A little addendum here to bring this bobcat episode up to date. Anyone familiar with cat bite infections probably knows more than I knew going into this whole trauma. Shortly after I wrote the last post I decided my home brews were not keeping up with the infection so I went to the nearby clinic and was scheduled right away and seen by the best doctor there-I guess being bit by a bobcat makes me a celebrity of sorts.
There was an infection drainage point above my heel and lab tests on that pus revealed a nasty bacteria that required a different antibiotic, and I was told other doctors might send me to the hospital, cut open that area and scrape everything, but it was pretty obvious that I wasn't up for that, so that first week he spent 4 appointments removing crap through that drain hole, this white fibrous stuff --no pain killers just white knuckle time. In all he saw me 6 or 7 times over the first two weeks, then once the next week, and just Friday I went back because I saw my prescription running out, and even though almost all the swelling was gone, I didn't want to take the chance that it might start up again.
I feel like I've abandoned my natural healing principles sometimes, and trust this won't become an everyday thing -running to the doctor that is, but in this particular trauma it was clear that I was not doing enough to control the infection. Some of that was my own laziness, some of it was just I didn't understand soon enough how serious my condition could get. Maybe natural antibiotics would have worked in a more disciplined application, maybe not. Maybe the prize I take away from this whole mess is a deeper understanding and greater respect of serious infections.
Anyway, I'm almost back to totally normal walking, carrying stuff, climbing ladders, etc etc, so when the last signs of infection are gone I'll be a happy camper. Although, really, through the whole thing I was very careful to keep a tight hold on my sense of humor. I mean, what are the odds? You almost have to laugh -or at least chuckle a little.