Infirmary Report

So today I go to work the same as every other Monday,,, very reluctantly. However, being that our senior Unix/Linux admin is on vacation, I know I have a lot of extra stuff to cover, and begin to look forward to the challenge. My morning routine is pretty set, so I go thru the regular weekend emails, check the status of the backups, make sure that everything went smoothly over the weekend. However, at home, things weren’t so smooth…

Friday Amy noticed she had a small bump on her forehead. Nothing to be alarmed about, for sure… that is, until it grew… and grew… and the left side of her face began to swell. By Saturday, her left eye was swollen shut. Early Monday morning (around 1AM) the swelling had subsided a bit and she told me that she and Will(Will had what looked to be some sort of irritation on his back at the waistline) would go see a doctor later that day.

So, an hour and a half into my morning routine, I get a call from Amy.

“Hey, Hon. What’s up?”

“Uhh.. you need to come home now.” That tiny prickling sensation of fear begins dance at the base of my neck. Anytime you hear, you need to come home, is a warning sign of bad things to come.

“Well, What’s wrong?” By this time, I’m scared to hear the answer.

“They’re putting me in the hospital. You need to come and get Will and take him to the doctor. They said I have cellulitis and they think I have a staph infection.”

What happened next was a blur. I rushed home to get the details. When I got there, it was if the house had been put into lockdown. Victoria was running everywhere with gloves and bleach and disinfectant and the boys had been sent to the other end of the house. I was somewhat aware of the dangers of cellulitis. I have inherited a combination of really bad allergies and skin maladies and cellulitis had popped up a time or two during my google searches for whatever rash or itchiness I may have been experiencing at some time or another.

Cellulitis is basically an infection of the skin – usually strep or staph – sometimes other bacteria which are more resistant to antibiotics. The dangerous part is when left untreated, or if the infection reaches the underlying connective tissue or the bloodstream. Normally treatment for it is oral antibiotics for a week However, if it is bad enough, the antibiotics can be delivered intravenously.

Hence – the reason Amy is in the hospital…

Turns out that Will has a similar infection in his back, but the pediatrician just prescribed a couple of different antibiotics for him and told me to watch him closely. And while the cellulitis isn’t contagious, the bacteria that causes it is. So…

The house has been completely sanitized thanks to Victoria’s hard work. The boys are sleeping soundly. Amy is going stir crazy in the hospital, and I can’t sleep… even if I’m exhausted.

But – tomorrow is another day…
[tags]cellulitis, Victoria, Will, Amy, hospital, bacterial-infection[/tags]

Tags: Amy, Amy-and-David, bacterial-infection, cellulitis, hospital, kids, Victoria, Will