Near Death Experience

I wanted to give a full account of my very strange near death experience.

I got a bug bite while we were camping at Olive Ridge Campground (near Estes Park). The bug (I think it was a mosquito, but can't be sure) bit me right where you'd have your blood drawn or have an IV put in your arm. Don and I even joked that the mosquito probably exploded because it tapped in to that huge vein, which was probably like sticking it's mouth into a fire hose.

Anyway, I have terrible reactions to bites, so when this bite got inflamed, red, and super itchy, I didn't think much of it.

On Monday morning, I woke up and noticed that there was a strange circle of red around the bite that was very clearly defined and a red streak had begun creeping up my arm. I knew this meant I had a blood infection from my first aid class, but I felt fine, so I actually forgot about it and rushed around all morning doing things I needed to do. When Don came home for lunch, I flippantly told him I had a blood infection that could kill me and showed him my arm. He told me to call the doctor right away so I did. They didn't have any appointments, but they told me to come in right away.

The doctor saw my arm and told me that I had cellulitis (which is a skin infection that can easily spread to other tissues) and that it had turned into a blood infection. The fact that it was caused by a bite was just coincidental. It really had nothing to do with it being a bug bite, it was just an open wound that got infected (probably when I scratched it while camping with dirty fingers). It could have been a scrape or cut of any kind that could have led to this infection. 

Like I mentioned in the previous post, the doctor wanted to give me an antibiotic shot to immediately damn the progress of the infection, but I am allergic to what was in the shot (the only medicine I'm allergic to, actually. Just my luck). The doc swore a little and started pacing around the room mumbling to herself about how she didn't know what to do since this shot was the indicated treatment for this infection. It was a little nerve-racking having a doctor have a little breakdown in front of you because they don't know how to treat your life-threatening blood infection.

She finally told me that if I got a fever or felt lumps in my lymph nodes, I needed to go to the ER immediately. She prescribed me an antibiotic which I took faithfully for two days. On Wednesday, the streak was just as bright and nothing has changed. I still felt totally fine, but Don and I were both a little concerned, so I emailed the doctor asking if it was normal for the streak to still be just as bright.

She called me back immediately and said that it was a really bad sign the streak hadn't resolved itself and told me I had to switch to a new antibiotic right away. I started taking that antibiotic, but on Thursday morning, the streak had widened slightly and after showing to a friend who said, "Hey, it looks bigger than yesterday.", I decided to email my doc again. I got a call from a nurse right away saying that my doc was out for the day, but the Nurse Practitioner wanted me to come in immediately.

When I got to the office, the NP sat down and looked at my arm and proceeded to tell me that I was in serious danger of having the infection go systemic and that I really could die at any time. She then told me she had to call the CDC to consult with them because she didn't know how to stop the infection.

Up until this point, I thought it was pretty cool that I had such a crazy, life-threatening infection and felt completely fine the entire time. I'm sort of morbidly fascinated with all things disease related, so this was right up my alley. Even after having gone to the doc, I kept jogging and swimming like I usually would because I felt normal. I was telling people excitedly how I'd almost died, but really, I thought I was just being a bit over dramatic, which is a Black family trait. We are definitely a family of storytellers. My brother Steve supposedly had leprosy in the Philippines and his ear fell off but miraculously grew back... Anyway, I digress.

When the NP told me that I really was on the brink of being overcome by this infection, it was really unnerving. I got emotional, especially listening to her talking to the CDC in very serious hushed tones, "Mmm, hmm. Yes, the streak is hard and raised and an angry red. Yes, I know that is the indication, but she's allergic to it and if she went into anaphylactic shock here in the office, we just don't have the equipment or staff to be able to save her. We've put her on two other antibiotics, but she isn't responding..."

I was texting Don, telling him how serious it was and how upset I was. The NP came back in the exam room and told me that they weren't sure whether my infection was caused my staph or strep, so they were going to have me take the first antibiotic again since the infectious disease specialist thought that was the better one for me after getting the run-down of my symptoms. Also, she told me that she wasn't comfortable giving me the IV with the medicine I was allergic to in the office because they couldn't save me if I crashed, so if things weren't improved by the morning, I was going to have to go in to the hospital and be put on an IV so they could observe me. She said if I had a fever or felt any lumps in my lymph nodes, I needed to go to the ER immediately because that would be a sign I was spiraling downward. At that point, I started crying in front of her. It was just so awful to hear that you are dying, but be told that you are supposed to go home and watch and wait.

I was a mess. I kept bursting into tears all night anytime someone would ask me about it. I also had to walk around with a hot pad on my arm to try to draw blood to the infection site, which would, in turn, help the antibiotics get to where they were needed. That made my arm all red and splotchy, which I called the doctor's office about again, but they said that was normal.

I kept taking my temperature over and over, worried that I had a fever. I had Don and a friend give me a priesthood blessing, and that definitely helped. At 2 am, though, I woke up in terrible pain and thought I had a lump in my lymph node in my groin. I still don't know what it was that caused the pain, but I eventually calmed myself down and fell back to sleep. I think it was just psychosomatic. I think I was just convincing myself that I was dying or something. You know how irrational you can be in the middle of the night.

Anyway, in the morning, Don and I took Sam over to our friend, Becca's house, and we went to the doctor thinking I'd have to go to the hospital. My arm looked better, but the streak was wider. My doctor was in and as soon as she saw my arm, she said it looked better and told me I wouldn't have to go to the hospital for the IV. She just told me to take both the antibiotics (5 a day) as well as an antihistamine. She still told me if I had a fever or felt something in my lymph node, I had to get to the hospital right away because I was still seriously at risk.

Luckily, I finished up all of my meds and now my arm is completely back to normal. I still have a funny looking bump where the bug bit me, but I am not dying. This was such a crazy experience but I am so blessed to have such great friends and family who were praying for me and supporting me. I really am lucky to be alive! What a crazy experience!