more elbow pics

Elbow Update

So the orthopedic surgeon says the elbow stays open. And that I have to dress and pack in twice a day until it closes naturally. Uck!! Watching the Doctor slice my elbow open, blood and puss ooze out and seeing the doctor dig around in my elbow with scissors to clean out all the infection didn't bother me a bit. But the idea of sticking gauze in my elbow twice a day actually makes me a little bit nauseous. Uck. So wish me a speedy recovery and that the lupus doesn't slow down my healing time. Because if my elbow takes months to heal I'm not going to be a happy camper.

Enjoy the grossness :)

See what a difference 10 days can make

modern medicine sucks!!!!

I went to the Doctor that I love oh so much on Friday for another one of our delightful chats and for the first time ever I actually left thinking hey....maybe this guy isn't a total idiot. My right elbow has been red and swollen for quite some time now and the doctor suggested a steroid shot to help with the swelling. But he said and I quote "I'm not sure how much this will help the swelling but I can drain your elbow and give you a steroid shot if you want" I thought sure with such promising results why the heck not. Go ahead and stick a needle in my elbow, drain it and then fill it back up with more liquid. Sounds like a great idea. But then I thought maybe it will work, it’s worth a shot, what's the worst that can happen? So I let the Doctor drain my elbow (there wasn't much to drain) and give me a shot (he put in about 10x as much liquid as he took out). Well Friday afternoon there was no change, Saturday the redness was gone but my elbow was still swollen, and Sunday my elbow was back to normal again. I thought wow! The Doctor actually knows what he was talking about. Maybe he isn't a complete idiot after all. Silly Me! Monday night I couldn't sleep very well because my elbow bone hurt and I could feel it swelling all night long. Tuesday morning I awoke (exhausted from very little sleep I might add) to find my elbow red, swollen to about twice its normal size and now in pain. Wednesday not only was my elbow about 2 1/2 times its normal size, red and sore my left shoulder bone and clavacal were also sore and swollen and tonight the pads of my feet hurt to walkd and my fingers are swollen too.

You can only see the redness from the top but when you elbow looks like a knee you know something is wrong.

In all fairness to the doctor I realize the new symptoms are probably not a direct result of the shot he gave me but how unfair of him to toy with my emotions like that. I was excited that my elbow was back to normal. Really excited and then a mere day later not only was my elbow swollen but it looks worse that before the shot. At what point are these drugs supposed to do anything other than make me fat. I'd like them to make me feel better and maybe get rid of the pain and the swelling.
I mean you people went to 7 years of school for a reason. Fix me already!!!

Whose says you can only have pumpkin pie for thanksgiving?

Not me.. that's for sure.  When you have culinary skills like mine they should be shared with the world year round not just on Holidays.  So not to brag....okay so to brag just a little bit...I made the world's best pumpkin pie yesterday!!! And I'm not just saying that. I like to cook/bake when I'm bored and I had a free night yesterday so I whipped up a pumpkin pie. Being the thoughtful person that I am I brought the pie to work to share with all my co-workers. (Okay so it wasn't so much about sharing with them as me not eating the whole thing by myself).


Everyone at work commented on how delicious my pie was. A few people even said it was the best pumpkin pie they ever had. I do have to say the pie came out pretty spectacular. It was perfectly shaped. The crust was perfectly flakey and the top was level and smooth without any cracks!! I often stop to think that I should be amazed with myself. I mean I am just so darn talented. And then I remember there is no need for shock and awe and my skillfulness. Because let's be honest...I'm pretty freaking amazing at everything I do