Ah, Monday morning. I was happy to see it get here and I was anxious to see the doctor again to have the foot examined. It isn't so much painful as it is a constant nag, having to pay attention to it, keep it away from water and dogs and dirt and grime, keeping it wrapped, re-wrapping it, etc. At least the swelling has subsided some and the infection seems to be holding and not spreading.
We called to see if I could get in to see a doctor in the group that Ashley sees...no appointments at all were available on a busy Monday and they wouldn't agree to see me on Wednesday since it would probably be for one visit only.
Soooooo....back to the Doc in a Box again we went. I hoped to see Dr. England for more entertainment to go along with the treatment. When I got to the clinic a little after their opening time of 9 am, there was already a crowd. Thankfully it was a short wait, but this time no Dr. England appeared in my patient room. The doctor this time wasted no time pulling out the packing from the open wound. He quickly stuffed new packing in, then said that I would not need to return for additional treatment. That was music to my ears! However, he recommended an additional antibiotic and gave me a five day supply to begin once I'm done with the original 14 day supply. He told me to remove the packing myself, either late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
I got busy in the dining room when I returned back to Eric and Ashley's. The large order of Mountain House freeze dried dinners that had arrived needed to be inventoried against the packing slip. And I needed to sort out the meals that Phantom and Good To Go had wanted. So I took my time, sitting on the floor to protect the foot and not put any pressure on it, and went through the 120 or more meals. Then I packaged up Good To Go's 25 pounds of food. Ashley and I made a visit to the post office where I got to use the self service kiosk to mail out his box.
Then it was time for Thai food!!!!! My ultimate trail food craving was finally fulfilled! Eric met Ashley and me at Tai Elephant and we ate outdoors in perfect weather. REI just happened to be right next door, so after dinner I hobbled over with Ashley and made some small gear purchases to get ready for the return to the trail.
Eric left the restaurant to do some serious shopping for Ashley's upcoming birthday. When he returned to the house the three of us and two happy labs gathered in the den area for several more episodes of 24.
Today's visit to the doctor was very positive, though he commented that it would take several days, possibly as many as 10 to 15 for the wound to completely heal. I'm hoping my high metabolism and the antibiotics will shorten the wait. Though eating great food and putting on some weight in Portland isn't all bad!
