Saturday, November 17, 2007

No News Is Not Always Good News

I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but I just wasn't sure what to say.
You see, Sebastian is sick from a freak accident.
On the 31st or the 1st he smacked himself on the cheek with a 2x4. He can't exactly remember the date because it really wasn't a big deal at the time. He was closer to a piece of lumber that was sticking out than he thought. When he turned around he smacked right into it. It was one of those, "Dang, that hurt!" things. Not an, "I need to go to the doctor!" thing.
Over the weekend he developed symptoms of TMJ. On Sunday night he met with the chiropractor (my dad) to try to get some relief. On Monday it hurt worse than before and it was a little swollen. Sebastian made an appointment to see the doctor who agreed that it was probably TMJ and gave him prednisone and muscle relaxers. Tuesday he was quite swollen- like he was holding a golf ball inside his cheek- and in a lot of pain. He went back to the doctor who did some x-rays on the off chance that he had cracked or broken the jaw bone. The doctor didn't see a break, but since he was so swollen he wasn't positive. He gave Sebastian some pain killers and sent him home with the instructions to call if he needed.
Wednesday Sebastian came home from work in such misery that I immediately picked up the phone and called the doctor. He said to give him as much pain medication as he needed to make it through the night and to call him first thing in the morning to schedule a CT scan. Thursday our doctor set up the scan and an appointment with an ENT. The scan showed for sure that there was no break so the ENT said that he thought it was Traumatic Perotitis. the gland that makes saliva lives in your cheek and apparently the blow to Sebastian's cheek was enough to make that gland swell and block the release of saliva, causing an infection. The doc put Seb on an antibiotic and sent him home with a follow-up the next week. By this time Sebastian's face was twice as wide on the right as it was on the left. he reminded me of an orangutan with his sunken eye, his wide, wide face, and the sad look in his eyes.
On Tuesday I could tell that he was feeling awful so I called the doctor's office and told them that he needed to be seen right away. Right away wasn't until the next day. We got to the doctor's office and he had to see the other doctor in the office. This doctor took one look at him and decided to cut a relief hole in Sebastian's face. He drained the wound and wrapped it up and said he had to go back the next day. The next day, Thursday, they put a stint into the hole,and redressed it, and said that he had to go back the next day. On the next day, Friday, the doctor drained the wound again, put a BIGGER stint into the wound. They wrapped him up and said to come back on Monday. We are waiting for Monday.
In the mean time he can't work because the infection has made him ill and weak. He tries, but he is always home in a couple of hours.
I would appreciate your prayers for Sebastian right now for quick healing. I hate to see him so miserable.
I would post a picture of the grossness, but it just doesn't seem right somehow to photograph his misery.

1 comment:

Trish said...

Well, What's the latest? Is he better? I guess, I'll call you.