Rants and Rambles

This didn’t seem to be getting off to a good start. I’m not sure I’m qualified to say what constitutes a “good start” in something like this but a delay of a month before taking the next diagnostic step didn’t seem too good of a plan. But there I was. I had my band-aide and my next appointment.

With the slow start, the days that followed were such a radical difference that they were almost overwhelming.  With paperwork filled out containing medical history and medications list, the first appointment came on a Monday. Another blood test (this one for prostrate cancer). By Wednesday those results were in (negative) and an appointment was set for Friday for a CT scan (I had to go by and pick up a “contrast media” Thursday). This stuff (they said it was “berry” flavored) was bad but not nearly as unpalatable as what I had to swallow for my colonoscopy. They weren’t kidding that it was better cold! OK, CT done and another visit to my primary provider (Monday).  That gets me an appointment with a surgeon/vascular specialist (Tuesday) and a biopsy (Wednesday). Back to the vascular specialist (Thursday), who based on preliminaries and the CT scan, calls the oncology consultants to get me admitted the following Monday. Hey, apart from weekends (and there was a phone call or two even then) that’s only three days without some kind of test or appointment between starting with a new primary physician and putting on my hospital gown.

The following week went just as fast.

Monday

• admitted
• IV line in place
• thorax/neck CT scan for any additional lymphomas
• Port-a-cath placed
• heart ultrasound

 Tuesday

• stent placed in right kidney
• low test dose of chemo

Wednesday

• ultrasound right leg
• full chemo

Thursday

• discharged

Friday, beginning outpatient activities with a visit to the Anticoagulation Clinic to test my blood clot rate and adjust that medication.

I mentioned a compression stocking (also known as support hose). Supposedly I could just go down to a pharmacy and they’d figure out what I needed. WRONG!

I went to 3; all of which had some on shelves but they had instructions that if the thigh diameter was over (I think) 25″ then these off-the-shelf ones were not to be used. Well my measurement was over 28″ so this wasn’t going to be simple. One of the pharmacists came out to talk to me. He confirmed that nothing they had would fit my purpose and he asked me a couple of other questions. I’d measured myself after visiting the first place but this was a new question. What compression did the Doctor want me to get? I hadn’t a clue.

So I was then directed to a medical supply house; Lebanon had one conveniently close to the hospital. But when I got there, I found they had moved. Once I found the new location (they didn’t have very useful signage on the new building) and waited for them to open (not until 9:00) they informed me they didn’t stock the kind of supply I needed either. But they did have a referral to an orthopedic fitting and supply place. So I went there. Now remembering that “feature” of the leg swelling decreasing when reclined (like overnight while asleep?) and the measurement being important, they only do fittings by appointment and only in the mornings. But here my luck begins to change. They could fit me in about a week from then. No, really, it did change. It was the end of the week and they called me back with an opening from a cancellation that could get me in the following Monday. Before then they called me back again asking about the prescription. Remember, they needed to know how much compression was needed. Well, I called back to the clinic and of course the Doctor who saw me wasn’t there. But they managed to get a different Doctor to look at the charts and send in a prescription (another consulting fee?) so that I could get the stockings when I went for my fitting. Oh, it’s a real deal; I only need it for one leg but they come as a pair. But they’re universal (no angle on the toe) so each fits either leg so I can wash one while wearing the other.

They’re still working on trying to bill the insurance.

One morning around mid-June I looked down at my feet and ankles in the bathtub. They were swollen again. Not too odd; it happens when I’ve spent much time on my feet but not really doing much exercise. My job has me in that predicament often enough, standing in front of a rack of servers or network equipment. I get up and about often enough, usually, from my desktop workstation but not as easily when at a console in an equipment room.

A few days later though and things haven’t changed much. But it looks like it’s only my right foot now. Getting better I guess.

A couple days more and it’s NOT better. While still only my RIGHT foot, it’s not just the right FOOT.  My calf and even to some degree, my knee are swollen. Not as easy to actually make out my kneecap. By the end of June, with some information off the Internet and a little urging from some friends, I decide it’s high time to go see a doctor. It seems swelling of a single limb could indicate a blood clot.

What happens is the blood (fluid) flows with the help of gravity and your pumping heart down into your legs. While standing, the heart with the help of a lot of little valves that stop the back-flow between pulses,  overcome gravity and get the fluids back out of your legs. That is providing something else isn’t obstructing the progress. In that case, the fluids collect between tissues and the leg swells. In cases of lesser obstruction, when reclined or laying with the leg elivated, the flow is easier and the swelling decreases. That’s what I was seeing.

So into the urgent care clinic I went. Blood tests for kidney and liver function and blood count to rule out some general infection came back negative (that’s a good thing; “negative” = positive). An ultra-sound of my leg showed no clots.

So I got the follow-up instructions to get a compression stocking at a local pharmacy and make an appointment to see my regular doctor in a couple of weeks. There I should expect, if there’s no obvious improvement, more tests to check into my pelvic and abdominal regions.

So I SCREWED UP! You see, there’s a very important prerequisite to making an appointment with your regular doctor. You need to HAVE a regular doctor. Mine retired a few years back and I didn’t establish myself with another doctors practice. So it took a month to get in to see one (or should I say, to be seen by one).

Off to a start, good or otherwise. I’m trying to figure out how to fit content into this theme (which I like) while also discovering WordPress and trying to get some thoughts together. In some future pages and posts you’ll see why this latter effort may prove the most difficult. As a diversion, I may end up posting completely irrelevant (and irreverent) posts just because I can’t string two together.

You might want to try to make more sense of this if you use the “categories”.

If you’re a newcomer, remember the blog shows newest entries first, so go back and start with older entries to catch up.