Healing

Real, physical healing.

For the past three months, I've been involved with a fight to keep my right leg. Literally. It has happened a couple of times before but a bump to the inside of my right calf did not heal, and did not heal, and grew, and opened. It looked like some cougar sized animal had just taken a bite out of my leg. And it became infected, turning the whole lower leg red and angry.

The actual wound was under the open part, and the rim of the real wound just upleg from the 5.7cm by 4.5cm  open area three new wounds appeared, joined together to form one large crescent shape wound over the existing chasm.

I've been through this before and, thanks to some people I know with experience, I know I would have been able to lose a leg, stay sane and sober. But I don't want to. Whenever a doctor uses the word "amputation" I perk right up, pay attention, and follow directions.

At this point, I should mention that it was not painful. It should have been, but I have advanced neuropathy - also a result of the 29 years with diabetes - and I didn't feel any of it. Pain is communication to your from your body - "This is wrong, here, and THIS MUCH!" Which I completely missed leading to the advanced wound that I dragged to my doctor after a field medic friend found the wound scary.

We tried Aquacel, Silver Iodide, Meta-honey, and finally went back to Una-boot, or a Calamine wrap, which exactly what saved my leg in 2005 when this dance was in its 2nd round of dancing with the "A" word. The crescent healed down and became three wounds again. Then two small wounds and a vanished middle wound. The big round wound filled in scar tissue from below (which is the effect of calamine) and has become a C shaped scar. It joins several other scars in that area, but this is the largest. This was the worst. That's how it works.

I'm not going to post the picture, but I may produce a little animated video from the wound pictures I've taken since mid-June that will show where it was and how it healed. I'll send it on request but you may not want to see. I didn't want to see.

But I did want to see the healing.

I still can't walk, but this chapter has played out to me hobbling on two canes or rolling in my wheelchair.

So, it is a great stress lifted from me, and I like lifted stress.

Back to work.