Man, I love you guys . . . . :thumbup:
BA brother, thanks for helping Sally with the updates, & a "thank you" to all my bud's that words can not come close to express how much your guy's thoughts and well wishes mean to me. It just reinforces my belief that there are still caring & compassionate people left in this world.
Don't want to write a novel, but just some info for all you "outdoorsey type people" like myself. This all started with a sunburn on my lower legs about 4 weeks ago. Got the usual small blisters, skin peeled, then everything was fine. About a week later, some small blisters (pencil eraser size) appeared above my ankle then went away the next day. 2 days later, two more appeared about dime size, then quarter size, then silver dollar size. Being the he-man I am, & with no bone sticking out of my leg or gallons of blood streaming from it, heated the old proverbial needle, lanced it, put the all mighty god fearing Neo-Sporin on it with a bandage and gauze, changed it daily, and was good to go. That was until 4 days later when I woke up & my right calf was double the size of my left one and was turning red very quickly. By this time, the blister was about 2" wide and 7-8" long. Finally took Sally's advice, went to the ER on Tuesday night. and became a guest of the West Chester Medical Center for the next 9days. I/V antibiotics every 4-5 hours, so many shots and blood draws I lost count. They said I have contacted 2 different types of bacteria, & I still thought it wasn't that serious, until Wednesday morning when two doctors from the Infectious Disease Dept. came in to look at it. That's when I started getting a "little" concerned.
So for the next 4-5 weeks, I have two different types of antibiotics to take in pill form, change the dressing every 8 hours, leg elevated at all times except to walk, and all this from a sunburn. I ask the doctors if lancing the blister did it, she said there could be a hundred reasons (needle, airborne bacteria, bacteria already on the surrounding skin area, not changing dressings correctly, too much exposure to air, etc.).
Guys, take the advice from "the horses mouth" . . . . . no matter how small a cut, gash, scrape, blister, or abrasion you have, for God's sake, make sure you keep it as clean as you can from the start. All my life I have lanced blisters I have got from bailing hay, yard work, sports, construction, yet at this stage in my life, one turns around & bites me in the behind. A very expensive "man lesson" to learn this late in one's life time . . . . . .
Thanks for all the good thoughts, prayers, & well wishes . . . . You guys are the best around, & I mean that sincerely . . . . . . :thumbup:
Be safe.