I'm Randi, a mother, wife, tattoo collector, dog mom, Halloween lover, chronic pain sufferer, epilepsy surviver, fibromyalgia warrior, and most recently sepsis, cellulitis, hospital vacationer who can't currently walk. My husband's name is Ron and our son, Ryan, is 9. Ron is a psychologist counselor and Ryan is getting ready to go on to 4th grade and does indoor rock climbing.

On Saturday July 19th 2025, I thought I was having a fibro flaireup which is common to me. I laid in bed the entire day with a heating blanket and mostly slept with body aches. I noticed my foot was swollen but it's my problem foot so I assumed it was normal. On Sunday morning my foot had some red splotches on it; I thought maybe a big bug bite. I tried to walk and I couldn't walk on it and it was like a golf ball on my ankle. I went to urgent care, they automatically said I needed to go to the ER. While I was in the ER, they thought maybe I'd get some shots, an IV and then I would get to go home. They removed the IV etc. They checked my vitals again; my fever was 104 and my blood pressure dropped to 90 over 52. My white blood cells count was way up. They decided to admit me. They gave me a new IV and pumped me full of liquids and antibiotics. The same day, the sepsis rash took over my entire foot and ankle and was crawling up my leg. They drew a purple line to keep track of where it started. My ankle and foot felt like they were (I know I'm vegetarian) but a sausage stuffed in a casing that wasn't going to hold. It was seaping and painful and to even put it into the floor was intolerable. My son felt so bad for me, he hated seeing me this way. I slept all day Monday. Tuesday, I begain to panic because even with antibiotics the rash was coming up my leg; my entire leg was hot and in terrible pain. I had a migraine that started Sunday evening from the meds that the doctors didn't want to treat right away so I went the entire night with no sleep and finally a nurse came in that was able to get IV meds for me so I could have some relief. That is why I finally slept all day Monday. On Tuesday I cried all morning as the rash was just worse and worse and so painful. I couldn't find a way to get it to be comfortable laying on the bed my Iv was in an uncomfortable spot that they had reinserted from when the original was taken out. Some of the nurses and even a very kind janitor noticed my distress and tried to comfort me, telling me they've seen worse and it will get better. A specialist came in and got a new IV on my upper arm by my bicep. The infectious disease doctors took swobs of the ooze coming out of my foot. They determined I had cellulitis. They got me a walker with a chair seat that helped me wheel to the restroom so I could shower on their bench shower. The nurse made sure I had everything and wouldn't fall. I had an MRI on my foot to see if surgery was in the cards. I could not bend my foot into the spot so I had to scoot way up on the gurnew and they were able slide the casing for the MRI over my foot. They had to squeeze foam all around it but I had terrible muscle spasms. It was painful just being bent with all the foam toaching it. After a lot of waiting, a infectious disease doctor came to look at it and changed my antibiotics to a much higher dose. Ron and I both have parents that work so Ron has to miss almost an entire week of work as a counselor to be with Ryan. They came to visit me, bringing me gifts, snacks, clean clothes, and told me about their days. The MRI came back that if the antibiotics worked, there was no need for surgery. The doctor decided that even though I am swollen and cannot walk that I can do that at home and continue to take antibiotics. So got home Wednesday night; I found it much harder to move around and use the walker in the house. Our dogs, an 11 month old pug and a 15 year old miniature pinscher missed me so badly they both slept with me.

On a side note, I never ask for handouts or help. But i may need an actual wheelchair to get around as I can not walk on my left foot or worse risk getting more bacteria on it even through its wrapped. We may need help just to catch up from missed work.

I am so thankful to those of you who rescued out to check on me, pray for me, or even just to lend an ear. I am thankful that the ER staff made a quick decision to decide to keep me there so I could get better. This could have been so much worse. I am thankful to Ron bringing me coffee from home and chargers and snacks. And Ryan for picking me out gifts and just making me laugh. I am thankful to my parents who stopped often, bringing coffee and making sure I was ok. I am thankful to the doctors whose names I won't remember but faced I will who showed compassion and empathy. I am thankful to the lunch staff who let me pick random things to eat because not a single thing sounded good to me. I am thankful to Ron's mom for checking on me so many times and listening. I am thankful to my friends who told me to go to a doctor and checked up on me and told me they loved me. I am thankful to Facebook friends and family who reached out or listened. But most of all, I am thankful to be home and hopefully on a path to getting better.

I want to make it known that this could happen to anyone with a cut, scape, bug bite, too short toe nail that just happens touch bacteria that it shouldn't. My fibro makes me clumsy and I run my feet into things often because I ways barefoot. I get cuts and bruises and don't even know they are there. Make sure your checking your foot and taking care of your injuries.

Like I said before, I never ask for help or handouts but we could really use the help and positive vibes sent our way.