A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

health

A heart and foot surgeon walk into a bar…

That title sounds like the start of a joke, eh?

This isn’t!

So, it’s time for an update. One big one at that.

Many of you who may read my blog some know I’ve been going through quite the whirlwind of health-related issues. And it all goes back to stepping on a nail in the fall.

Crazy that it’s still going on, right?

The worst part about this? If I had just looked where I was stepping, it wouldn’t even matter. I’d be all fine, wouldn’t have used sick time, wouldn’t have to worry about what insurance covers and what it doesn’t and all that. Instead, me not paying attention seems to steamroll everything to get worse and worse and worse.

Anyway, so the basic premise of all this is this – I stepped on a nail. Got a tetanus shot that night, but was given no antibiotic. I believe this was on a Monday or Tuesday. By Saturday, my foot ballooned. Good times, right?

Back to the ER, where I finally got an antibiotic. That worked some, but it ended in 10 days. It kind of stayed like that a little and I went to convenient care (I think this was the order … I might be missing a step) where I received another dose of antibiotic.

Turns out I was allergic to that antibiotic. And I have reactions to Benadryl. What reactions you may ask? I hallucinate with Benadryl. Yeah… that was a fun night.

I saw my primary soon after and, eventually, he sent me to a podiatrist who seemed to work wonders. It looked like it healed and, despite a little swelling and redness, she thought I was fixed. Another wound soon opened as whatever was inside the foot was still trying to get out.

So back I went. She ordered an MRI and I had that done on a Saturday morning. The same night I got a call from the main hospital requesting I come up first thing Monday morning to discuss with a surgeon.

At this point, I was wondering what the heck was going on. And, I also wondered WHY the initial ER doctor hadn’t given me an antibiotic, especially being he knew all about me because I told him.

Anyhoo … there I am on a Monday morning meeting with a doctor I had never met, abut this foot issue. And she recommends surgery. Goodie. Not only that, she wants to do it the next day. I talk it into Thursday, make all arrangements with work and such and get ready.

Having a sister-in-law who is a nurse helped, too, as she told me some people to request for my surgical team, which hopefully would make it easier.

Thursday morning came and I was getting prepped. I was quite anxious, though, as I had never had surgery. With that came some, what felt like, heartburn. So, when asked if I was feeling anything, I said that.

Red flag alert.

Anyway, the short of it is this – I stayed on that bed for six hours being monitored and watches before cardiology came down. They didn’t clear me for surgery, so the whirlwind really picked up. Over the next several weeks, I had stress tests, heart photos, and all sorts of good stuff. Despite nothing being too alarming to the cardiologist I saw, it was decided I needed a heart catheterization.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

That was interesting in that when the doctor came in, he gave me all the doom-and-gloom statistics. In the end, he said he was hoping for something that could be dealt with via medicine or that nothing was wrong.

I agreed.

When done, he leaned over me and told me the heart was perfect and that I didn’t need to worry about this for a few decades, at least.

That’s good to know.

And now, present time.

The foot surgery finally happened. It was nice because they didn’t have to do full anesthesia, which is good as it’s something has always frightened me. However, I ended up being knocked out by the sedative. All I remember is hearing “this will hit you like a freight train in about five seconds…”

Boom!

With the surgery done, they also decided – because of where all this infection was – I needed some kick-ass antibiotics. That requires having a picc line in so I can do it via IV for the next 5-6 weeks. A pain in the rear? Sure. But hopefully this is the final steps with this super crazy journey. I just want to get back to normal and hopefully have no issues doing my normal things in the summer.

It’s honestly not that difficult to get through the home antibiotic. But the bothering part is all the appointments. I need a break of like two weeks where I can just heal, go to work and not worry about things. It will make life easier, I assure them.

One thing I’ve learned from all this is appointments and being on the run can really drain you. I feel tired a bit here and there when I’ve been on the run for appointments and also work the same day. That’s another reason I need this foot fully healed – so I can get out and do the things I normally do!

Time will tell how this all works out. Hopefully for the better and to the point where it will be a blip on my map in life. Things happen for a reason and I truly do believe it. Why this happened may be something I never know, but I am ready for it to end.

I have remained optimistic and upbeat through it all. I think the doctors and others have realized and recognized that. I do what I am asked and everything else. Hopefully, that will mean an eventual clean bill of health.

And a tall pint of Guinness.

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

Ten Things of Thankful: Life is pretty decent right now

Sometimes, in life, you have to stop, take a deep breath and realize there are things to truly be thankful for.

