This is what an "abscess" Looks like on my Thigh! I gather I did have cellulitis and then came the abscess afterward....

Cellulitis? An Abscess? A Boil!!?? What is it, was and what is the difference???

Since I just about "fainted" a few minutes ago, I am making this short... and will give more information either this evening later, or tomorrow. I saw the surgeon yesterday and the "lump" on my leg, after changing from "cellulitis" had actually formed an abscess under the skin. So, he wanted to "open and drain" it... and of course send off some of the infection to find out what caused it. He told me that there was "little"cellulitis left... so I was confused, and came home to read and find the exact differences between an abscess, cellulitis, impetigo, and then you can have an infected hair follicle etc... well, it probably began as "cellulitis" which was infection in the deeper portions of the skin... usually no formation of a "pocket of infection" but an infection spread over an area of the underlying skin. Where the abscess was actually a "pocket" of infection that had to be opened up and drained... Now most of you know I am one tough "cookie" due to the many surgeries, procedures, and so forth I've been through, but this FREAKING HURT!!! When he went in and began to injection the Lidocaine to "numb" the skin, I almost jumped off the table! OMG, it stings anyway, but this was even worse than it going in your upper palate of your mouth for a tooth to be fixed or pulled. It kept jabbing around putting an ass load full of Lidocaine in it, and then of course I was lying down, and he had a drape over my leg, but he "cut" in incision into my thigh. I did not feel much of that, but when he began to go into it with peroxide and Q-tips to clean it out, I wanted again to cry.. Lidocaine or NOT it freaking hurt like hell.... he then "packed" it with gauze and his nurse covered it over with gauze and tape. He asked me if I had someone at home to help clean it out a couple of times a day, and I told him I did not think my pups would be too thrilled - LOL... of course I said I could... yet I still did NOT know the EXTENT of this HOLE in my thigh!!! So, about an hour ago, I knew I had to take the bandages off and clean it out, and then put a band-aid or something to cover it back on....Well, I started to pull all of that gauze off the top and OMG, it was soaked in mess that drained out and blood... then I came to that damned packing... I had to pull that out also... and it was about 25 inches or more LONG.. by the time I got all of it out... also soaked with dry blood and pus that came out of the wound... and then there it is this HUGE HOLE IN MY THIGH!!! It is over 3 inches LONG and about 1 1/2 inches DEEP!!!! Now as I said I am not a cry baby about most stuff... but I had to take Q-Tips and put Peroxide on them and literally go inside of that hole to clean it, and he said to do that at least twice a day!!!! Honestly, I cried while I did it.... So, I do that and he will see me back on Wednesday, and said he should have the results back off the culture... but believe me, I NEVER want to go through this again... and I am not sure even what the heck is up with the lump on the other leg.. I did tell his nurse about it, but he really did not address it, and took care of this one first. I guess time will tell... this other one on my right leg could be nothing, or if it is something then it will certainly show more signs, like getting larger etc.... I thought I would be find one that was done, but believe me... it hurts to even walk on that leg.... so that is my "LABOR DAY" excitement... I hope the rest of the holiday is not like that for sure!!!! When I clean it up later again today, I will try to take a photo of it.... but not sure anyone really wants to see it... I cannot fathom how DEEP and wide it is... just a HOLE, where I guess it "ate away" at the tissues there.... 


http://www.skinsight.com/adult/cellulitis.htm 

21st Century Cures - The Roundtable and UT Southwestern Medical Center!

http://www.newswise.com/articles/u-s-rep-michael-c-burgess-m-d-hosts-roundtable-to-discuss-pivotal-21st-century-cures-act-and-future-of-biomedical-sciencehttp://www.newswise.com/articles/u-s-rep-michael-c-burgess-m-d-hosts-roundtable-to-discuss-pivotal-21st-century-cures-act-and-future-of-biomedical-science

Groundbreaking and exciting News from the 21sr - Century Cures and my Congressman Joe Barton who is a part of the roundtable!

I am also quite partial to SW Med University because my Rheumatologist and Eye Specialist are both there. It is an amazing facility and my Rheumatologist also teaches and does research in the realms of Rheumatoid Arthritis!!!

Pain Pain, and more Chronic Pain - "Legitimate" Pain Patients and "Good" Pain Physicians Suffering from the few who Abuse!

This is a HUGE GROWING Problem for SO MANY of us, with "legitimate" Pain problems. I realize "some" abuse it, but WE as true patients should NOT be punished for those who abuse.... and the ones the at abusing, will find it one way or the other for the most part.... I also feel sorry for the Pain Doctors, that truly are also legitimate... they continue to have more and more hoops to jump through, and put their PATIENTS through.... which is difficult on everyone!

