Suzanne Calling

...blue toeses. The Unna Boot fun is never ending. Yesterday, I was dealing with the usual Boa Constrictor hugging my leg without considering that the boot was too tight. Once I was home and finally relaxing, I had some burning pain and tingling in my foot and a sensation of warmth. This worried me, so I felt the foot-not hot at all. I blogged and attempted sleep. Attempt is the appropriate word. Sleep was fitful, with stabbing pains waking me at least 4 times. Finally, Ed woke me at 8am, and I honestly planned to call out for the whole day from work. Instead, I took the top most layer of the Unna Boot off once I realized that my foot was BLUE! Nice, huh? Called the store, spoke with the opening manager and told her I was going back to bed and to expect me around noon (after we conferred over the day's schedule). I got to work around 12:15. She honestly didn't expect me to make it in and if not for me telling her how bad the night went, would have called me back to t...

Today was yet another visit to the Vascular surgeon's office. While the initial plan was for Dr. J to take off the Unna Boot (see previous entry), he just got to look at the wounds instead. Dr. J looked at the wound for all of ten seconds and asked if we should put another boot put on. He was quite pleased with how they looked. A few minutes later, we talked about the leg pain. He told me when he and Nurse M received their medical training, all indications were that Venous Stasis ulcer patients would not have pain from the ulcers. Their findings are contrary to this, that every patient they see with the ulcers has the pain, most categorize it as 'excruciating' and many fall into that RSD/CRPS spectrum. In some respects, having a high pain threshhold is a good thing. Dr. J said something to that effect as he asked me a bunch of questions about my experiences with the ulcers and the pain. He figured if I'm saying I have pain, I HAVE PAIN! This is what happens ...

Lately, I've had to be a little creative in cleansing the old body. The Unna boot can't get wet, else it gets itchy and disintegrates, leaving white residue EVERYWHERE. So, I encase it in a couple of plastic bags formerly occupied by the Tampa Tribune, top that with a scrunchy and do some shower gymnastics to prevent water from entering the boot. Today, I didn't do such a good job. For one, the boot Nurse M put on is about 2" higher than any of the other boots. This was to prevent any further pinching or rubbing of the mid calf(scar still there, btw). Two, the Tampa Tribune doesn't take into account that their subscribers actually USE the plastic bags for anything more than possibly picking up dog poop and may need the bag to be 2" taller. Finally, I was up much earlier than usual due to a 7:30 start time at work. I inaccurately placed scrunchy at the top of the two plastic baggies and as a result, water seeped into the boot. Ed will tell you, I have ...

I'm frustrated. The leg is healing, slowly but surely. However, I'm getting grief at work for wearing my Crocs. Never mind the fact that I have a doctor's note for the Crocs. If you google "Venous Stasis Ulcer", which is what I have, you will find that they typically are located on the inner ankle. There are even a few pictures out there if you are strong of stomach. However, any shoe I attempt to put on rubs against the ulcers. This is bad. It introduces friction and possible bacteria and slows down the already slow healing. Apparently, I'm within the realm of normal on a first ulcer. Most heal within 40 to 120 days. Well, we're past that, but not by that much. The bosses boss saw the Crocs and complained that they must go. I don't know if the doctor's note made it into the conversation. Somehow, I don't think it did. So I've spent the better part of two weeks trying to find shoes I can wear to work. Alas, there aren't any s...

When two people complain that I haven't updated, out of a readership that numbers in the teens, well, I suppose I should give a reader's digest condensed update... Easter-not a church day for us, but most of you know that. We decided to enjoy a family day over at Sea World. Lesson for the day was that I should suck it up and pay the ten bucks for the wheelchair. We didn't do too much, but the kids saw the Sharks (their can't miss) and played at Shamu's Happy Harbor. I convinced them to go up in the Sky Tower-the view was great. The best part of that was seeing the progress on the new water park, Aquatica. (www.aquatica.com). Talk about motivation for them to learn how to swim. Dinner was at Smokey Bones, and we all had a good day. The inevitable leg update. The Unna Boot has a shelf life of five days, after which time there is seepage from the wounds. It's doing a great job of reducing the ulcers-they are now flat, with one the size of a dime and the ot...

Bob just sent me this one, you will find it hilarious! Go to Google. www.google.com Select maps, then 'get directions'. Ask for directions from New York to London. Read down, but take note of step 23! ROTFL! Take note, directions from LA to Tokyo aren't important.

Today, I visited Nurses M and D and had the Unna Ankle Boot (fashion statement that is NOT coming to a store near you) replaced with the full leg variety. The Suzanne modified boot was taken off and I lament to the wonderful nurses how I'm really bummed. The leg looks better, but I don't think I'm going to get my shot on America's Next Top Model. The wounds have improved, but Nurse M is doubtful. She hasn't really seen them in a couple of months and heck, she thought those suckers would be long healed. This is me we're talking about, nothing ever goes as planned. I describe previous wound sizes and depth and she gets the idea to have Nurse D catalog the wounds for my file. I continue to joke "Hey, I'm getting my photo shoot? Which magazine will I be in?" Good fun. I suppose I should give them copies of the pictures that I won't put in the blog because I know some of you have weak stomachs and others of you, well, you'll use my leg...

Remember how excited I was to find that Ikea would build in Orlando? I was excited to get some more Billy bookcases without driving 7 hours to Atlanta. Don't get me wrong, I want to see Atlanta, it's just that the logistics of purchasing items and trying to fit them in a Beetle with 4 occupants is comical. So driving over to Orlando, grabbing an item and perhaps some swedish meatballs and lingonberry sauce made me happy. Ikea decided to make us happier. We'll be getting one in Tampa in 2009. In fact, I'll pass it most mornings on my way to work. It'll be close enough that if I want that meal for lunch, I can drive over, eat and come back in my alloted hour break. There are things that Ikea is great for-the aforementioned Billy bookcases, for instance. However, after three moves, the dressers we have in our bedroom, all four of them, are falling apart. We'll be replacing them eventually-but with something else. We may not buy much from them once they ar...