So I'm about to lose my right foot.

If your foot doesn't look miraculously better this morning, then you shouldn't be seeking advice on PC, you should be at the nearest competent ER.

 

There's a candle lit for you.

I second, third, and eighteenth the advice to get yourself to a good wound hospital stat. My mother-in-law (also diabetic) almost died from an infection... however, a good hospital, IV antibiotics, and specialty care pulled her through.

 

Would substituting the word "requesting" smooth your feathers? A patient has the right to expect correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment in a timely manner. I noticed that the OP didn't mention a wound culture being done. I would think that would have helped in prescribing the correct antibiotics.

I do hope he took the advice offered here this morning and got himself immediately to the nearest, best ER.

My prayers are with him.

 

Although I have no reason to doubt TJ's story, the whole thing just doesn't make sense. Someone, who is a diabetic, shows up to a doctor with a toe infected so bad it is black with a deep ulcer (is that not extremely serious, perhaps the beginning stages of gangrene??) has no feeling in his entire foot, gets shot up full of antibiotics, told then to go home for the holidays, and also informed that we will most surely amputate your toe and most likely (70% chance) we'll amputate your entire foot in a few days.

My question is, would a situation such as this require inpatient hospitalization??? Are infections such as these not possible to treat more effectively with IV supervision in a hospital setting rather than just sending the patient home???



Rick
#4 2006

 

In Canada, you wouldn't be sent home that's for sure. Good luck TJ.

 

Hey it's just a foot. Might mess up your football game but...

I hope it all goes well for you TJ. I'm shocked that you are at home not in a hospital receiving the best available care. Every centimetre of every limb is important for you and everyone around you, do everything possible to keep as much of you in tact as possible. At the same time I understand the doctor wanting to minimise the amount of flesh he needs to remove but still stop the infection. I somehow doubt your GP is a specialist in this area, that's why I thought you would be in a place specialists tend to hang out, a hospital.

Take care and avoid the people who pull chicken livers out of your leg.

My thoughts are with you.
Pat

 

Do you mean to say that you didn't go to the ER this morning? As advised by so many of the concerned members here? The correct antibiotic now could lessen the extent of the amputation. One of my feet is worth thousands of dollars to me. Lots of Americans have no health insurance, unfortunately. If you were to incur the debt to save your foot, then you could apply for goverment assistance. All hospitals have a social services dept. to help you with that. If the worst scenario occurs and you do lose your foot, you will still have to take that route.

I am still praying.

 

My wife is a provider at a family care clinic and she concurs that IV antibiotics might be the right choice. Certainly you at least want to get a second opinion from another doctor in your area if you're potentially going to lose a foot!

She also asked how your diabetes is doing since out-of-whack blood sugar makes the infection harder to fight.

She also used to work at a non-profit clinic where many people didn't have health insurance and she recommends that you check out https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php. She said she referred someone who applied and got $500,000 worth of treatment with the insurance she was able to receive through the organization.

Apparently you may have to aggressively pester them due to the urgency of your situation, but you're going to have a lot of medical bills one way or another and the organization may be able to help.

 

if you're going to be stuck with a ton of medical bills in either situation, why not try to save as much of the foot as possible?

you can try for some government assistance- we recently found out that medicaid covered a number of very expensive procedures that our regular insurance refused to pay for.

 

Hey, TJ

I understand that you are very ill right now. Do you have someone to advocate for you? You need to recruit a family member or friend to do that for you. You have a bad infection and nasty effects from the medications ordered. Please seek help.

Donna R

 

TJ, God Bless man. I will say a prayer for you. This is heartbreaking news to me.

 

T.J. Hope your foot is better. (I too vote for your going to the nearest E.R. Two close family members of mine had serious illnesses that were misdiagnosed by their PCP but caught by the ER doc who got them admitted and treated. EMTALA protects your right to get treatment even if you have no insurance. Work out the details of payment later; that is secondary to your safety/health. Like another poster pointed out, there Case Management departments at the hospital who can work out the insurance details. Good luck and God bless!

 

MEDICAID,
thats a great suggestion.
They will pay for a insulin pump 100% for my mother.
I bet you would qualify for care.

 

That's a pretty nasty consequence of getting a blister. Sorry to hear it TJ.