Just to update a few more things. My finger is fine - although a little tender - the new skin needs to toughen up quite a bit- my bug bites are on the way - the scabs have finally all come off - so now I just have a batch of lovely new scars - YUCK.


As far as my leg goes - well on Dec. 13 I woke up to a very sore leg - did not know what was wrong with it - thought I had a new crop of bites or something - by Friday I was in a lot of trouble - my leg was swollen and I could hardly stand on it - getting out of bed was an excruciating experience - was in tears - and that takes a lot. Thank goodness Sharon has the number of a doctor and she called him and he came over to the house within the 1/2 hour - I was diagnosed with cellulitis - which is an inflammation of the connective tissue underlying the skin that - in my case - was caused by a bacterial infection - and can be very very serious - if not looked after properly can lead to amputation - just what I needed when Miles and Shani were arriving in 6 days. Before the doctor left I had been given my first of 6 antibiotic shots in the butt, after 6 days of IM (intramuscular) shots - which hurt like the dickens - I then was on a regime of oral antibiotics for 5 days as well as anti-inflammatories, analgesics and anti-edematics. And after talking to my own personal nurse back in Canada - I have continued the antibiotics for a month. The infection has abated - but I must admit my leg is not a pretty sight - not that it is on the best of days - but it is now still swollen and wherever the infection was it is peeling like a snake - and there I am sitting in the sun with this thing hanging out - oh well - if you don't like it don't look at it. My foot and ankle are still quite swollen - not nearly as badly as before - but enough to make ankle flexibility dicey. And I go around hot air ballooning and snorkelling - but it was a once in a lifetime experience - and I had fun - once I got over the 'humiliation' of having to be 'assisted' - actually it was not even the assisting that was so bad - it was that it was out in public for all to see - but I have gotten over it - at least I did not let my short term disability 'ground' me and take away from my fun - much anyway.