After much arguing (why do men not want to take care of themselves and go see doctors!?!), he finally went to my doctor and was referred to a surgeon. In addition to finding out he now has high blood pressure, the surgeon scheduled surgery to remove what he thought was a benign tumor. Once he got in there though he found out it wasn't a tumor at all, it was an abscess. Howard had a hugh abscess and is really lucky the bacteria didn't spread to his bloodstream. He could have gone septic at any time.
As soon as the surgeon and anesthesiologist saw the abscess they immediately agreed that Howard is a diabetic, which was total news to us. It makes sense though. It may have started with a little boil but if you are diabetic, you don't heal properly and it looks like that was the case. He will be having blood work done next week to confirm the diagnosis.
They also noticed a heart arrhythmia during the surgery but an EKG done yesterday showed that he had converted back to sinus rhythm, thank goodness, but he'll be seeing a cardiologist soon too.
So now my husband who never took any medication at all takes blood pressure medication, heart medication, aspirin, vitamins, pain meds for the incision from surgery, and may be starting insulin soon. Poor thing, but he's handling it all pretty well considering it means a complete lifestyle change for him.
So as you can see, we've been pretty busy around here with the surgery and many many doctor appointments but I'll keep you posted on his progress. So many friends and relatives have called, dropped by, and sent texts wondering how he's doing. He's a lucky guy to have so much support.
A sweet friend dropped off these beautiful tulips Wednesday night for Howard. Aren't they pretty and spring like!
