Joys of having to use a wheelchair, part 1

I use a power wheelchair to get around. It's a lovely thing. First, I'll tell you how I wound up in my chair. It's not that my story's all that different, it's just that it's a screw-up from start to finish. First, I nicked the back of my left heel while shaving my legs. Happens occasionally. What comes next is not straightforward. The heel became infected (cellulitis), about 3 weeks later, and my family physician misdiagnosed it. My foot and ankle were swollen, tender, and hot to the touch. As for me, I've never had an infection before, so I had no idea what to look for. Then the skin split and became ulcered, after about 6 days. My doctor told me to go to the ER. That was Thursday afternoon, so I 'm told. I have no memory of anything until late the following Sunday evening (more than 72 hours), that's how septic I'd become. I was admitted to hospital and treated for Staph Arius (aka Mercer) bacteria, with various IV antibiotics and surgical debridement. Then I was sent home with oral antibiotics. After a couple of weeks, I was taken off the antibiotics. A couple of weeks later, at a follow-up appointment with the surgeon, I was in worse pain, now in the bottom of the heel bone. Initially she blew it off. Her resident however, asked for more details. I was referred to an orthopaedic surgeon. More surgery followed. The Orthopaedic surgeon did not attend. His resident operated, though I'm not certain what he did. Because when I challenged the Orthopaedic about his non-attendance, he denied it and refused to describe the surgery. Other things occurred, like me dying (several times, I'm told),at least it wasn't terminal. The punchline, the orthopaedic was so petulant, he cut me off my nursing care, so the IV antibiotics had to be stopped (several weeks early, I'm told). At any rate, 4 years after my last surgery, my left foot is still not right (it seems to have become arthritic), including a lot of pain. Oh and because I've been in the chair, I've gained a great deal of weight (a reality my doctor refuses to deal, or help, with).

A new home for my thoughts

Hi. My name's Jade. Well, actually it's Jessica Jade. But my friends call me JJ. You can check out my website @ www.jadescribe.media.officelive.com (a site I use to promote my novels) or my other Blog site @ http://jadescribe.wordpress.com (a site for me to blog about ideas). This site is for me to blog about whatever else floats into my twisted little mind.

Just so's you know, my novels (at least The Guardian Angel Saga, my first of 4 series) are quite unusual. The stories are basically psychological suspense (mostly chasing down serial killers). Of course, there's always the political intrigue, for aroma; a sentient computer program--- a NiCCO (basically an android, without the body) --- our science fiction element, for flavor; and last, but certainly not least, the lead character is an Angelic, as well as an Immortal, our nod to fantasy (or is that wish fulfillment), for color.

Well, now that I've taken care of business, there's me. I'm 48, university-educated, I've writing since I was 8, and playing, and working, with computers since 1974. Back then computers filled a whole floor of an office building (and the tape library usually filled the basement, often many basements. I initially learned to program in WatFIV (a version of Fortran), then Cobol on a DEC, and about 15 or 16 other programming languages, 4 or 5 other computer systems (with their own proprietary operating system), and of course there was knowing Spanish and German, and a little Russian and very very little French (after all, i did grow up and go to school in Canada). Many times I thought I should put stoppers in my ears to keep the stuff from dribbling out.

Well that, as they say, is that. More than you'd ever want to know about yours truly. And, until we again come together, to explore the hidden recesses of my twisted little mind, I'll bid you adieu.