In a situation where life and death choices had to be made, my daughter made the decision to transfer me to the University of Nebraska Med Center by ambulance last spring. Now I want you to know that I LOVE my doctor and all her attendings and nurses and entourage in Omaha. But I do not like the two and a half hour drive every time I need to see her. It's bad enough when I'm hurting and want to drive across town to the ER and instead of that, call to beg a friend or relative to drive me to Omaha... but for the easy stuff, there's just gotta be a better way!
I'm proud to let you know that I've found it!
Monday morning I woke up and my t-shirt was damp. What?! So I looked and my stomach incision (it's a big one) that had complete healed following surgery in November had broken open and was oozing stuff. (I know, not real appetizing.) Thinking that this wasn't a normal thing, I contemplated the drive to Omaha to have the doc look at it. No, no, say it ain't so. I don't wanna drive 5 hours and sit and wait and use up a whole day! So all day long I thought I should but I didn't want to. Woke up Tuesday and still oozing, the opening was bigger and I knew something had to be done.
Technological, I am not. But I grabbed my digital camera and snapped a couple pix of my stomach area (not a pretty picture).
WARNING WARNING WARNING!
PICTURE CONTAINING GRAPHIC DETAILS
I emailed the doc's nurse with the photo attached and explained the ooze and no pain and how long and all the specifics. In twenty minutes, the doc's administrative assistant called me to say that the doc had diagnosed the problem (cellulitis) and prescribed antibiotics to pick up within the hour at the pharmacy.
Voila! Is that cool or what? I am so proud of me for figuring out how to do that and for thinking of that as an option to a whole day ordeal.
Now, the next step is figuring out how to take care of myself in such a way I don't have ooze or a need to go to the doc... I have some ideas. Wish me luck!
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