Continued Antibiotics, etc.

Hey everyone! I know I have not written in a bit, much to my deepest regret. Access to a fully functioning computer still proves to be challenging at this point, but I will have a new one by Christmas!

I have been out of the hospital since the end of September now and it has been such a delightful treat. Just earlier today, I spoke with one of the VAC nurses Erin in regards to my antibiotic situation. Initially, upon coming home, I was taking 2000 mg of cephalexin daily (twice a day). We then lowered it to 1000 mg of cephalexin daily and I was due to finish it today. However, due to my unchallenged success on these oral dosages, my doctors have made the decision to keep me on it for another two months as a prophylactic. I was quite pleased with this decision as I have my sister's wedding towards the end of December. The medicine does make me feel slightly sick, but probiotics can help counter this.

As far as debulking my ankle is concerned, I am planning to move forward with this procedure. However, nothing will be finalized until I meet with Dr. Spencer, Dr. Alomari, and Dr. Fishman on January 3^rd. 

I am still dealing with a great deal of anxiety and depression, however am working very hard to make it through each day and to be at least somewhat productive. The hardest part of being out of the hospital is readjusting to at home life while trying to maintain my health and reestablish normal daily habits.

Hope to update soon!

- Arianna

These Days - A Quick Update!

Just a quick update! This is a picture of my ankle at the mall earlier – I was in so much pain in my calf area and could not wait to get home to rest my leg in bed. These days, I am on 1000 mg daily of an antibiotic (orally) to prevent the possible relapse of a cellulitis infection. I will call to check in with VAC clinic on November 20^th (as planned) to see how much longer I should be on this medication, as a person's body can indeed become tolerant to it. I am also on 15 mg daily of Meloxicam (imagine a really strong Advil) for the chronic pain in my calf area; however, I still experience a great deal of tenderness within that region.

I realize I am extremely blessed as I have been out of the hospital for approximately a month now! These past several months were truly a trying time physically and mentally; I undoubtedly could not have made it through without the help of my family, friends, doctors, and nurses. Each day, I am regaining my strength little by little. What do I mean by that? Well, following the series of serious infections, I was left in a physically fragile state – just a few steps were enough to make me lose my breath and I would need to sit down and reboot. These days, I can (usually) go a good few minutes walking before I need to sit and regain my strength again.

Also, my co2 laser is healing beyond wonderfully – this was a procedure done by Dr. Alomari while he simultaneously operated on a couple of cysts in the Klippel area. I will take a picture of it scarring over and post it soon! For now, I am hospital free and trying to indulge myself back into a “normal” everyday routine. It's not as easy as it may sound, as mentally I have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) from all that has happened this past year. It is not uncommon for me to continuously have dreams in which I am being rushed into the ER due to a rapidly spreading infection. They all feel so incredibly real, and I often awake in a pile of wet sweat and have to catch my breath. I just try to remind myself that all I have is the present – I don't know and have little control of what will come of tomorrow or the next day or where I will be a year from now, medically speaking. Therefore, it is rather useless to worry about the future in that regard. Still, at times, easier said than done.

More soon!

Also, please send well-wishes to one of my dearest KT friends Cheyenne right now who is back in the hospital due to a series of clots. She was just released after being admitted for a solid month and is now back again. She is such an incredibly tough girl and undoubtedly a warrior, and I pray that her body will allow her to have some peace sooner rather than later.

- A