Long story...Little post

So, to make a long story, very, very short. We ended up at a hospital in Newark, NJ last night after a day of deliberating whether or not the awful swelling and discoloration, blood pooling and fever, in my lower right leg was as dangerous as we thought. After deciding that I'd had enough orthopedic nightmares in my past, and that the threat of deep vein thrombosis was significant enough, and the signs were all indicative enough to merit doing something decisive. A call to our insurance provider made the decision that much more easy to make when they told us that a US hospital claim could potentially not be covered considering my orthopedic history and the fact that they might consider the problem as stemming from a previously existing condition. Hmm...so it's go to a hospital here in NYC and risk a daunting medical bill, or make a seven hour run for the border. We packed up quickly and started driving toward Niagara Falls.

A returned phone call from our friend Jeff, who's down here in Brooklyn working hard to finish up his med school work, confirmed that we'd better just haul our arses into a hospital and not fumble around with a run home. So as June emphasized Jeff's concern to me, I wheeled the car off the highway, chasing a blue H hospital sign that I saw. Sure it was downtown Newark...sure, Newark is like the damn crime capitol of North America...but there like a shining beacon was Saint Michael's Medical Center. Done, easy decision. We'll deal with the bills when they start to come. No need to mess with a potential blood clot and die on the side of the road in pile of ignorance and haste.

Six hours later, and a few bags of antibiotics, several physicians examinations and an x-ray to rule a few things out...and I was diagnosed with an infection of the lower leg, prescribed some heavy antibiotics, and released with the admonition to, "be careful, rest for a few days to let the antibiotics work... and get to a doctor if it doesn't clear up," at which point we turned around, drove back to Brooklyn and moved back into our apartment. I felt better. The swelling in my leg had gone down, and the color had returned to normal. It was, in fact, looking better than it had in forever. Now, with all that nonsense behind us, we just have to grab a prescription or two today and chill out for a little bit.

No need to worry our families with a vague telephone call, so we didn't...insurance has confirmed billing from the hospital and is more than cool with it, after a night's rest and all those IV antibiotics the leg looks a lot better...a lot...and I'm not worried about croaking from a stupid blood clot and leaving the better part of my life unlived.

Done...end of story. There will be a press conference at noon today.