DVT

it should be rather appropriate that for our 500th post onto this blog that i would have some new stuff to write about...you all have to be very tired of always hearing about the lymphoma so we decided to mix it up a bit.

the last few days tim has been having some rather severe discomfort in his left arm. it has been swollen and bumpy and a large painful mass has formed on his forearm. so off to see the doctor. after an exam and some bloodwork and a dopler it was determined that tim has developed a DVT. (i guess this is better than lymphoma...or at the very least it is different). he has a blood clot in one of the "deep veins" hence the name DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS>

the deep vein that is effected apparently leads into the arm and spreads out into many superficial veins (at least one of which is loaded with clots). this will cause the arm to swell and can be very painful.

if any of you have been around for all 500 posts (GOD BLESS YOU) you may remember that this is NOT tims first experience with a blood clot. he has had two pulmonary emboli and at least one other blood clot that formed just off of his central line. because of his history and perhaps the fact that his mother passed away from the very same thing...they are taking him OFF the coumadin (blood thinner) and putting him ON the lovenox-YUK-these are the extremely pricey heparin shots that he absolutely hates!!!

they are also going to do a battery of blood test to try to determine if he has some sort of disorder or something that makes his body produce these clots so often. he will go in tomorrow for tests but it is doubtful we will know anything for a few days. if there is some reason that he is resistant to the coumadin therapy there would be a possiblity that he would have to stay on the shots...PRAYER REQUEST TIME...other than more chemo i can't think of another thing that he would hate more. these shots really mess him up...they are expensive, he bruises, they hurt, his wife hates to administer them...it is not a pretty scene.

so...on this 11th day of december we actually have something new to talk about. i actually don't know a whole lot about DVT's so i have been researching a bit. the doctor said that usually they would be able to put him on some strong anti-inflammatory drugs to ease the pain but since tim's platelets have bottomed out also that is not possible. so he will have to stick with the morphine for the pain and ride it out best he can. (they are puzzled with why tim's platelets keep dropping...once the doctor mentioned doing a bone marrow biopsy but then must have changed his mind...whew)

we will update when we hear any news

thanks for checking in

tim and tammy