Of Ants and Boy Scouts

You never know what is going to happen from day to day. The medical team that is taking care of me has asked me to let them know of any problems or concerns I may have. One of the persistent problems while I was at the Club was that my feet were swollen and just wouldn't get better. Now that I am home and able to move around more, that problem has mostly resolved itself. Still, my right leg, which had blood clots last fall, is slightly larger than my left. 

After my blood draw on Thursday, my labs showed that my platelet count is considerably above normal. This is not unusual after chemotherapy, and I was told it might happen. So, class, from what you have already learned, what is the function of platelets? Come on, now, let's not always see the same hands. That's right, platelets are a critical piece of the blood clotting process. 

Because my platelet count was so low when I was admitted to the hospital, they stopped giving me the anti-coagulant medication I had been taking for months to prevent more clots from forming in my legs. The combination of low platelets and anti-coagulants had resulted in lots of bruising (read Chromosomes and Chromatic Aberations). 

So, here I am with a wealth of platelets and a history of blood clots in my leg. The leg in question is slightly swollen. I decided I had better let the team know. I called yesterday at 9:00AM. The advice nurse said she would contact the hematologist and get back to me. Just before 11:AM, she called back to say that Dr. Waugh had ordered a STAT ultrasound of my leg to rule out new clots. Then came the rub. The only places that could get me in quickly enough for this procedure were Sunnyside, where I would just show up and wait for an opening, or North Interstate in north Portland, where they could give me an appointment time of 1:00PM or 3:00PM. 

We opted for the 3:00PM appointment, knowing full well that we would spend a lot of time in bogged down traffic. Jill and I got in the trusty Ford and hit the road about 1:00PM. We arrived at the Imaging Department at North Interstate at 2:50PM and checked in. Within five minutes I was called in for the procedure, which is a quick and easy one. The technician told us to wait for the results to be posted, which would take about a half hour. 

After a few minutes, I got an email from Dr. Waugh. Good news, no new clots! We left the clinic and headed for home. I looked at the clock as we were pulling away from the medical facility. It was 3:34PM. I am so glad we opted to take the assigned appointment time. We were in and out and had the results within 34 minutes of my appointed time! 

The above scenario is not what we had pictured for our Friday afternoon, but I suspect there will be other times in our journey through the treatment of leukemia that surprise us, too. Fortunately, my beautiful bride had had the foresight to make sure the car had a full tank of gas, so all we had to do was jump in and go. 

The upshot of this episode is that I am back on anti-coagulant therapy (blood thinners) until my platelet count drops significantly, which will probably be during the next round of chemotherapy. Thank you Dr. Waugh and staff for your prompt and efficient handling of this situation. And thank You, Lord, for no new blood clots. We had no idea that our afternoon would involve a four and a half hour round trip to Portland! 

The Moral of the story? 

 "Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest." (Proverbs 6:6-8)

Or as the Boy Scouts would say, "Be Prepared!" 

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