Hubby and I are about at our wits’ end.
Thursday, we got the results of the WBC scan. It was negative. Hubby and I were relieved, thankful and hopeful that things would finally settle down for us. Not.
Yesterday afternoon, we got a phone call from the technician in the medical imaging department at the hospital. Without even discussing it with us first, the doctor at the wound care clinic ordered the test to be repeated on Monday, this time doing side views. The technician said due to the seriousness of a bone infection, the doctor wants to be very sure that hubby doesn’t have one.
I can understand the doctor being cautious and wanting to take good care of hubby. However, hubby has no signs of an infection other than the abscess which continues to drain. Hubby’s blood tests all came back normal and he feels fine. I really think it’s all about money.
So, on Monday, we have to be at the hospital at 7am for the first part of the scan. Once that part is done, we have to return to the town where we live because I have to go to the lab at my doctor’s office to have my PT/INR checked. Mine, which was well-regulated has been staying at 1.5 for the past few weeks. I am sort of in between doctors right now because my primary took a job as the medical director at a hospital. The other doctors at the clinic where she worked have been monitoring me but they are reluctant to raise the amount of warfarin that I take by more than 1 milligram. When this problem occurred before, my previous doctor raised my dose from 5mg to 7.5mg and my number rose to a therapeutic 2.0 within a week. I told these doctors about that but both of the doctors that I have seen are worried about my level going too high. When I get through at the lab, we have to go back to the hospital, 17 miles away for the second and third phases of the WBC scan. After the scan is over, hubby has a meeting with a diabetes counselor who is helping him learn how to use mealtime insulin.
All of these appointments are draining us. Physically, emotionally and financially. I am not begging nor I am I trying to pull a fast one on anyone who reads this. All I ask is for readers to consider buying a pen or share the link to our pen site with people who might be interested in buying pens.
We try to keep enough money to cover our transportation costs for the month but when unexpected trips pop up our funds get depleted. We also had extra prescription costs this month because of the change in hubby’s insulin and the additional antibiotics they prescribed for him.
It’s almost two weeks before we get paid again and we have six scheduled appointments. I don’t know how we will get to all of them. I hope that hubby’s abscess heals soon. Things will improve then so please pray that he gets better soon. Positive thoughts, etc… please send them our direction.
Thanks for reading my rants.
www.hubbyshandcraftedinkpens.yolasite.com
Blade
P.S. I am working on some Palin posts so stay tuned.
It never ends.
Hubby had an appointment today at the wound care clinic. They usually just change the packing but today there was a doctor waiting to see him. This doctor is an infection specialist and he thinks that the abscess on hubby's chest might be related to the open heart surgery he had back in December. He said that his sternum might be infected because the abscess is very close to the incision. I think that the clinic is just trying to bilk hubby's insurance company.
It has been five months since hubby had the bypass. Wouldn't an infection related to that surgery have shown up before now? The abscess didn't arise until mid-March and hubby has already had oral antibiotics twice since then plus he received a bag of IV antibiotics when he was in the hospital the other week being treated for the high potassium level. He has had no fever, doesn't feel ill and up until today the nurse who changes the packing has said that the abscess is looking better every time he goes to the clinic. They measure the width and depth of the sore each time he goes to the clinic and it is shrinking.
So now hubby has to go to the hospital tomorrow for a WBC scan. This scan is done in three parts. He has to be there at 7am to have blood drawn. The white cells will be separated from the rest of the blood and mixed with a radioactive material. At 11am the blood will be injected into one of hubby's veins and then about 3 to 4 hours later a scan will be done. If there is an infection, the radioactive cells will gather in that area.
This is going to be an ordeal for us. After the blood is drawn, we will be free to leave the hospital until time for the blood to be injected. Then we will be free to leave again until time for the scan. We will need to eat lunch somewhere but we can't afford it and the extra trip is going to cause us to run short on gas money. Hubby has to go to the wound care clinic every other day until the abscess is healed. The nurse says it will probably be about 3 more weeks if there is no bone infection. Hubby may need another surgery if his breast bone is infected and I don't know how we would cope with that emotionally or financially.
Please pray for us, send good wishes, and positive thoughts, etc. as we really need them.
Thanks in advance.
www.hubbyshandcraftedinkpens.yolasite.com
Blade