So, when offered the chance to get involved with this, I thought it was a good idea. I realize some bloggers will do this every week, but if I do posts like this, I look at it a couple of ways, besides having the chance to find some other good blogs to read:

  • I want it to be meaningful and from the heart.
  • It has to be things I’m truly thankful for.

Therefore, I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring. Maybe I’ll try and do this every couple of weeks and try and rotate it with my Soundless Sunday posts to have a little diversity. Or maybe I’ll do one of these every three weeks or so. Who knows. Basically, if I can find 10 certain things I’m thankful for at the time, I’ll do it up.

Anyhoo, without further ado, let’s check what kind of things I have to be thankful for at this moment in time, in no particular order.

1. Living 

This may seem like a cheesy way to start things off, but it’s true. Though my life isn’t going in the direction I’d truly like it to go right now, the reality is it could be much worth. So this encompasses many things — like realizing even though things aren’t great for me right now, I could be in much more dire need.

2. Family

Take a look at the news any day and you’ll find reports of dysfunctional families. Maybe it’s someone harming a parent or a child or siblings doing something bad. Though my family is far from perfect (and I’m sure we’d all admit it!), we get along, we stay pretty close and appreciate what we all can do. We support and we do what we can to help one another. And I’m not talking just immediate family, either. My extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles etc., are also quite close. That’s something I’ll always treasure and, as I get older, I appreciate it more and more.

3. Photography

I do like to spend time by myself and photography has always been a big part of times like that. There’s still nothing like going out with my camera, going for a walk and finding things to snap photos of, at least in my mind. I see things differently when I have my camera. I’m not sure what I would be like without having that in my life as it’s, at times, been a bit of a life-saver when it comes to me dwelling on things too much or going out and doing something.

Fall and photograph mix well together.

4. The fall

You know, there are parts of the country — and the world — where they don’t get to experience the four seasons. Living in the Northeast of the United States really gives me the chance to see all four — spring, summer, winter and fall. That also gives the chance to be able to go out and capture some great colors and such with the camera. As much as I’d love to move somewhere to experience life differently, this area affords the four seasons so well and I would truly miss it if I went elsewhere.

5. Good friends

There is no way I’d have been able to get through the past few years without good friends. While family is always a help, the reality is friends always play an important part in your life. For my closest friends, I consider them extensions of my family, anyway. So whether it’s going out for a beer, sitting down to shoot the shit for a few hours, going to a game or something else, I have a group of friends who have been absolutely amazing. They also know when or when not to ask about my job situation as it can become quite a drag to talk about. Friends are worth their weight and gold (though I’m not sure I could cash in? I kid, of course!)

6. Geocaching

Since becoming a major hobby in my life in 2008, this game has been so good to me. I’ve met some great people I call friends now, I’ve had some wild adventures and it’s allowed me to get outside, walk, hike and try and stay somewhat healthy. The reality is this game has been such a great thing. From the social aspect to being able to explore places I may have never seen without it, I’m highly thankful for it.

Geocaching has been good for my mind and body, so that’s something to be thankful for.

7. Health

I may not be the healthiest person in the world with some things, but for the most part, I’m doing pretty well. I can still get up, work, play, hike, bike, run, walk, play softball or whatever else. I may have to take a few meds, but I think most of the country has to! That being said, I know I have to work on some things (losing weight, just trying to be healthier overall) and I’m thankful I have the health to be able to work on it and try and improve things.

8. Blogging

Writing has always been something I’ve done. I’ve said it on this blog before, but I had my first newspaper story published when I was in seventh or eighth grade.  Though I’ve blogged since 2005, I really got into it and the whole aspect of it when I got laid off from the newspaper job in 2011. Now, it’s a secondary part of who I am and I love it. The community is amazing. The people I follow and read are ones I’m truly glad I found. And for those I’ve created more of a friendship with, it’s even better. I love the reality that there are people I consider pretty solid friends who I met through blogging.

9. Wrestling

OK, some may look at this and say … what the? But I have to put this here. Why? Because like other things, I’ve made some pretty good friends through it. And during a time when I needed it, it gave me a cheap form of entertainment and one where I had the chance to mix my love of photography. The independent world of pro wrestling has made it so I have something to look forward to seeing every month or three. And it truly is some fun entertainment.

10. Brewing beer

I end with this one. When I started doing it earlier this year, I didn’t know what to think. Now I know of more things I can do while brewing. Whether it’s ingredients, or hops or anything else — I have a better appreciation for beer. And I also like knowing I made something that doesn’t suck. Is it the best beer made? Nah. But I’ve made some pretty tasty ones and I look forward to making many more.

Ten Things of Thankful

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