This has always just irritated me to no end, when I read articles, such as this one! We have so MANY "legitimate" pain patients, that would not be able to have ANY QUALITY of LIFE, hence without their medications.

Yet, due to the "few" either "fake patients", or doctors who are not in it, for the REAL Patients, but are in it for their own GREED, have made many of us go through so much paperwork, go through so many questions, go through hoops and hoops in order to receive our medications.

I totally understand "addiction" by those who abuse meds... but, they will abuse, no matter how they get the meds... whether they by them off the streets, or through the black market... they will get them....

Being that is it NATIONAL PAIN AWARENESS MONTH!, I feel even stronger about standing up for everyone who totally is in pain, and like myself, I would never be able to do much of anything if it were not for my medications.... and believe me, I've been with my same Pain Specialist, now for t least 7 years or so, and I have nothing to hide - NEVER have I "ran out of meds early" or lost a prescription, and so forth... never!

Years and Years ago, when they came out with the "Stadol" inhaler, especially for migraines, I had picked one up from the pharmacy on my lunch hour. Well not thinking I left it in my car by accident and it was a very HOT day in Texas.... so the medication "siphoned" itself out of the bottle due to the heat... I was so upset, because I felt like even back then, I may have problems getting my meds. But, I contacted my pharmacist right away, and called my doctor, spoke with them both, I took in the bottle and container it came in, and allowed them to see what had happened. I got another bottle no problem... but in all of my years as a patient with chronic pain, I've seen even myself have issues with either a pharmacist, or one time a doctor be fine and give me my meds, and yet in a month or two, say they can't give that anymore, or change the dose etc... well it is because of being so totally "frightened" by thinking they could lose their medical license, some are just in fear over patients and pain medications.....

Here is the article... and i am sure you will see by what this says... it can mean Disaster for those who DO NOT abuse their meds...









 http://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/2015/02/heroin-prescription-drug-addiction-a-full-blown-public-health-crisis/?utm_campaign=qd+tweets&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=150216+heroin+prescription+drug+addiction+public+health+crisis&dynid=twitter-_-qd+tweets-_-social-_-social-_-150216+heroin+prescription+drug+addiction+public+health+crisis

3rd Day of the 30 day Challenge for the support and promotion of National Pain Awareness Month

I am taking the "30-Day Challenge for pain awareness".... which today is the 3rd day. Yesterday I wore "blue" along with a sign in my car from a photo I made like this one. Today, I am supposed to write down what I would be doing in life if, I was not sick, and have chronic pain issues. Well, first of all, I would probably be doing something in the medical field. I had wanted to be an RN ever since I was in my teens. But, now, if things for me health wise were different, I could see me being a researcher, and doing research on illnesses, such as these autoimmune illnesses, Lupus, RA, Sjogren's, Raynaud's, and so many more, hundreds, and would be trying to find out the "origin" of what causes them that hopefully would lead to a way to stop their progression OR possibly have a way that NO ONE ever had to even have them in the first place. I would be "more active"... going out more, taking my Mom out more... and doing things with friends... right now honestly, I don't have many "friends" as far as here near me... not those that I could go out to dinner, shopping, a movie, or even to the casino with for a day or overnight.... And the reason for that is these illnesses. I never know from one day to the next, if I will wake up feeling "okay" or wake up feeling like as my Dad would have said "pulled thru a knot hole backwards"... LOL... then there are days I wake up fine, but in a few hours I feel horrible, or can feel like hell when I first get up, and within a few hours, feel better... these horrid diseases, which 99% of them include some type of chronic pain, take over your life. Even though many say that can win the battle over them, and I do for the most part, they still have their way of putting you on your butt, even when you try your best to fight against them. I would also already have my 3rd book published, my home would be "more completed" as far as all of the DIY stuff I've started, and some I can't do simply because my health in one way or the other puts a damper on something. We, even myself, before the AI illnesses, took many things for granted... even though I suffered migraines since the age of 17 yrs old, I still could more or less "have a life"... go out, go to college at night, work, do lawn work which I love, and just go do things like shopping or eating out in Dallas, or going down to San Antonio to the River Walk for a weekend... now those things are either almost impossible, OR they are a bit more difficult for me to plan to be able to do... just the stuff here at my house, painting, laying the floors in my kitchen, bath finishing out the walls in my bath, and wiring the lights in, and things like that, some I can do, and others my body no longer allows me to handle. So, a "new normal" (which by the way is kind of one of my "mantra's".... would be to enjoy and do, all of the simple things I used to be able to do, and now I realize that my life has totally turned around and what was "normal" just a few years ago, is certainly not anymore.... 

