Pilgrim vs leg abscess

I woke up with a shooting pain in my leg. A few days ago, I found a small red bump on my leg, perhaps from constant rubbing. It grew slowly, no pain. Then a little bit of discomfort set in. It grew to a pea size. Last night upon arrival, it was more like a marble size. It’s a bit painful to the touch. Dr Ed examined it. He gave me a remedy. This morning it shrunk down about 30 percent.

Decision time. Do I wait it out to see if the remedy take and it will continue to shrink and resolve itself or do I go see a doctor today?

Cahors is the biggest town we had come to since Le Puy. It has all the facilities. If we go on, it could be another 2 weeks before we get to a large town? I don’t know all the sizes of the places on the rest of the pilgrimage. So far, we came upon mostly very small village. Some of them don’t even have a hotel. Just a church, a bakery and a restaurant.

We debated and we decided to go see a doctor and get it checked out. First of, we need to find a doctor. We walked out to the nice big tourist and pilgrim accueil on the big main plaza. I explained to the nice young girl working there. She quickly calls around. She explained I am a pilgrim and I am in pain and I need to be seen immediately. After a few calls, she beamed up and said: I found you a doctor. You can be seen right away. It’s at the hospital.

A few blocks, on the rue du president Wilson, we found the hospital. We got checked in. Not too much paperwork.
Name and address and passport.

I was seen by two interns first. They look at the site. It needs to be drained. Cut out and drained. Cleaned up. They will check with the main doctor. He agrees. Problem is it will be a 5 minutes operation under general anesthesia. It has to be then care of it it will get worse.

Ok check in time. I got admitted into the hospital. Pretty simple process. Then I got assigned a room. I need to get out if all my pilgrim clothes, take a completely thorough shampoo and shower with betadine. They don’t mess around here with all of our pilgrim filthy dirt and bacteria here in this hospital. I almost flooded the room with my extra long shower. It’s now 1 pm. I have to sign some agreement paperwork and questionnaire about my health, if I smoke or drink or use canibis or heroine! No to all. Good.

Next they draw the blood. Why? To find my blood type and how well my blood coagulate. Ok.

Then they start my IV. Absolutely no food because of the anesthesia. What is this with this situation? When I am allowed to eat I end up in small village with everything closed due to storm or closer because it’s Monday. Now that I am in a bigger town with all kind of services and a ton of restaurants then I am not allowed to eat! I am on a serious path to weight loss here!

I get settled comfortably in my bed waiting to be taken in for this 5 minutes operation.

I hope it will go without any complication.

I got settled into my hospital bed. Ed climbed on the bed next to me in the tiny little bed. We both fell asleep of course. We soon snore away. A couple hours? A much needed pilgrim nap. We walked days after days and we get to lay down, Of course we sleep!

We woke up after a couple of hours. I can’t believe how deep we slept! The nurse came by. She smiled and said the doctor came by get us but the team of nurse and doctor found the two of us sleeping so soundly they did not have the heart to wake us up!!!! They decided we looked too cute and they let us get our much deserved rest!

I guess the doctor went on to his next operation. I will have to wait for his next round back by my room to get me for my operation. No problem. I can get some more sleep while waiting.

Two young male nurse came and wheel me away to the operating room. As fell asleep again and woke up when all was done. I did not feel a thing.

Back to my room I am told it is too late in the day to discharge me. I will have to stay the night. Ed can stay with me until midnight but he can’t sleep the night in the hospital.

Funny all these days looking for food, now I annoy hungry any more. They offered me all kinds of dinner choices. All I want is to sleep. I slept the night away. No pain. Nothing. As though no surgery happened. This is great.

The doctor did stop by. I asked her was unnecessary to do all this? Was it a good thing I came in? It seemed to me all this is a bit overkill.

She smiled and said: I am glad you came in. It was the right thing to do. It was infected and if we don’t take care of it early, it only is going to get worse and you would be in a lot of pain and who knows what other complication might happen!

Wow. You never know! Last year’s walk went so smoothly without any complication I thought it would be just like that but you never what life throws at you! Any way I am glad it’s all taken care of.

I spent most of my time in the hospital just sleeping. No eating. I have not eaten in 24 hours and I am not even hungry.

Morning came. Hot chocolate and orange juice and some bread for breakfast but I can only drink some orange juice. No appetite for food still.

8 AM a team of 6, doctors, interns, nurses stopped by to do a last check and give me the green light to discharge. Wow they take good care of you here. Very warm. Very caring. 5 stars and 2 thumbs up for the stay in the Cahors hospital. I really have absolutely no complaint.

They go over carefully what dr Ed (my nurse for the next 10 days) will need to do to keep my wound clean and healing well. Amazing care. I feel like such a VIP.

We even get a prescription to go to the pharmacy to get all necessary cream and dressing that I need.

Total pilgrim cost: $41.00 for the next 10 days supplies that dr Ed will used to change my wound dressing.