OR THIS ISN'T WHAT I ASKED SANTA FOR!

It
all started on the evening of November 27 as a little red dot on my
leg. The next day being Thanksgiving, and knowing that a doctor wouldn't
be available, I went on to the buffet though I felt a little, very
little, pain in my leg. By Monday it was a different story--the red spot
turned into a black/red circle and there was consistent pain so I
called my primary doc and went to see him that afternoon. My leg was
twice the size it usually was and kept on swelling up. He said it was an
abscess and called a 'minimally invasive surgeon', making an
appointment for me on Thursday as I needed time to get the warfarin out
of my system.

Monday
night I was at the computer, watching some TV, and glancing down I
noticed my toes were turning black. (Without going to much into it in
previous years I had been going to a vascular surgeon who said that
someday my leg may have to be amputated and if I ever saw purple black
turning cold toes to call him immediately. By the way I changed vascular
surgeons after 5 years of hearing 'leg amputation'!) Panic set in as
soon as  I saw the toes and I called 911 at 1 A.M.. I got to the
hospital where 2 doctors looked at it and said, yes, it was an abscess
and that I should keep my surgeon appointment on Thursday--that was it
after being there for 3 hours. I got home, the pain was bad and the foot
itched but I was getting through it.

My
appointment with the 'minimal surgeon' was at 4:15 so Allen took me on
my Thursday runs of The Pantry, the bank, Dollar Tree Store, Winn-Dixie,
laundry and then we went for lunch. We still had time so we went to my
place and I brought everything in and after stopped at The Home Depot
where I picked up some soil and then on to the doctor. The doctor opened
the abscess which he said wasn't and I thought I heard blood clot. He
said I was to call my vascular surgeon and see him ASAP! It was already
after 6 so I knew I would have to wait. He wrapped the spot where he had
made an incision and it seemed to be seeping a bit.

I
came home, had some home made split pea soup Norman made for
me--delicious--and then I settled down to the computer and to watch "The
Sound of Music" live on NBC, read the AllThatChat dissing it as it
played and then at 10 PM it was time for "Scandal". I was feeling some
pain but I have a fairly high thresh-hold of pain--besides I wasn't
about to miss "Scandal"! I watched the 11 PM news and around Midnight I
knew I couldn't sleep with the pain and I was sort of concerned about
that doc's ASAP so once again I called 911. (Heck in my part of the
world everyone is asleep by 11 so there wasn't anyone i could call to
take me to the ER. A long story short--the doctor unwrapped the bandage
and said, yes it was a hematoma and cellulitis, that he would give me a
prescription for pain killers and that I should get to the vascular
surgeon. By the way he just left the wound unwrapped and the blood was
dripping into the bed until a nurse saw it, shook her head and
immediately rewrapped the leg. Of course the drug store was closed so I
couldn't get the pain killers and I couldn't sleep because I wanted to
reach the vascular surgeon's office as soon as it opened, which I did
and got an appointment for 1:30 in the afternoon.
By the way all the ambulance people, nurses, aides were all great--the doctors not so!