Aa
Just A Reminder
Of course, most people treating know this already, I'd guess...but I heard something pretty frightening this past weekend...it really brought home the importance of cleaning wounds properly, for anyone really, but particularly if youre treating...(and of course, avioding wounds if you can)
A good friend of mine Henley, unfortunately has HIV and HCV...he treated a few years ago, and relapsed, though his docs told him it bought him a few years of course...3 months ago he started treatment once again, cause he obviously needs to keep the hepatitis in check at least...(he's been controling his HIV nicely with the cocktail drugs)....because of his blood counts he's been recently put on Procrit and Neupogen...
Anyway, he has a few dogs, and he loves to play with them, maybe in too rowdy a way apparently.....because every now and then he gets little nicks, etc from playing to rough with the dogs...he said he knew how important it was to clean any wounds like that, even little nicks, and he said he religiously treated them with peroxide, etc etc...
but he got a little tiny nick on his finger, and he spaced on it and didn't clean it...so it started to inflame, and cleaning it didn't do much for it once it started to get ugly, so he finally had to go to emergency at Cedars....they decided to keep him there, they were worried about it...the next day it was so swollen that his finger was grotesque...they have him on an IV of anti-biotics, and they are hoping that the anti-biotics take (there's not a lot of progress up until now) because they might have to amputate his finger!!....if the anti-biotics don't take soon...talk about a cautionary tale...
A good friend of mine Henley, unfortunately has HIV and HCV...he treated a few years ago, and relapsed, though his docs told him it bought him a few years of course...3 months ago he started treatment once again, cause he obviously needs to keep the hepatitis in check at least...(he's been controling his HIV nicely with the cocktail drugs)....because of his blood counts he's been recently put on Procrit and Neupogen...
Anyway, he has a few dogs, and he loves to play with them, maybe in too rowdy a way apparently.....because every now and then he gets little nicks, etc from playing to rough with the dogs...he said he knew how important it was to clean any wounds like that, even little nicks, and he said he religiously treated them with peroxide, etc etc...
but he got a little tiny nick on his finger, and he spaced on it and didn't clean it...so it started to inflame, and cleaning it didn't do much for it once it started to get ugly, so he finally had to go to emergency at Cedars....they decided to keep him there, they were worried about it...the next day it was so swollen that his finger was grotesque...they have him on an IV of anti-biotics, and they are hoping that the anti-biotics take (there's not a lot of progress up until now) because they might have to amputate his finger!!....if the anti-biotics don't take soon...talk about a cautionary tale...
yeah, poodles! whoda thunk it? HA HA! you really help around here...HR saw his post and thought it would be a good idea for him...if he wants it and can arrange it....I just wish there was a private way to get emails...thanks again...
Poodle it was! My mom had one that would bite her toenails while she watched tv. What's with those poodles?:)
Bug
P.S. Jab doesn't get on very often but I will tell someone to tell him to look at the post. You know, friend of a friend?
Bug
P.S. Jab doesn't get on very often but I will tell someone to tell him to look at the post. You know, friend of a friend?
I was put on Keflex on 3 different occasions during tx, each time for an infected finger.
I had a run in with a rose bush, a pine needle, and a sewing needle. I never drew blood, just scraped the skin. Pouring a pint of iodine over the affected fingers did not help.
As a matter of fact I always carried bandaides and a small bottle of iodine in my purse when I left the house, just in case.
I got stung by my rose bushes a half a dozen times this spring, nothing...what a blessing to be off tx.
Ina
I had a run in with a rose bush, a pine needle, and a sewing needle. I never drew blood, just scraped the skin. Pouring a pint of iodine over the affected fingers did not help.
As a matter of fact I always carried bandaides and a small bottle of iodine in my purse when I left the house, just in case.
I got stung by my rose bushes a half a dozen times this spring, nothing...what a blessing to be off tx.
Ina
well Henley pulled through, finger in tact, they still want to keep him a few days cause they feel it's that important to watch over him while he's on all these meds...thanks everyone for your concern, once again I learned a lot from this thread...Bug, betcha it was a poodle...(sorry to offend any poodle lovers out there, ha ha!)
i am glad to have hear your friend is doing better.
NYgirl - onlything worse than a cat bite is a human bite surprised you didn't loose a finger yourself you rascal.
NYgirl - onlything worse than a cat bite is a human bite surprised you didn't loose a finger yourself you rascal.
OMG that is some story. Glad that your friend is getting better.One of my dogs plays rough too. No more after that story. Scary stuff.
I hope your friend feels better soon.
I hope your friend feels better soon.
one of the things I like about you, who cares what people think if they can't take a joke? I don't, it is what it is and more power to you to be able to speak frankly about your life...it happened and things like this are useful cause it all shapes the people we are now.....IMHO...youre a good pal to do that, not many people would, ha ha! I read in Errol Flynn's autobiography, My Wicked, Wicked Ways...(who knows if it's true?) that when he got bit by another guy on his yacht in an on deck fight, that a human bite is worse then an animal bite (in terms of germs) and his hand almost had to come off too...good story anyway...(ssshhhh...don't talk about girl on girl catfights, you know how Goof gets:), HA HA HA!
that happened to me as well - but...I pulled a girl off of my friend in a bar fight(dont ever make THAT mistake) and so this whacky /disgusting/ troll of a streetwalker / sewer living addict girl BIT me as hard as she could.
