Lennox Hill Hospital

I went to the ER at Lenox Hill Hospital. Its on the corner of 77th and Lexington Ave in New York City for those unfamiliar with the name.

When I arrived at the ER I was asked the usual questions, put into a bed and had some blood taken for analysis. I had told the admitting nurse the names of my dermatologist and my general physician, since I had just undergone a complete physical about two weeks prior. It would seem the usual course of business in an emergency room is admitting someone with little or no prior medical care and a physical condition that is a complete unknown. I was in an rare position it would seem when i was explaining that I had completed a physical less than three weeks prior.

I have never been admitted into an ER before. This was a first for me. About ten minutes after I was laying on a bed, the ER doc came to see me. I told he what had happened and that he should call my dermatologist before anything was done. He seemed to understand this and excused himself so that he could phone my doc.

It was about this time that nurse showed up with a clear bag of fluid and the intent of hooking it up to my arm. This fluid was some type of antibiotic and although large it only took about 30 minutes for the entire bag to be emptied. The ER doc came by and told me that I had suffered from Cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin. It would seem that my Pyoderma was suffering from a case of Cellulitis as well. This infection had progressed enough to risk the integrity of blood vessels in my shin. Not that deep actually..

While I was laying down i was talking to this old timer next to me that was admitted for 'bleeding'. He said that he was going to the bathroom the night before and the bowl was full of blood. Yikes! He seemed about 75+ years old and had grown up in The Upper East Side. He was still married, his wife was a few years older and had been fighting cancer for the last few years. He explained that he had been taking care of her and now they had real problems because he was in no condition to continue her care. He seemed upbeat about his situation but was still obviously worried.

After laying on this super comfortable ER bed, watching the circus of new ER admissions, I noticed my primary doc walking around the admissions desk. I was surprised to see her and even more surprised when i learned that she was there to check up on my situation. It would seem that the ER doc had called her and her office being only a few blocks away she showed up.

She came over to my spot and told me that the blood work Lenox Hill had just done was normal and that I would get a prescription for additional antibiotics for me to take in the days ahead. And that After my paperwork was processed, I could go home. What a beautiful phrase..go home.

On a funny strange note. While my doc was talking to me the old guy in the next bed asked me who this 'beautiful woman was'. I was like 'uh, this is my doctor..' He then told her how beautiful he thought she was and she just laughed and thanked him for the compliment. It wasn't uncomfortable but it was a tad strange. After she walked back to the admissions area to find my exit papers this old guy was still talking about how 'gorgeous' my doc was. I was like 'jeez, give it a rest'. I guess when you are that old seeing a female MD is a rare thing.

I was so worried about this vein bleeding I was in 'freak out' mode. The docs didn't seem worried about this but were concerned about the Cellulitis. Prior to being allowed to leave one of the nurses, I can't remember his name, an Asian guy, took all my dressing off and redressed the leg. I was worried that I would start bleeding again but nothing happened. He did a fantastic job with the dressings and an Ace bandage. I have never used an Ace bandage before. It works great when you learn how to properly wrap things up. Also I was told about the magic of hydrogen peroxide to remove bloodied bandages safely and with little or no pain. With my leg wrapped up like a cocoon I said my goodbyes and went home..