Sorry to hear about your circulatory problems. In my case it started six or seven years ago when I accidentally turned my wheelchair over and scraped my ankle. The scrape refused to heal. We washed it daily and applied antibiotic creams but it didn’t do much good. My doctor prescribed oral antibiotics but they didn’t help either.
Eventually my feet and ankles started swelling up. The swelling would come and go. The doctor said it was edema caused by poor circulation and that was probably due to sitting in a wheelchair all the time.
Then last fall it took a turn for the worse. My right lower leg started developing blisters that would pop and drain water. Went to the doctor and he prescribed more antibiotics. This prescription included penicillin and I broke out into a terrible hot itchy red rash over most of my body. So then I had to take pills to counteract that, and creams to soothe the rash and itching. Took about a week or more to get rid of that.
In the meantime a second course of antibiotics didn’t help. Then the left foot and leg began swelling. My left foot is now so swollen I can’t put my shoe on.
Then by Christmas I had water and gunk coming out of both lower legs and a layer of skin came off a 6 inch swath over my lower left leg and my right leg developed oozing sores.
My doctor said that I’d probably have to have bypass surgery and if that didn’t cure it, I might lose my legs. He sent me to a cardiovascular surgeon who said basically the same thing.
The cardiovascular surgeon sent me to the VA hospital where he said they had a great cardiovascular team. The first VA doctor who examined me sent me home with antibiotics to fight the cellulitis that was creeping up my legs nearly to the knees and ibuprofen to relieve the pain.
I went back to the VA ten days later for a follow-up and this doctor was so concerned about the swelling, redness and weeping/oozing that she didn’t want to send me home. She wanted to admit me right there on the spot either for emergency surgery or intravenous antibiotics. She was worried my blood would get infected and then I’d really have some serious problems.
She called in a surgeon to have a look and he listened to my arteries with a Doppler device, measured blood pressures in my arms and legs and came to the conclusion that it was not an emergency situation. A second surgeon came in and concurred. Then the chief cardiovascular surgeon came in and and ran some tests, asked a lot of questions and concluded it probably was not arterial, but a venous problem that could be solved without surgery. He said, don’t worry Mr. Robinson, we know your legs are important to you and we will save them. Thank God!
He wrapped my feet and legs in a compression bandage and sent me home.
In the meantime, the doctor had taken a culture of some stuff oozing out of my sore left big toe that I had smashed and lost the toenail on, and she called my yesterday to say it was definitely infected. She prescribed antibiotics to fight that infection.
I went in yesterday for ultrasound and x-rays. Don’t have the results on those yet. The nurse changed my compression dressings while I was there and scheduled me in twice a week for regular changes.
Have an appointment next Tuesday for a follow-up on the infection and another in three weeks at the surgery clinic. So, we’re sitting here waiting and praying.
Thank you all very much for your prayers.
And I’ll offer prayers for you, my friend.
nutmeg & zelig
Waiting for something like this must be so hard. Continued prayers for you, my FRiend.
Compression dressings can really help; I know it is a pain to sit and have it done each time, but they will aid the healing. I am sure you are conscientious about taking the antibiotics on time.
There are a couple of suggestions I have that you may or may not want to use, in addition to your excellent medical care, natural antibiotics that may assist your body in fighting the infection(s). One is drinking green tea, it seems to help the antibiotics by making them more effective. Another is little oil of oregano capsules, oregano is effective against a number of infectious organisms. Another is cod liver oil capsules, no bad taste and both vitamins are helpful in keeping the body and skin healthy.
If the suggestions are useful and seem good to you, I’m happy; if not, no problem.
So many of us love and respect you, we are praying right along with you and your loved ones for your complete recovery.
GOODNESS!
Thanks for the update.
imho, it is at times like these that we realize the priority of prayer and particularly of The Lord Jesus, who is “touched with the feelings of our infirmities” as the King James puts it.
###
I do have a bit of an inclination to flog you with a wet noodle, however,
FOR FAILING TO CALL US TO MORE EARNEST PRAYER MONTHS AGO! SILLY RABBIT!
YOU ARE OUR FEARLESS LEADER. WE !!!!NEED!!!! YOU IN TOP SHIPSHAPE. You are no longer ‘merely’ your own, if I dare say so.
Please let us share your burdens all along the way. It is our honor as well as our beloved duty.
The enemy of our souls and our Republic is a roaring lion seeking to devour at every opportunity. We MUST support one another in earnest prayer and caring 24/7.
imho, we do not have the “luxury” of rationalizing that we’re bothering each other too much etc. etc. etc. imho, we do not have the “luxury” of so much of a stiff upper lip that we can’t share in brokenness and humility our serious needs with one another.
OK, I’ll quit flogging you. I just love you deeply and dearly and hate being out of the loop so long on what was clearly a progressive serious physical problem warranting tons of prayer well before this.
I do, hope, Jim, that you burrow ever more deeply into our Lord and His caring, grace and sufficiency for you. I don’t understand His ways or what He might have for you in all this but I know from great long periods of intense suffering myself—that HE IS THERE whether we always feel Him or see Him there, or not.
TRUSSELL—PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE INSURE that I get pinged on every need our fearless leader has. If he insists, not public, then please FREEPMAIL me. I have meager means but I can pray off and on throughout the day.
Be well Jim.
Prayers that the doctors find the cause of your problems and heal both of you.
I thank God the almighty for your Healing Jim!
You will be in my thoughts! Most certainly my Prayers!
Danae
You are in my thoughts and prayers. May God bring complete healing to you.
Jim, all of our thoughts and prayers are with you here.
Prayers up, sir. You’re a good man!
Jim, I hate to ask this, but why are you in a wheelchair? You say you have feeling in your legs but it seems to me that your legs are basically immobile. Would bed rest help? How about manual manipulation of your legs to help with circulation?
Sorry to seem so ignorant after being on FR for so long.
BTW, your own FR personal page is woefully lacking.
In ev`ry job that must be done,
there is an element of fun.
You find the fun and snap the job`s a game.
And ev`ry task you undertake becomes a pice of cake.
A lark! A spree! It`s verry clear to see.
That a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Medicine go dow-wown, medicine go down.
Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down in the most delightful way.
Jim I dont post often any longer but praying for your health and well being of you and your family is at top of my list right now.
Keep on keeping on : )
Lisa
Prayers for you, Jim ~ for patience and comfort and healing.
Dearest Jim -
Here are God’s words for you:
I will be leaning toward you
with favor and regard for you
rendering you fruitful
and ratifying and establishing
my covenant with you. Jer 26:9 Amp
God is able to do super abundantly, over and above anything you could ask or think .. infinitely beyond your highest hopes or dreams.
God bless you and your family!!
Will be praying God’s comfort, complete healing, and strength for you, Jim.
I have prayed for your recovery. May the Lord hear the prayers of all the freepers for their beloved Jim Robinson.
Thank you so much for the description and update.
I believe that specific prayers help the prayERS as God knows everything about us, anyway!!
Prayers UP for you, Jim.
It sounds like you have a great team fighting for and with you - and with God’s help, you are going to beat this.
I’ll keep praying.
Of course, you will have my prayers for as long as you need them.
God Bless you and yours in this trying time.