Blood Clot

There haven't been any updated posts because there hasn't really been anything new to share. The two weeks following the completion of chemotherapy and radiation were ROUGH on E. The doctors warned us that he'd feel the worst when treatment was over and they were right. This last week though has been much better. Whew! He has been eating a bit more and sleeping sounder. His energy level is increasing and he just looks generally better.

His weight had gone down to 152 lbs, but he is slowly gaining a little bit of weight back. His white blood count (for fighting infections) had bottomed out at 2.0 and his platelet count (blood clotting) hit a low for him of 72. The doctors advised him to stay away from large crowds and wash his hands regularly to limit his exposure to germs since he would be extra susceptible. They also advised him to not participate in any contact sports or other activities where he may have been injured. Should he become injured or have a bleeding wound, his blood may not clot like it should due to his low platelet count and he should seek medical attention immediately.

So . . . low platelet count means his blood isn't clotting normally. Easy enough to follow, right? Then, how the heck did he wind up with a blood clot?!? At one of the follow-up doctor appointments this week, E. mentioned that his arm was still tender from where his PICC line had been inserted. So today we were off for an ultrasound which confirmed that E. does in fact have a blood clot in his arm. Thankfully, it is a superficial blood clot (Superficial Thrombophlebitis) and NOT a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis). It should resolve itself, but in the meantime, E. is to take some over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and alternate warm and cold compresses on the area to help with the discomfort.

Other than that, E. is just working on healing. He has weekly labs, as well as a couple of follow-up doctor appointments each week. His body needs to heal sufficiently from all the chemotherapy and radiation before new scans can be done to determine how successful the treatment was. It is anticipated that a PET scan and another Endoscopic Ultrasound will be performed the last week of May or the first week of June. From there, the next plan of attack can be determined. We've completed self-referrals to three other well-known cancer hospitals . . . the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, MD Anderson in Texas and City of Hope in California. Once all the new information is in, E. can decide how he wants to pursue it. We just wanted to make sure to keep our options open.

Also, to quell a rumor about his retirement . . . E. did meet with the PERS retirement folks to discuss retirement options. Once again, this was just to make sure he knew his options. A medical/disability retirement may be an option eventually, depending on how things progress and if surgery happens or not. A regular retirement may also be an option eventually, but with the percentage offered and the penalties due to his age, that is not feasible at this point.

E. was able to have a "Boys' Night Out" and went to an Aces Baseball game with a few of his buddies. It was so nice for him to be able to get out, and even sip on a couple of beers. I know several people have mentioned that they have been hesitant to call or visit because they weren't sure if E. felt up to it. Though he still tires easily and isn't the wild party animal he once was, some socialization would do him good. He's too nice to say it to me, but he's got to be sick of me as his only adult company. Anyways, the phone line and the door is open.

S.