip this? 

North of the border this weekend to get away and hit a few caching events and geocache. Dinner tonight was at @harpersburgers, especially with outdoor seating and dog friendly! @harper_dublin got to enjoy a little of my #burger, of course. And, yes, I got poutine, duh! Great service and great food! Went back later for a spiked shake. This one was a Malibu Colada (malibu rum, dark rum, vanilla ice cream, and pineapple juice) … yum! 

Good times! Looking forward to another event and caches on Saturday before heading home! 

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My newest #pathtag came in! A great design by @geo My newest #pathtag came in! A great design by @geofoxandthehound! This one, of course, is connected to @harper_dublin ‘s Instagram account. It won’t be easy to get! 

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Rain on leaves … still on trees or on the ground Rain on leaves … still on trees or on the ground… is so peaceful. 

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Haircut day! I got mine done, as did Cameron. He g Haircut day! I got mine done, as did Cameron. He got some waves for when he goes to the shore next week! One shot of me getting the straight razor too! Nice job @studio11chris at @studio11barbersuite ! 

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Part one of the backyard work is done. New patio h Part one of the backyard work is done. New patio has been installed ... (the rock garden area is basically done, too ... but i need to put a few things up with it). The guy who did my patio did a great job... looks cool. 

I think Harper approves. 

One more step and we'll be set to really enjoy it back there with some shade!

Working on a few other landscaping things, too.
Golden hour. #goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram # Golden hour. 

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Waggin’ Wednesday at the @swbrailriders was a lo Waggin’ Wednesday at the @swbrailriders was a lot of fun! Hot night, but very enjoyable! 

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P.J. Harmer

P.J. Harmer
A video looking at my first year and a half of owning a golden retriever, my first dog. It's had its ups and downs, but I've truly loved the ride and look forward to the future. 

Music: Happy before we get old by Michael Shynes via Artlist. 

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When these boxes come, there usually some excitement. But this one ... is the ultimate unboxing! 

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I hate being in front of the camera, but also realize sometimes it's not the worst thing in the world. So, I'm getting better with it. Week 4's theme was all about us and having us in front of the camera, so I tried to come up with a creative way to do it. 

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