(no subject)
For those of you following along on Twitter, here's an update on my mom. For those of you who aren't, it's cut for heavy hospital-type TMI, lol.
Quick background: My mom's a former diabetic and has had an ulcer on her foot since about August.
On Sunday night, I was switching planes in Houston and called my mom's cell since, for reasons that need their own entry, I had barely made my flight and wanted her to know I'd left Columbia. My dad answered, which was weird, and told me he was driving, following my mom in an ambulance. She'd woken up to her entire foot and half of her calf completely purple. She went to Urgent Care, and the doctor demanded she leave with paramedics for an ER.
As soon as they checked her in and got her examined, the doctor said that she didn't need to stay overnight since the antibiotic drip they were giving her was working really well. Six hours later, it had cleared well enough for her to come with my dad to LAX to pick me up.
Yesterday, I went with her to her doctor appointment. She'd apparently broken her toe within the past month and her ulcer had somewhere infected it; before, there'd been no infection at all, not even in her toe. So, somewhere along the way, she'd contracted one, and the bone infection is what caused the flare up.
The good news about this is that the doctor is sure it was a traumatic fracture. It's super likely, since she has no feeling in her feet at all, and couldn't feel her toe being bent back and forth. WHICH WAS REALLY CREEPY. Anyway, again, that's good, because that means the infection didn't cause the break. It just found its way in and possibly weakened it a bit more.
So right now, she's on a super strong dose of antibiotics for 10 days. Since they basically reduced 90% of the swelling and discoloring at the ER within the first half hour, we're hoping that the rest of the dosage will eradicate whatever's left.
The bad news is that her primary podiatry doctor wants to amputate just based off the fact that her ulcer hasn't gotten smaller since last week. My mom's asking for a second opinion because:
- My mom's doctor... barely examines her. She doesn't even take pictures of the ulcer when she sees her every couple of weeks, so none of us understand how she can say that it's not looking any better. She's not supportive at all.
- My mom's main infusion lab nurse, Terri, is the one who examines her and knows more about the condition of her foot than any of her other caregivers. She's been pleased with how it's looking and says it's been healing. My mom called her today, and Terri definitely recommends a second opinion; in fact, she explained to my mom that there's no reason she needs an amputation unless the bone infection doesn't clear up after this round of antibiotics, and even then, they can still try to treat it. She recommended a referral to an Infections specialist, soooo my mom has an appointment tomorrow to meet with her primary care doctor to get on that track.
- Terri said that she had two diabetes patients this afternoon who were also refusing amputations, and THEIR infections are a lot more progressive and higher than my mom's. So it's good to know that the clinic itself is still supportive of patients who don't want to make a hasty decision. It's also good to know that if it gets any worse, she has a lot more time to decide what to do.
- My mom's had a lot of friends talk to her who've had this before. My dad's boss's wife called tonight and said she had the same thing going on for an entire year before contacting an Infections specialist, so it's really good that my mom's doing it tomorrow.
In the end, the best part is that my mom only really has diabetes in name. It's completely under control to the point where she doesn't even have to take medication for it anymore. The ulcer only formed because it's impossible to reverse the nerve damage that had been done before. This means she's at a lot less risk for peripheral artery disease, which is the biggest critical problem that can arise from this. (She's also quit smoking, takes aspirin, and her blood pressure/cholesterol are all managed, so again, that puts her cardiovascular system at a lot less risk.)
All in all, it's just been a rolleroaster. I'm helping with her saline/medicine drips which... is kinda fascinating, to be honest. :| I'm trying to keep her spirits up and I think going in tomorrow to arrange things and to speak with Terri again will put her in a good mood.
That's what's going on. I wrote most of this so I can keep a record for myself, lol. Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive over the past couple of days, it means to the world ♥
(Any advice from people who've been through this or have had family members/friends/patients with a diabetic foot is definitely welcome.)
Quick background: My mom's a former diabetic and has had an ulcer on her foot since about August.
On Sunday night, I was switching planes in Houston and called my mom's cell since, for reasons that need their own entry, I had barely made my flight and wanted her to know I'd left Columbia. My dad answered, which was weird, and told me he was driving, following my mom in an ambulance. She'd woken up to her entire foot and half of her calf completely purple. She went to Urgent Care, and the doctor demanded she leave with paramedics for an ER.
As soon as they checked her in and got her examined, the doctor said that she didn't need to stay overnight since the antibiotic drip they were giving her was working really well. Six hours later, it had cleared well enough for her to come with my dad to LAX to pick me up.
Yesterday, I went with her to her doctor appointment. She'd apparently broken her toe within the past month and her ulcer had somewhere infected it; before, there'd been no infection at all, not even in her toe. So, somewhere along the way, she'd contracted one, and the bone infection is what caused the flare up.
The good news about this is that the doctor is sure it was a traumatic fracture. It's super likely, since she has no feeling in her feet at all, and couldn't feel her toe being bent back and forth. WHICH WAS REALLY CREEPY. Anyway, again, that's good, because that means the infection didn't cause the break. It just found its way in and possibly weakened it a bit more.
So right now, she's on a super strong dose of antibiotics for 10 days. Since they basically reduced 90% of the swelling and discoloring at the ER within the first half hour, we're hoping that the rest of the dosage will eradicate whatever's left.
The bad news is that her primary podiatry doctor wants to amputate just based off the fact that her ulcer hasn't gotten smaller since last week. My mom's asking for a second opinion because:
- My mom's doctor... barely examines her. She doesn't even take pictures of the ulcer when she sees her every couple of weeks, so none of us understand how she can say that it's not looking any better. She's not supportive at all.
- My mom's main infusion lab nurse, Terri, is the one who examines her and knows more about the condition of her foot than any of her other caregivers. She's been pleased with how it's looking and says it's been healing. My mom called her today, and Terri definitely recommends a second opinion; in fact, she explained to my mom that there's no reason she needs an amputation unless the bone infection doesn't clear up after this round of antibiotics, and even then, they can still try to treat it. She recommended a referral to an Infections specialist, soooo my mom has an appointment tomorrow to meet with her primary care doctor to get on that track.
- Terri said that she had two diabetes patients this afternoon who were also refusing amputations, and THEIR infections are a lot more progressive and higher than my mom's. So it's good to know that the clinic itself is still supportive of patients who don't want to make a hasty decision. It's also good to know that if it gets any worse, she has a lot more time to decide what to do.
- My mom's had a lot of friends talk to her who've had this before. My dad's boss's wife called tonight and said she had the same thing going on for an entire year before contacting an Infections specialist, so it's really good that my mom's doing it tomorrow.
In the end, the best part is that my mom only really has diabetes in name. It's completely under control to the point where she doesn't even have to take medication for it anymore. The ulcer only formed because it's impossible to reverse the nerve damage that had been done before. This means she's at a lot less risk for peripheral artery disease, which is the biggest critical problem that can arise from this. (She's also quit smoking, takes aspirin, and her blood pressure/cholesterol are all managed, so again, that puts her cardiovascular system at a lot less risk.)
All in all, it's just been a rolleroaster. I'm helping with her saline/medicine drips which... is kinda fascinating, to be honest. :| I'm trying to keep her spirits up and I think going in tomorrow to arrange things and to speak with Terri again will put her in a good mood.
That's what's going on. I wrote most of this so I can keep a record for myself, lol. Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive over the past couple of days, it means to the world ♥
(Any advice from people who've been through this or have had family members/friends/patients with a diabetic foot is definitely welcome.)