Finally...some good news

This foot adventure has been exhausting in ways I didn’t expect. The constant ups and downs really take a toll on your emotional reserves.

It feels like every time I take one hopeful step forward, I’m pushed several steps back. It started as just a sore on my foot… then came the infection and a hospital stay. After that, things seemed to be improving. I let myself believe we were turning the corner.

But then another infection surfaced — or more accurately, the old infection flared back up once I stopped the antibiotics. That led to a second surgery.

In the pre-op room, Dr. M gently but clearly told me this might not be the last one. If the pathology showed infection in or around the bone without safe margins, I needed to prepare myself for the possibility of yet another surgery.

As he walked out of the room, it took everything in me not to fall apart. I had convinced myself this surgery would be the fix. That I was finally in the home stretch.

At my follow-up with Wound Care and Infectious Disease last week, Dr. L explained that while the cultures had identified the bacteria — Enterococcus — we were still waiting on the pathology report to determine whether the infection had reached the bone. If it had, I’d be looking at several weeks of IV antibiotics. That would mean getting a port placed and learning how to administer the medication myself.

I left that appointment feeling deflated. Trying to stay positive, but definitely heavy.

And then today — finally — some good news. Dr. L left a note in MyChart. All good.

The relief that washed over me caught me off guard. I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding myself together until I could finally exhale.

I’ll admit, earlier in the day I “cheated” a little when the pathology report came through. It made absolutely no sense to me, so I dropped it into ChatGPT and asked it to dumb it down for me. It sounded promising… but I’ve been down this road before. I wasn’t letting myself believe it until I heard it directly from my doctor.

If I’m being completely honest, I think I’m still holding my breath just a bit. Part of me is afraid to fully trust that this might finally be the last hurdle.

I guess only time will tell.

Stay tuned for the next chapter.