A Skin Infection Can Cost You ... Your Life!

A Skin Infection Can Cost You ... Your Life!
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/Granny Gee

Skip's arm ... I didn't take photo of the tiny wound on the inside of his elbow ... it was closed, 'healed' up.  Photos owned by me, Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee.

　

　

A little cut hurts, bleeds a little. You don't take time to wash it with soap, water ... put something on it.

An old wire fence needs to be moved ... you reach for it, pull it ... a piece of old, rusty wire sticks into your skin. It hurts, it bleeds a little ... you forget about it.

It's just another break in the skin ... right? You don't remember what you've always been told ... if you get a cut on your skin, wash it good with soap, water. It's just ... too much trouble!

Your skin begins to redden around the tiny wound ... you see it, but ... you don't become concerned. It might be a little ... infected. You run to put alcohol on it, then ... maybe antibiotic. It'll get well.

The third day, the redness has spread, widening out all the way around the wound. It feels hot ... mmm-mmm ...... you feel a little more concern.

You go on to forget it once again. You notice some swelling ... the wound is on the inside of your ... elbow. You know how it is ... you don't have time to think about it. It'll get well ... in time.

You just don't know ... that your life is in ... danger. Yes, for-real ... in mortal danger. You could very well die ... you are waiting too long to get medical attention.

The fourth day ... the swelling in your arm is three times bigger .. the redness has become 'huge' ... your arm is ... huge! Your skin has a fever ... you have a fever. You are becoming confused, feel very sick ... want to throw up.

Four days is too long to wait to get medical attention ... that's what happened to Skip, my husband.

Skip suffered all day at work, driving, shifting gears on a big truck. That evening, he came home ... I took one look at his arm, told him to let's go, he was going to the Emergency Room. No one could believe he worked the whole day with his arm ... like that!

Minute by minute, Skip was becoming sicker ... by the time he was taken to a bed in the ER, he was confused. The doctor ordered blood drawn ... then, began antibiotics by IV. He was given injections.

Skip's fever was very high ... not only that, his blood pressure had shot through the roof!

The doctor told Skip that he almost waited too long ... he could have let it go too far ... sepsis ... he could have ... died. One thing that was 'good' ... there was nothing to 'cut' ... to drain out infection.

Not only that ... if he didn't die, he could lose his arm. Skip stayed in the hospital five days on IVs with antibiotics.

He was given injections in his stomach to keep blood clots from forming. For two days, Skip didn't know what was going on ... excepting his arm hurt very bad. His fever raged, his blood pressure soared.

Thankfully, Skip recovered. When he came home, he was still very weak, not feeling well. It took another week to begin to feel better. He took oral antibiotics for a week ... at home.

All of this happened because the wound wasn't washed out good. The nurse said to even 'squeeze' a wound just a little ... to let it bleed, to be safe.

It was 'too much trouble' to go wash the injured area out. It wasn't a 'big' ... thing. You could hardly see where the wire stuck. You get little cuts, nicks like that 'all your life'. Nothing ever ... happened.

We never know how we 'flirt with death, every time we get a little nick, cut. We 'open' ourselves up to infections ... fatal infections. Who would have thought? You don't think ... until ... it's you.

Our lives are very fragile ... sometimes, we don't realize that until ... it's almost too late ... or ... too late.

Just remember from Skip's experience ... he is lucky to be here. A skin infection can cost you ... your life.




Photo Credit is mine.  Photos are of Skip's arm, story is written by me.  Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee