- Joined
- Mar 27, 2013
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Yeah Baby!!! I'm Back!!!
Spending 6 1/2 days in hospital SUCKS!!! Being a foreigner cooped up in a hospital is not fun at all. No WiFi, so my computer had no ability to connect with you folks here. My Cell Phone data plan sucked (got that resolved now)...
So, St. Anthony's Fire... Wow! I had never heard of it, but then again I had. This is the disease that killed George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon (Lord Carnarvon of King Tut fame). We all had heard of the mosquito bite that went septic. Well, the septic part was caused by a strep infection of the skin.
For me, the source was most likely my infected toenail (onychomycosis) getting stubbed then cleaned and trimmed (it bled again). I heard a few months ago that toenail fungus* could kill, and I thought to myself that it was a bunch of BS... but now I understand it really can. If it wasn't for the cocktail of antibiotics I've been taking (and still am taking) I'd likely still be covered in a spreading burning rash, and praying that I was going to pull through quick (or die even quicker).
For decades now, I'd been trying to get my toenails removed due to my risk of infection from diabetes (I am in a couple of high risk groups), but no doctor would touch them. Now it looks like I finally will be able to lose them here in China (and bamboo will not be used).
Things to look out for... cankles (edema (fluid retention in the legs)). My first sign that something was wrong was pitting edema. You press your finger into the swollen area, and a pit would form that (for me) took 5 minutes to level out. It wasn't painful, just odd. If that happens to you, get it looked at. Perhaps you won't need to spend 6 1/2 days in a hospital getting plugged into an IV every few hours.
Stay Healthy!
Happy New Year (Chinese Spring Festival/New Year)
Jim
*The fungus that causes athlete's foot is the same one that causes onychomycosis (basically, without antibiotics, I could have died from athlete's foot).
Spending 6 1/2 days in hospital SUCKS!!! Being a foreigner cooped up in a hospital is not fun at all. No WiFi, so my computer had no ability to connect with you folks here. My Cell Phone data plan sucked (got that resolved now)...
So, St. Anthony's Fire... Wow! I had never heard of it, but then again I had. This is the disease that killed George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon (Lord Carnarvon of King Tut fame). We all had heard of the mosquito bite that went septic. Well, the septic part was caused by a strep infection of the skin.
For me, the source was most likely my infected toenail (onychomycosis) getting stubbed then cleaned and trimmed (it bled again). I heard a few months ago that toenail fungus* could kill, and I thought to myself that it was a bunch of BS... but now I understand it really can. If it wasn't for the cocktail of antibiotics I've been taking (and still am taking) I'd likely still be covered in a spreading burning rash, and praying that I was going to pull through quick (or die even quicker).
For decades now, I'd been trying to get my toenails removed due to my risk of infection from diabetes (I am in a couple of high risk groups), but no doctor would touch them. Now it looks like I finally will be able to lose them here in China (and bamboo will not be used).
Things to look out for... cankles (edema (fluid retention in the legs)). My first sign that something was wrong was pitting edema. You press your finger into the swollen area, and a pit would form that (for me) took 5 minutes to level out. It wasn't painful, just odd. If that happens to you, get it looked at. Perhaps you won't need to spend 6 1/2 days in a hospital getting plugged into an IV every few hours.
Stay Healthy!
Happy New Year (Chinese Spring Festival/New Year)
Jim
*The fungus that causes athlete's foot is the same one that causes onychomycosis (basically, without antibiotics, I could have died from athlete's foot).
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