When my current bout with an infection and swelling started with a massive fever, I didn't know what I was in for. It started with me being Sick For Hours. I had hoped the fever was nothing more than a virus being passed around. Even on the day that I mentioned that I was Back in the Land of the Living, I didn't know how bad it really was.

I had my son (who went with one of his cousins) get me an Ace Bandage about a week after this all started before the swelling had gone down and up again. I was able to use it for about two days before having to put it aside. I'll explain why in a minute. Anyway, as I rambled on about Recovering From My Infection, I believe there was a specific purpose for this ordeal.

A week ago, I thought I was near complete recovery when I delivered A Minor, Personal Update. I was wrong, as I usually am about these things. Two days ago, I wrote about taking Baby Steps on the final leg (no pun intended) of my journey to recovery.

I didn't mention this before because I didn't want to give anyone the wrong impressions, but when my lower left leg swelled to its biggest size, lesions appeared on the skin on the inside of the leg and on the upper shin. As the swelling decreased, those lesions turned into blisters. I couldn't use the Ace bandage because of the blisters. Showering was out of the question until the fluid drained from them. Even now, the remnant scabs will leak fluid when I'm up and walking. I carry tissue with me to blot the spots. The sores are healing quite nicely, in case you're wondering.

Now here's the update:

I'm able to walk around and get around fine right now. I still can't stand in one place for very long with weight on that leg because it starts hurting and swelling. It doesn't bother me at all while I'm walking or moving. I discovered two things this morning while walking around and examining my leg. There was a huge, almost healed bruise just on the inside of the shin where the center of the pain comes from. I must have hit something really hard with my shin area when I first became feverish, but I didn't notice. Did I ever mention that sometimes I can be extremely clumsy? I've had so many bumps and bruises over the years that they're usually nothing more than a minor annoyance to me. So… the swelling could have been more as a result of this bruise than the infection, but I'll never know for sure.

My left calf muscle became atrophied while I was forcing myself with bed rest. Walking is getting that worked out now. I moved my laptop back to the computer desk and I have my leg propped up on a crossbeam under the desk and it seems to work well enough for me to think and type without too much pain. If things get too bad, I can always lie down for 10-15 minutes and let the leg relax. I can't do that for too long, because I'd probably fall asleep (which isn't a bad thing) and my sleep cycle is hosed pretty bad as it is.

I'm guestimating that I'll be completely back to normal in about a week, but my recovery will no longer interfere with me writing. Other than my leg, the only thing that has suffered has been my Alexa ranking and I know it's because of my inability to write regularly. I don't care because it'll get better again, just like my leg. I will be posting other things today and getting back into my groove. Right now, however, I'm heading outside to give my leg some much needed exercise.