The next day my finger was HUGE. The day after it was grey and so swollen it looked like it was three fingers big. I had poured MORE peroxide into that cut than you can imagine when it had happened too. Almost a full bottle (yeah we were drunk and it was "drama" oh how we thrived on the one thing I try my hardest now to avoid!).
The next day my mom took one look and we went to the ER and they called the infectious disease doctor who said he'd never seen something that bad happen so quickly in his life. They admitted me and tied my hand up so that it was over my heart and drew a line in black sharpie around the bottom. They said if the IV antibiotics didn't work in a certain amount of time and it kept progressing they would have to cut my finger off as well.
I feel like a bar fighting rowdie NY person that you see in a movie now LOL how embarrassing to tell that story out loud. No WONDER I ended up with this disease...I did NOT hang out with the best class of people - but at least, unlike lthem - I eventually got out.
Oh so much fun hanging out at the bad biker type bar in town back in the day...no wonder my parents went crazy at me all the time yowza boy I get it now but I sure didn't THEN!
The next day my finger was HUGE. The day after it was grey and so swollen it looked like it was three fingers big. I had poured MORE peroxide into that cut than you can imagine when it had happened too. Almost a full bottle (yeah we were drunk and it was "drama" oh how we thrived on the one thing I try my hardest now to avoid!).
The next day my mom took one look and we went to the ER and they called the infectious disease doctor who said he'd never seen something that bad happen so quickly in his life. They admitted me and tied my hand up so that it was over my heart and drew a line in black sharpie around the bottom. They said if the IV antibiotics didn't work in a certain amount of time and it kept progressing they would have to cut my finger off as well.
I feel like a bar fighting rowdie NY person that you see in a movie now LOL how embarrassing to tell that story out loud. No WONDER I ended up with this disease...I did NOT hang out with the best class of people - but at least, unlike lthem - I eventually got out.
Oh so much fun hanging out at the bad biker type bar in town back in the day...no wonder my parents went crazy at me all the time yowza boy I get it now but I sure didn't THEN!
I love stories, appreciated Nygirl's story and I have one that's unrelated but dog/wound/infection related.
We had a liitle old lady come to us for therapy after having 1/2 her foot amputated surgically. She had neuropathy in both feet, with very little sensation, especially after sitting all day. Well she was sitting outside on the patio dozing and her little dog began chewing on her toes. She didn't respond till she woke up and had bloody feet with missing toes! When I met her I expected to meet a 1/2 senile type with a housefull of animals.
She was very sweet and alert and we didn't talk about the dog incident.
Sorry if I grossed anyone out.
Bug
We had a liitle old lady come to us for therapy after having 1/2 her foot amputated surgically. She had neuropathy in both feet, with very little sensation, especially after sitting all day. Well she was sitting outside on the patio dozing and her little dog began chewing on her toes. She didn't respond till she woke up and had bloody feet with missing toes! When I met her I expected to meet a 1/2 senile type with a housefull of animals.
She was very sweet and alert and we didn't talk about the dog incident.
Sorry if I grossed anyone out.
Bug
Hope you get back on the meds. That tells me a lot how things are going, you are such a fighter, and need to be with all that is going onin your life. Did the ins approve the stem cell or were you waiting for something else to do it. I can only remember he would have a break while he waited.
You and family are in my nightly prayers.Take care of yourself, glad your son is doing Junior college, it's better for them anyhow, I think. (Spoken from a mom of 4 who's kids have done both)
Hugs,
Bug
You and family are in my nightly prayers.Take care of yourself, glad your son is doing Junior college, it's better for them anyhow, I think. (Spoken from a mom of 4 who's kids have done both)
Hugs,
Bug
thanks! Cajun, I've been okay...just did some lab work, they took enough blood from me, man, my doc ordered a lot of bloods! so I'm testing a lot of things right now...glad you took care of your household needs for your hubby, I love those pergot floors, pecan is such a nice color...makes a nice change for you guys...
Child: youre always so kind, hopefully you had a good weekend...
Child: youre always so kind, hopefully you had a good weekend...
wow, guess we should all take care...I play with dogs all the time too, sometimes too "rough" and I've always healed so nicely from scratches and small cuts, etc...what a *dunderhead* I am, gonna be much more careful...I guess we all get a comfort level if we are used to healing well and we take too many things for granted...
So glad your friend is respoonding. I used to perform sharp debridement for wounds, taking off the necrotic tissue so that the good tissue can heal. I can teel you that in the last 10-12 years infections have increased more quickly than the antibiotics to control them. Staph infections used to respond till they became resistant to methicillin, a form of our former big gun penicillin. That type of infection is called MRSA and is showing up in high school training rooms and other places where people are nomally health and is called community aquired MRSA. People with low white blood counts like your friend and a lot here on tx are the most susceptible to the bacteria.
