A Helping Hand For A Healing Body
Donation protected
In July of this year I started a new job, with much enthusiasm, as I feel it is where I am needed. I work with children from families that don't have the ability to raise or protect a child from really bad stuff in the world. The children are negative, defiant, disrespectful. They've had it pretty rough. They haven't had anyone in their lives with their best interest at heart. The organization I work for is there to foster the values that teach the children that they have worth and are worthy of love. That's what I do.
I am diabetic. When I stared this job. I had a new pair of boots, which gave me a blister on my left foot. The triage I was performing daily on the blister was working and it was healing. Three weeks ago, I noticed redness and nastiness on the bandages. Infection had started. I went to the ER and immediately they started talking amputation. No complete picture of my condition had been obtained. I was scared out of my mind. Through imaging, CT scans, X-rays, MRI, and ultrasound, it was found that the infection went no deeper than the soft tissues of my foot. At that point, a vascular surgeon was consulted, I was admitted to the hospital, and the mission to save my foot was under way. The debridement process to remove dead skin took my silver dollar sized wound to roughly the size of a dollar bill. The debridement is a weekly thing and has been for 3 weeks. There are infectious disease specialists, vascular surgeons, home care nurses, physical therapists and my good ol' general practitioner to meet with several times a week. Exhausting.
The toughest part is strict instructions to stay off the foot. No weight bearing so it can heal. Which means no work. The kicker is, this all started 6 days before my 90 day milestone at work. No sick leave, no vacation time. No income. Had it happened a week later, I could have used donated vacation time. As it stands, I'm high and dry.
The bills still arrive on time. Mortgage, utilities, medication. I need help. Six months of healing will make a new man of me and get me back to the kids who need me.
I am diabetic. When I stared this job. I had a new pair of boots, which gave me a blister on my left foot. The triage I was performing daily on the blister was working and it was healing. Three weeks ago, I noticed redness and nastiness on the bandages. Infection had started. I went to the ER and immediately they started talking amputation. No complete picture of my condition had been obtained. I was scared out of my mind. Through imaging, CT scans, X-rays, MRI, and ultrasound, it was found that the infection went no deeper than the soft tissues of my foot. At that point, a vascular surgeon was consulted, I was admitted to the hospital, and the mission to save my foot was under way. The debridement process to remove dead skin took my silver dollar sized wound to roughly the size of a dollar bill. The debridement is a weekly thing and has been for 3 weeks. There are infectious disease specialists, vascular surgeons, home care nurses, physical therapists and my good ol' general practitioner to meet with several times a week. Exhausting.
The toughest part is strict instructions to stay off the foot. No weight bearing so it can heal. Which means no work. The kicker is, this all started 6 days before my 90 day milestone at work. No sick leave, no vacation time. No income. Had it happened a week later, I could have used donated vacation time. As it stands, I'm high and dry.
The bills still arrive on time. Mortgage, utilities, medication. I need help. Six months of healing will make a new man of me and get me back to the kids who need me.
Organizer
Dayton B. Bartell
Organizer
Duluth, MN
