Thankful
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I returned from the doctor not long ago, and the news was what I had hoped for! Thankfully, the infection was looking improved enough this morning that they were able to remove the drain and packing and that they decided that no further incisions or forced draining was necessary. We'll get the culture back tomorrow or Wednesday, but it's looking so much better that they don't think it's MRSA, which means they don't think it will be necessary to change treatment. I am still in pain, but it's more manageable and I have been able to avoid the Tylenol with codiene so far (which they prescribed in case the pain became unbearable again but recommended against taking if possible, for Robbie's sake). I still haven't had a fever or any other signs that the staph infection has become systemic, which is a huge blessing! As long as it stays localized, it won't affect Robbie. So please continue to pray that the infection will stay localized and continue to heal. Also, the wound itself will take several weeks to heal since it's about 1.5cm in diameter, so please pray that I won't have any additional infections as it heals, since we know that I'm susceptible to them.
Oh, and to answer a couple questions that have been asked ...
-No, this isn't related to my sprained ankle. It's the same leg, but the sprain and the infection aren't related. My ankle is still tender and still swollen from the sprain, I think (hard to tell since the entire leg is swollen from the infection right now), but it's stable and not painful most of the time. Please pray that I will not re-injure it, since the infection-related swelling makes it incredibly uncomfortable to wear the brace so it's not currently wrapped.
-Is this related to my rheumatoid arthritis? Maybe and no. No, it's not directly related to RA. However, prednisone - the only drug I can take for RA while preggers - can supress your immune system and make you more susceptible to infections, so it may have played a role in this. That said, pregnancy itself supresses your immune system (so that your body doesn't reject the baby as a foreign object), so it might not be prednisone-related.
Thanks, friends! I'll be posting snow and birthday pictures later this week, so my next few posts should be cheerier! :)
Oh, and to answer a couple questions that have been asked ...
-No, this isn't related to my sprained ankle. It's the same leg, but the sprain and the infection aren't related. My ankle is still tender and still swollen from the sprain, I think (hard to tell since the entire leg is swollen from the infection right now), but it's stable and not painful most of the time. Please pray that I will not re-injure it, since the infection-related swelling makes it incredibly uncomfortable to wear the brace so it's not currently wrapped.
-Is this related to my rheumatoid arthritis? Maybe and no. No, it's not directly related to RA. However, prednisone - the only drug I can take for RA while preggers - can supress your immune system and make you more susceptible to infections, so it may have played a role in this. That said, pregnancy itself supresses your immune system (so that your body doesn't reject the baby as a foreign object), so it might not be prednisone-related.
Thanks, friends! I'll be posting snow and birthday pictures later this week, so my next few posts should be cheerier! :)