And there are many, bacteria out there, I just chose to target this one because it's such a threat and most people ar not aware it's out there.
Bug
And there are many, bacteria out there, I just chose to target this one because it's such a threat and most people ar not aware it's out there.
Bug
talked to him this morning, they think the anti-biotics are working but slowly, they are keeping a good watch, boy....Poor man was so freaked out! He's still not totally "out of the woods" but at least it *appears* to be working....what he told me about that hospital......at least they are on it! They actually have all these machines and instruments built into the walls of the hospital rooms, so they can turn your hospital room into an Emergency Room if they want to or have need...so he's got great care there...Good thing he's on Medi-care! Can't imagine the cost, yikes! He's a good guy, he's the one that takes in kids who have no other home, he's taken in 5 already....he keeps them out of the system if their parents aren't there for them, I got my "kid" from him....
Kalio: I now remember your "ordeal" yeeeesh! so glad that they worked! Well, now that you've been on treatment for so long I'm sure your liver has improved...youre another one of my "rocks" that I look up to and get inspiration from, I'm sure I'm not the only one...youre another brave "Warrior Goddess" who is on here...ha ha! hope you all had a nice holiday weekend....
Kalio: I now remember your "ordeal" yeeeesh! so glad that they worked! Well, now that you've been on treatment for so long I'm sure your liver has improved...youre another one of my "rocks" that I look up to and get inspiration from, I'm sure I'm not the only one...youre another brave "Warrior Goddess" who is on here...ha ha! hope you all had a nice holiday weekend....
Sorry to hear about your friend, hope the meds work and he will be okay. Best thing is that he is being cared for 24 hrs a day right now. Wish him well and will say a few prayers for a quick recovery.
How are you doing and how is your family and friends. Hope all else is going okay for you. Very good eye opener with your friend there.
I am going to the doctor today and try to get back on my prozac and ativan, at least till we complete this round of Hodgkins with my husband. This roller coaster I am on, just won't slow down. Some days get pretty bad for me, not knowing whether you are up, down, forward, backward, boy do I have some days like that, never a middle. Have to get the house as sterile as possible for when he returns from Stem Cell Transfusion. Have been doing some CRAZY spring cleaning, like just about everything goes. LOL Took old carpet from my room and hallway. Did laminate floors ourselves. (Pecan) Much better than carpet. Can't wait till his treatment is all over and we can take the rest of the carpet out of the house.
Well see ya, have to get to work now.
Cajun
How are you doing and how is your family and friends. Hope all else is going okay for you. Very good eye opener with your friend there.
I am going to the doctor today and try to get back on my prozac and ativan, at least till we complete this round of Hodgkins with my husband. This roller coaster I am on, just won't slow down. Some days get pretty bad for me, not knowing whether you are up, down, forward, backward, boy do I have some days like that, never a middle. Have to get the house as sterile as possible for when he returns from Stem Cell Transfusion. Have been doing some CRAZY spring cleaning, like just about everything goes. LOL Took old carpet from my room and hallway. Did laminate floors ourselves. (Pecan) Much better than carpet. Can't wait till his treatment is all over and we can take the rest of the carpet out of the house.
Well see ya, have to get to work now.
Cajun
Could be a staph infection...but sounds more like a strep skin infection... my neice contracted one & wound up in the hospital with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome ... it developed from bonking her head on a doorway (when she cut corners too quick) which resulted in a small cut on her temple.... Nasty Stuff!
Hope your friend will be okay...Shish!
;)
Hope your friend will be okay...Shish!
;)
Hey that sounds like exactly what happened to me only my scratch came from a rose thorn. When the doc said I might "lose my hand" you can imagine how freaked out I was. It shows how those of us with liver damage have far less defense to bacteria.This was a TINY little thorm scratch! Not something you would even consider a wound, but it turned into a nightmare.
I sure hope your friend pulls out of it, I did. They used a cocktail of antibiotics on me and that finally worked thank heavens.
By the way, I DID clean my wound well but I guess the bacteria was able to proliferate anyway.
Im glad he is being closely watched in the hospital, lets hope today it is improving.
IF a sore, no matter how tiny hurts FAR MORE than seems "normal" do not ignore it, go to the doctor right away. Even ONE day of putting off treatment can be a critical mistake. If you are on treatment or have substantial liver damage, follow up on any scratch or cut that turns red or hurts more than seems normal right away, don't put it off for a day or two.
I sure hope your friend pulls out of it, I did. They used a cocktail of antibiotics on me and that finally worked thank heavens.
By the way, I DID clean my wound well but I guess the bacteria was able to proliferate anyway.
Im glad he is being closely watched in the hospital, lets hope today it is improving.
IF a sore, no matter how tiny hurts FAR MORE than seems "normal" do not ignore it, go to the doctor right away. Even ONE day of putting off treatment can be a critical mistake. If you are on treatment or have substantial liver damage, follow up on any scratch or cut that turns red or hurts more than seems normal right away, don't put it off for a day or two.
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