Back in Hospital Again

[CaptSquid]

Went to my podiatrist on Friday, 5 December. He took one look at my foot and told me to report immediately to the ER. Of course, this is never a good thing.

I got into the ER and spent about 5 hours waiting patiently, all the while crashing. My blood sugar levels plummeted to 46. Normal is in the 90s. I asked for some glucose, but was told that I didn't need it. Yeah, right. When I got to my room, I insisted on another reading. They couldn't get sugar into me fast enough. As I was getting settled in, my foot (unwrapped) sprung a leak. It looked like Freddie Kruger had paid me a visit.

Long story short -- I had been nursing an ulcer on my foot since October, religiously following the doctor's orders. Didn't work. The ulcer had gotten bigger and the infection had weakened the 5th metatarsal (pinky toe) bone. So, tomorrow afternoon, I'm in surgery. If I'm lucky, I'll come out with 80% foot.

Keep the good thoughts.

[Astrophysics]

Mike,

Get well soon.

God bless you in this time of hardship.

AP

[mdmead]

Sorry to hear it Capn'. Sending good thoughts your way.

[WoodButcher]

Good luck Captain!

[CaptSquid]

The GRAND unveiling happened today. The orthopaedist removed the pinky toe and part of the metatarsal. Foot looks a bit weird with only 4 toes. With any luck, I'm outta here Monday..

[ihatemybike]

Damn, Capt!

Good vibes sent your way. Hope you heal quickly.

[Stroverlander]

Dang dude, heal up quick 'n best wishes!

[mdmead]

Sorry for the toe loss, but it sounds like you came out pretty good all things considered. Heal quick and take care of yourself!

[CaptSquid]

Saw the X-Rays the other day. There is about 1" left of a bone that is approximately 3" long. Foot still looks weird.

[Meterpig]

Do you think you will want to itch the pinky toe? Ok...bad...bad joke. I have often wondered what I might feel like contemplating the loss of an appendage.

How do you feel about Montana medicine? My wife is from there and feels it's not as good as Denver.

[CaptSquid]

Actually, no phantom pain at all and no mourning period, either.

The orthopaedist I saw was top-notch. We have two great hospitals here in Billings, one of which is associated with the Mayo Clinic and the other one is part of the St. Vincent's health care network. The CNA in the ER, on the other hand, needs to retrain. I complained about crashing blood glucose levels and she mis-read the meter, saying that i had a BG of 98 (normal), when, in fact, mine was 48!