I Finally Got The Point .....My Summer Vacation ....

One if my RA Doctor's biggest complaints with me is "that I don't take my RA seriously" ... but this past Spring while at a dog show with my husband and his Collies, Colby & Ryan, while Ryan was being touched up for the show... Colby wanted Daddy's attention ... or mine ... so he pawed at myleg ... no big deal I thought ... until our handler, Franny noticed the blood running down my leg ... Oh Crap I thought ...I will have to take precious time out of our schedule that morning to clean up my leg, bandage it and get back in with the swing of Showing the Dogs ..... But ....the point..... was that because of my RA and the swelling that comes from standing on my legs too long (which was what I had done that morning) when Colby 'pawed' at my lower leg ... his nail caught the outside of my leg ... and it literally split in a v-shape with a piece of skin hanging down ... OH CRAP .... I thought this will take a little longer ......

Since I am always teased about being "the nurse" within our Dog Show People ... I had a comprehensive medical kit ... with the help of Franny and Steven, we cleaned out the wound ... loaded a whole bunch of antibiotic in the wound ... sterile clean bandages ... wrapped with ace bandage for support and keep all things together until after the dog show ....

Back to the show .... Ryan went RWD (Reserve Winners Dog) and Colby also (RWD) ...no points but they looked lovely with Franny handling.  (although my boys would rather be known as handsome not lovely ... lol) ... We get the dogs all packed up and proceed home ... once home I re-dressed the wound, which in a mere 5 hours later was starting to look kinda ... yucky .. I guess at that point I should have gone to the ER for a better cleaning and look by the Real Doctors ..... but of course .. in my mind.. I don't have any immune problems .. because I don't have RA ....

Later that evening I proceed in taking my Aunt & Uncle's  Beagle home to them  ... we always babysit their Beagle ... and since he is older it is a comfort to my Aunt and Uncle that he stays with us .... Once at my Aunt & Uncle's house my Aunt noticed my bandaged leg ... she asked "did I see a doctor yet?" ... Of course I said ... "no .. but I think I will go on Monday" ... she then told me of two family members that had a simple wound ... tended to it themselves only to end up in the ER and hospitalized with IV Antibiotics ... and they didn't have RA like I do ... she INSISTED that I go and see a doctor (sidebar: My Aunt Dottie is married to my favorite Uncle ... he is the younger brother of my Dad and since my mother's passing almost 20 years ago, she has become my second mother, she reminds me so much of my Mom in her temperment and behavoirs) ... so I told her I would go to the ER since it was Saturday evening ....

Instead of the ER I chose a walk in Triage clinic nearby ...it would be faster and they could help ....Once I gave the Nurses all the medical information about me (at that point I thought .. Holy Crap do I have to take tons of medication) they unwrapped my leg ... then they recoiled ... with the words "OMG and UGH!!" .... left the room and made some calls .... to who I don't know ... but once they came back and started barking out what was going on and what had to happen!!