ER Graduation!

This picture was taken on the worst day of Joseph's infection. Yesterday while we was getting his IV at the ER, the doctor told him that he believed it wasn't just cellulitis, but that he had the bacteria in his bloodstream as well. This was scary! I had just been with my friends a few nights ago and we were talking about bacterial infections that get to the heart and cause death. We talked of the flu-like symptoms that accompanied the death of these individuals. Joseph had the same feverish, achey symptoms as the infection spread.

This was a scary infection. You can barely see Joseph's foot, the part that's bright red, but that's where the infection started and then overnight moved up his leg. His lymph nodes were extremely sore and swollen, so I imagine they did a good job at stopping the infection from spreading, but the rate at which the infection spread from his foot to his groin was really rapid. The thing that scared me the most was that it was twice the distance from his hip to his heart. I thought that if it traveled that distance, that rapidly, we didn't have much time. Luckily it didn't move any further. The first couple of days were stressful and worrisome, then I realized things were going to be okay and that it was just going to take time and patience for him to heal. It was actually calming for me to go to the ER with him so that I could ask questions and be re-assured that things looked like they were going to be okay. I can't wait to see what the hospital bills are. Seriously, should be interesting. Thank heaven for great insurance, but I'm just curious what all of those fancy cocktails he received will cost. :)

Today Joseph received his last IV, he's now taking two oral antibiotics that will hopefully continue to speed healing. I am so grateful that he as responded well to treatment and we pray that a full recovery is just around the corner. But he graduated from the ER!

I've said before that the ER is a great place to people-watch. Well I missed a great session of people-watching today according to Joseph. A gangsta and his lady came in for a pregnancy test....I loved hearing Joseph's rendition of it. Too bad we won't be regulars there anymore. ;)