I don’t know about you but this week could not have been over fast enough! It started off like any normal week – several workouts, lots of recipes and then BAM it hit me. Tuesday morning I woke up with some pretty intense cheek pain. I thought perhaps it was from my forgetting to wear my retainers at night since I have TMJ so bad and that I was grinding my teeth but since I’m not a doctor nor dentist I called up my dentist for an emergency appointment. After an xray he found that I had a small bit infection above one of my teeth. Since there was a small bit of infection he opted to put me on antibiotics for a few days then have me in on Friday to do a root canal.
Well after 4 doses of antibiotics and several Vicodin (remember I don’t take pain pills ever), it was 5am and I was on the floor in tears. I mean crying hysterically from the pain. One thing you have to realize about me is that I have a very high pain tolerance and given the number of major surgeries I’ve had in my life not once did I ever cry with those. This pain, OMG seriously I wanted to die it was so bad. After toughing it out til they opened I was sent to a periodontist to do an emergency root canal. By that point, not even 24 hours later the left side of my face had swollen 5 times it’s size. My eye was almost swollen shut and my cheek was cherry red. It was all I could do to not sit there and just cry.
Unfortunately the surgeon could only do a partial one (where he cleaned out the root) and made a small incision for drainage. Then he scared me. He said that if the swelling didn’t subside by night time or it got worse that I had to go to the ER immediately as the infection was into my eye socket and nasal area. If it got worse it could end up in my brain. Scary, I know. So we got home and I managed to sleep for 2 hours thanks to the little bit of pressure relief he gave me.
Then IT woke me up. The pain was worse, if at all possible, and the swelling was more as it now was heading down my throat. Mr. Fantabulous drove mach-speed to the ER. I was immediately rushed in, given CT scans and drugs out the wazoo. And then they admitted me. Fortunately this is a brand new hospital and seriously it was gorgeous. Plus I had my own room. I would have been utterly miserable if I had to share one. When I’m sick I want peace and quiet and the last thing I would have wanted was to share a room. I was poked, prodded and examined for hours. THEN.. then..
*sigh* they sent in an Infectious Disease doctor. When he introduced himself my heart stopped. Infectious Disease? Whoa, that’s pretty serious stuff as I know what my sister went through. Apparently I contracted Osteomyelitis in my cheek bone, jaw bone, eye socket – most bones on the left side of my face. What’s that all mean? Osteomyelitis is an infection in the bone or bone marrow or inflammation of the bone that can be very severe and can be deadly if not treated promptly.
I was in the hospital for 3 days and then sent home with what’s called a PICC line in my arm. A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC or PIC line) is a form of intravenous access that can be used for a prolonged period of time (e.g. for long chemotherapy regimens, extended antibiotic therapy, or total parenteral nutrition). For me I’ll be on a very high dosage of antibiotics for 6 weeks where I’ll have a nurse visit once a day to assist. I’ll have to get blood work done weekly and a bajillion doctor’s appointments.
So what’s that mean for me? Well, no working out period for 6 weeks (which SUCKS!!!). Why? I can’t get the area where the PICC line goes in sweaty or wet No lifting anything with my right arm above 5 pounds. Since I’m still in significant pain, no work for a while (which is killing me). I’ll find out more when I see the Infectious Disease doctor.
Needless to say I’m scared to death and as this isn’t a simple (take these pills and you’ll be fine in a week) problem. The fact that it attacked me so severely they aren’t sure if it did any permanent damage to my tissues or bones. The doctors aren’t sure how I contracted it. They are thinking *maybe* the tooth that needs the root canal on it lead to this but they aren’t sure.
But I’m tougher than this and will beat it. I have Mr. Fantabulous by my side who has put on the bravest face ever for me. He is my rock when all I want to do is curl up and cry. My friends, family along with my TKW family have all been amazingly supportive. To help me out I now have Admin Editors on my Facebook page to help me out now. Latesha, Paul, Becky and Moose have been amazing and you’ll love them!
I’ve also enlisted Mr. Fantabulous to make the dinners while I supervise. Fortunately for him (and me) I have a lot of stuff in the freezer that he just has to either reheat or cook (i.e., lasagna rolls). We went with the dump cake for the dessert of the week as it’s simple and ANYONE can make them. The only bad thing is that I have zero appetite and am forcing myself to eat even a yogurt. However these damn antibiotics and fluids have me so bloated. I swear I can hear my belly ‘swish’ as I walk! NOT GOOD!
So to all of you that knew about what was going on with me this past week. THANK YOU for your thoughts, prayers and love. It’s times like these when a “hey I’m thinking of you” from a complete stranger means the world and truly does make a difference.
Until next week…
Best Kitchen Wishes!
♥ Monday – Crock Pot Pork Carnitas
♥ Tuesday- Cheesy Macaroni ‘n Cheese for one
♥ Wednesday – One Pot Pastabilities
♥ Thursday – Loaded Potato Soup
♥ Friday – Lasagna Rollups
♥ Saturday – Cheesy Ham & Penne Casserole
♥ Sunday – Philly Cheesesteak Subs
♥ Dessert of the Week – Double Peach Streusel Crunch Dump Cake & Ice Cream
Leave a Reply