Where Have I Been Lately Part II

A year ago, I wrote a blog entry trying to answer the question -- Where Have I Been Lately? Well, here is part two of that. The original blog is listed a few entries down. After my big toe and second toe were amputated off my right foot last year, I thought and hoped things were getting back to normal. But normal for me has never been too normal anyway and it ended up a lot of things would keep changing in the year since.

In late October, I was recovering from a second amputation. They had gone back and performed a transmet surgery on my right foot which meant they took the rest of my toes and part of the foot itself. I still wasn't feeling right but money was very tight and I was preparing to go back to work with an insert in my shoe. I was walking pretty good, but when I went back to work, I had been moved off of one post where there was not much walking at all to another post where there would be a lot more walking.

I'll cut with the melodramatics.

I was on the job for less than a week before the cold chills, stomach aches and other symptoms returned. I went to the ER on October 31st knowing full well I would be admitted again. And I was right. I was told they needed to perform a below the knee amputation on my right leg and also an amputation of the big toe on the right foot. At this point, I was like, sure, go ahead. The right leg was taken on November 1 and the left big toe the day after. I was put in a room on the 11th Floor at Palmetto Health Richland where I would stay for six months.

Yes, six months.

The main problem was that the blood infection was back and would not go away. They were worried it was in my bones in my left foot and knew it was attacking my heart valves. I was put on an IV drop of antibiotics during which the second toe on my left foot became infected and was amputated. I was given more antibiotics and when it looked like the infection was gone, my third toe on my left foot became infected and consideration was given to taking it too.

I was actually toying with the idea and saying just take the whole foot and let me heal, but my doctors thought they could save the rest of the toes and foot. And, so far, they were proven right. I got released from the hospital on May 2nd.

And on May 9th, I caught my first moving train since October. It was on my hometown railroad, in good light, passing an area landmark. I was excited.



I've been battling insurance issues since then and trying to get settled into my new place. I don't know if the future holds more surgeries and less limbs, but I'm trying to enjoy what I have in the meantime.