Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Infection

Sometimes something small and unimportant becomes big and scary and very important - but only when you least expect it and only when your whole life is focused on something else. We have been working on an extra special, extra large wholesale order this past month and it has consumed so much of our life that when Doug started talking about his leg hurting again we both just brushed it off. We all kept working and powering through the long and sleepless nights. But last week, when the pain became unbearable, we started paying more attention. As you know, he had an infection in a torn muscle and was on antibiotics for a few weeks that we thought has done the trick. But it just wasn't healing, and in fact, it was becoming worse. So, back to the hospital we went, and found out that the infection has spread to his lymph nodes. Back on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and bed rest.
 

The holidays are our busiest season and for being self employed, we don't take days off. We work endlessly to get orders out and we love it. But this has been scary. Infections are scary, and being in so much pain you can't walk, that's really scary too. So no matter what, no matter how many pending orders we have, no matter how much work we have, being healthy comes first and I feel lucky we have so many understanding, caring customers and friends.  

We are the kind of people who have to be drug to the doctors office kicking and screaming. We writhe in pain, cry, scream, cough up blood and chop the tips of our fingers off - and still insist that a doctor isn't necessary. But this experience, it has changed us. An infection in your body can be deadly and it is something that you don't take lightly. It took Doug almost a month before he let me take him to the hospital, and when the pain came back, it took a few days for me to convince him he had to go. We spent all night there, and when we got home and crawled into bed, we both felt better. I don't know what I would do without Doug and a fear of the hospital just isn't worth the risk. 

Anyways, long story short, we learned a lesson, Doug is already feeling a little bit better but is pretty confined to the couch for a little while and still in a lot of pain. We are leaving for Florida for Thanksgiving on Wednesday and I'm hoping a quick vacation and family time will do everyone good. We get pretty spoiled when we go home. 

Have you ever been hurt/sick and not done anything about it? I know there are lessons to be learned in all of this - tell us about yours. 



19 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear about Doug's leg getting worse, but I am so happy you guys went to the hospital and got something for it. Hopefully it will clear everything up this time!

    Safe travels to you both on your trip to Florida. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

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  2. I really hope he gets better quickly! That is so scary!

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  3. In the wise words of Mallrats, "Do it, Doug!!!"

    I am hugely anti-doctor-going, including a few weeks ago when I impaled my pinky on a jewelry saw, kept working, and then refused to get a tetanus booster. I'm a big fat idiot.

    But really, let me tell you about my friend and co worker who was bitten by a spider about 5 years ago. I saw him the night it happened and he said, "Look at my leg. It's like memory foam!" "You should go to the hospital, like, right now." I said. It took Josh almost an ENTIRE MONTH to consent to go to the hospital. Everyone offered to drive him. Everyone offered to help pay. In the end, his leg abscessed (!!!!!!) and nearly had to be amputated (!!!!), he spent two years hobbling around on a cane (!!!!) and ended up making ends meet by tattooing out of his bedroom because he was physically unable to leave the house on his own power. Still, while he's mostly better, he still will get weird leg and joint flare-ups and has to be careful. Sometimes, it's okay to go to the hospital.

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    1. I agree, sometimes it is okay, and absolutely necessary. I wish he would just hurry up and get better. I'm sorry about your friend. :(

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    2. I really have to resist the urge to call him "Spyder Byte".

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  4. Hope he gets better soon and enjoy your little vacation! Take care of yourselves.

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  5. Oh no, that is awful! I hope things will get better soon.

    Sending good thoughts your way!

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  6. What a scary experience. You're right though, sometimes you just need something terrifying to happen for you to acknowledge the importance of your health and wellbeing over your work. I have been guilty of working myself to the bone, to the point where I was feeling like a shell of a person, in the past and now that I'm getting a wee bit older and a wee bit wiser, I have begun valuing my health over everything else. I mean, if you don't have your health, what do you have? Right?

    I'm glad to read that Doug is doing better. Good for you for being the driving force behind him making the trip to the hospital.

    Safe travels. I hope your vacation will do the trick and leave you both feeling healthy and rejuvenated.

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  7. I hope that he's healed and feeling a lot better soon! I'm so glad that he finally went to have it checked out. Infections can definitely be a scary thing. I had a situation last year kind of like that - I thought that I'd been bitten by a spider but kept putting off having it seen about. Turns out I had a staph infection raging through my body and it had shown itself by leaving wounds on my skin. The doctor's face at the ER showed me how serious it could have been if I hadn't gone in. I have no way of knowing how I got the infection but our best guess was that I got it from having a simple mole removal done at the dermatologist's office. Reading E.Elizabeth's post above REALLY made me glad that I go there in time. And Doug too!

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  8. that is so scary. i hope this round of antibiotics kills it. my dad is someone who won't go to the doctor.he cracked a tooth and didn't tell my mom and didn't do anything until he was in so much pain he couldn't get out of bed. he refuses to take days off. when my mom forced him to the dentist, the dr. had a very serious talk with him about how he is lucky he didn't die because a mouth infection can kill you quickly. i try to learn from that but I but put off going to the doctor until the last minute too. i'm trying ot get better. i pay for insurance, i need to freaking use it.

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  9. Becca and Doug, I'm so glad you guys eventually made your way to the hospital.

    The only time I've felt really conflicted about this is when I lived in NYC and didn't want to go to the EMERGENCY ROOM for a simple (?), sinus infection/cough. That said, my cousin got a heart infection that same winter and my simple cough could have developed into the same thing. scary.

    Doug, heal fast. Becca & Doug enjoy your vacation!!!

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  10. Oh my goodness! I am so sorry to hear about this. But am so glad you encouraged him to take care of himself, and that he's feeling better! xoxo

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  11. Hope the break helps. We just took some days out and although we were both tired and abit stressed by our haphazard plans the break really helped my head and give me renewed energy.
    Would u be able to hire a temp to help u with large workload over holiday season?

    B x

    Healing vibes to Doug

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  12. i was so upset to hear that doug had to go back to the ER because i know you guys just want to be done with it. i also know that you aren't doctor people, so having something that requires doctors and meds sucks even worse.

    that's a rad picture, and tell doug chris and i hope he heals quickly!

    oh and you know that cough that won't go away? my nurse sister told me that in her medical opinion, i have bronchitis, but guess who's not going to the doctor ;)

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  13. Oh Gosh! I hope he gets better soon!
    R&R is always good. Ya'll both deserve it.

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  14. Oh yeah, infections are no joke- my friend's dad was in the hospital for 6 weeks with an infection in his knee that doctor's think originated as A PAPER CUT that got infected and went untreated. Another friend of a friend actually died from a tooth infection that traveled to his lungs. I'm majorly hippie dippie in the medical sense, I'm talking eating bulbs of garlic in lieu of going to the doctor about a gnarly cold, but with infections from now on I'm jumping in the car.

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