Bad Blood

Today is a day that my blog URL is most fitting. Queen of the Damned. Seems John got himself blood poisoning or septicemia. He has been feeling ill for a couple of days and the tip of his middle finger was extremely tender. This morning his arm started to bother him, so he finally visited a doctor, who immediately administered an IV dose of antibiotics. He will need to go in for another tomorrow and be on antibiotics (pill form) for ten days hoping that it doesn't spread further around his body. He is really worried, though he isn't quite as sore as this morning. He had blood drawn and Lyme's disease and a few other things were ruled out. The doctor thinks if he was bitten by a Brown Recluse, even in his sleep, he would have woken up from the pain of the bite. Not sure they will be able to determine how he acquired it but I sure hope he starts to feel better soon. The antibiotics make him sicker still, so right now he is not too happy. Poor guy!

Here is a description I got off of Medicine.net. Anyone have experience with blood poisoning and want to share? Not that I wish any of you did!



Blood poisoning: The medical term is "septicemia." No matter which of these two terms-blood poisoning or septicemia-you prefer, what is meant is the same thing, namely a "general (systemic) disease that is due to the presence and the persistence of germs (pathogenic microorganisms) or their toxins in the bloodstream." The "germs" can be bacteria (in bacterium) or any other microscopic agent of infection capable of causing disease in humans. Another term that is very closely related to "blood poisoning" and "septicemia" is "sepsis." "Sepsis" also refers to the presence and persistence of germs or their toxins in the blood but those germs or toxins do not need to be in the blood. They may be in other tissues of the body. Blood poisoning/septicemia and sepsis are often serious. They can sometimes be life threatening diseases calling for urgent and comprehensive care.



Sorry, not the greatest pictures. He is in no mood to "pose" for me!