Getting Better ... Maybe

November 29, 2023, home

This morning, I engaged in leg exercises in bed under the tutelage of my physical-occupational therapist.

This early afternoon, my home nurse administered my FINAL daily intravenous (IV) antibiotic (photo) and changed the bandage on the incision in my back. She came here at home every day for the last two weeks to administer the IV. She will continue to come here every day to rebandage my back. Every several days, she has also been changing the dressing on my dual-port PICC line in my left upper arm near my left shoulder. She also extracts blood from my PICC line for testing.

On Thursday, November 16, 2023, I finished eleven weeks of daily IV antibiotic for a blood infection and possible osteomyelitis (bone infection) in one of two fractures in my right ankle from two falls in April 2023, and then for osteomyelitis in my lower spine: six weeks for each with an overlap of one week. Therefore, today, with the added two weeks for the infection in the incision in my back, I have finally finished thirteen weeks of daily intravenous antibiotic infusions. I received these infusions of various types of antibiotics, either by drip or by push methods, at the hospital, at the physical rehabilitation facility, and at home.

I have done these six-week-long daily intravenous antibiotic regimens at least ten times in recent years, with one time (January 2021) leading to failure of both of my kidneys. I required six weeks, seven days per week of daily dialysis (four straight hours every day). Fortunately, both of my kidneys regained functionality.

Tomorrow, I have a mid-afternoon appointment with my infectious-disease doctor for a follow-up examination and (hopefully) the removal of my PICC line. I will wear my all-encompassing back brace and be seated in a transport chair (wheelchair) for my visit.

My first spinal surgery was on September 2, 2023, when I had an infection (an abscess) removed/cleaned out in one of my spinal disks in the lumbar (lower) region of my spine. It was discovered at that time that I had osteomyelitis in that area of my spine.

My second spinal surgery, which was on October 6, 2023, took six hours to complete: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It involved the placement of a titanium rod affixed to my spine with screws by my spinal surgeon due to osteomyelitis in three lumbar (lower) sections of my spinal bone. My surgeon told me that my spine was "collapsing" and that I required this serious surgery immediately.

The 34-centimeters-long/13.3858-inches-long incision in my back was then closed by my plastic surgeon so that the metal pieces do NOT form bumps from pushing against my back from the inside.

I currently have two electrodes stuck on my back that are attached to a "bone growth stimulator" device. I must have it turned on for several hours every day.

I need to make a follow-up appointment with my spinal surgeon to check on my incision. It is still emitting discharge in one area.

This late afternoon, my podiatrist made a house call to tend to my feet in regard to potential diabetic ulcers. At this moment in time, both of my feet are healed.

I have been dealing with these ulcers in both of my feet for at least ten years. I wear medical shoes to prevent a recurrence. Luckily, my podiatrist only used a battery-powered rotary tool with sandpaper on my feet. For years, he would carve both of my feet with a scalpel every two weeks. In recent years, he performed four surgeries on my left foot: three to remove bones that were decayed from osteomyelitis and one to remove a tumor that was growing within a diabetic ulcer.

As long as I am spewing my medical issues, last year, I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery in March 2022 and then two reconstructive chest surgeries in May 2022. For my second surgery, the screws on my sternal plates became loose, and I had to have them removed, plus I had an infection within my chest. My chest was left open with a wound vacuum attached for about a week. My third surgery was to close my chest with the surgeon reattaching my chest muscle flaps to my body.

Also recently, I had a thoracentesis procedure performed; 22 ounces surrounding my right lung was drained through a thin catheter stuck through my back and into my chest cavity. I had the same procedure done on my left lung with less fluid a year or two before my right-lung procedure.

Oh, yeah. I also fairly recently had nasal-sinus surgery to remove eight polyps and to clean out and expand all eight of my sinuses.