If you would like to participate in the Challenge Or just find ways to promote "Pain Awareness Month" you can go to :

http://uspainfoundation.org/30daychallenge.html

And do your own challenge or find ways you can let others know about just how much chronic pain can change your quality of life....


#ITookThePledge  Twitter

WEGO Announces - The 1ST Annual RA Blog Week coming up the week of September 21 - thru September 27!

WEGO Health and the very 1st Annual RA Blog Week!

To find out more about how to participate and have your blog included see the URL:

http://www.radiabetes.com/leading-prompts-for-rablog-week-as-of-august-18-2015/

Here is more information about RA Blog Week!

http://www.radiabetes.com/home/rablog-week-white-paper/

This is such an honor! A great way to help others, and find out more about others also!!!!

About #RABlog Week

About #RABlog Week

It is OFFICIALLY September 1st, National Pain Awareness Month 2015 begins.....

Morning everyone here at my FB "family"... It often feels more like "family" at times when I come to my page here, along with my blog. There are several of us, that find comfort in one another, especially when the "storms if pain, illness, and life" begin to be overwhelming. For myself, this entire year so far, has not "turned out" at ALL like I had "planned"... Of course I should already know, after 55 years of living, that "Rhia's Law" is that if it will be COMPLICATED, COMPLEX, CONFUSING, FULL OF DRAMA AND STRESS, DIFFICULT.. just to name a "few" of my thoughts, it shall be happening to ME. Nothing ever comes easy for me... as much as I would love it to, and I've often wondered why, life has to be so darned complicated - as all of us with any type of chronic illness and/or chronic pain, "Living Life" is never "easy"... we battle with illness and pain, we battle with medications, doctors, pharmacies and most of all insurance. We battle just to get up every morning, and try to be our best, whether that means sitting on the sofa all day, being in bed all day, or up and about with errands, work, and the other daily things we accomplish in life. I had just been reading in a local small magazine that usually continues interesting information about our doctors, or different places here involving health... therapy, gyms, alternative medical practices, and the like. They also usually focus on the local people, that either have a beautiful home, like something that may be in the "Historical District" or a new group for different types of illnesses... one such here I was just reading about is Parkinson's. Now even though we are educated about many different ailments, we sometimes tend to think that diseases like, Parkinson's, Dementia, Alzheimer's, arthritis, just to mane a few, are "elderly folks diseases"... yet, right here in our community. One of the reasons why I decided that I wanted to participate in US Pain Foundations, "Beautify in Blue" campaigns here in my home town, is exactly what I have wanted to do for a long while now, with Lupus, RA, Sjogren's, and those living in chronic pain... to begin to educate people here, to bring more awareness, rather than rumors, or misinformation when it comes to any type of severe disease that is all too often "chronic" in nature, and it envelopes and takes away the "life" that you thought you would have. When I began years ago having very severe migraine headaches, there are not a great deal known about them. The doctors for the most part, would either not really know what to do, or give you pain meds... that later ma have been considered "habit forming" and such. But, I worked MANY years at several different jobs, and in one way or the other, the migraines interfered with my job and my life. I wanted to be a nurse, and had my sites on that profession for many years. Yet, when I finally had that opportunity, the headaches would have been an interference in my schooling. So, as badly as I wanted to pursue that career, I knew it was not in the cards for me. I did go to college mainly during the evenings, after work, and got my AD, and the most proud moment is when I was inducted into the "National Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at the college I attended. I of course still have my lapel pin, and even had special lettering made and put it in my car back glass... I was so thrilled.

But, I still fought around the damned headaches... then new medications came out, none of which I could take, or they simply did NOT work... I always tell this one story, I had to go to the ER one night with a really bad migraine. It had been going on for days, and I just could not get it to "cease and desist" ... the ER doctor, I think rather than giving me what they usually did, decided to give me "Compazine". Well, this nurse came in with a pretty large syringe of medication that I believe was to go into the IV they had started... It did not take long, and I began to feel "odd"... it was just not working at all in fact, and I just felt like I was going "nuts"... so rather than the doctor trying something else, he told her to give me yet another round of it... I literally got up, pulled the IV out of my arm, wrapped it up to stop the bleeding and I left... I was having some kind of horrible reaction to that medication, it was NOT working, and I certainly did not need anymore.... So, those types of events in our lives, makes us want to stand up for not just ourselves but others just as we are... ILL and yet some physicians just DO NOT either listen, or they prefer the patient to be quiet, or there is just too much misinformation being spread around.... SO, TODAY and for the next 30 DAYS I hope you join all of us in promoting the correct information and awareness about Chronic Pain....

 

Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/U.S.PainFoundation

 

 

Take The 30 Day Challenge by the US Pain Foundataion

 

http://uspainfoundation.org/

 

 

 #ITookThePledge