Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Knee Takes Front Stage

Well, we didn't make it to the end of January before we had to make more trips to the hospital. Actually we didn't make it out of December. Right after Christmas, Dave was coming down the stairs and heard/felt a "pop" in his left knee. He had ruptured a Baker's Cyst, and his leg started swelling up. It didn't get better, and the symptoms are almost the same as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), so we got nervous and ended up spending New Year's eve at the hospital. They ruled out DVT and sent him home again, saying it would soon resolve on its own.

It didn't - it got worse. His leg got bigger, redder, and more painful, and today they did an ultrasound and diagnosed a DVT. So now he's on Warfarin (pills) and Fondaparinux (injections) and he's being followed by the "Blood Thinning Clinic." And he's pretty scared. I had a minor surgical procedure myself today, and I'm just putting one foot in front of the other.

Onward, into 2008.

(The Bone Marrow Biopsy is still scheduled for January 29th.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Anna and Dave

How frightening. We are so sorry to hear about these added difficulties. Please let us know if we can be of any help.

Mark and Margaret

Amber Seashell said...

Hi Dave and Anna-
That is so frustrating for you to have a new problem on top of all the others! I hope the leg issue works out smoothly as soon as possible. As for the on-going issues, I have to admit I get a little overloaded with the medical details and don't know what to ask (or if you even want to be asked anything- I'm guessing a lot of times, you'd rather not! I know I'd get sick of telling the same stories.) But I'm always thinking about you guys and I hope it goes without saying, let me know any time there's anything I can help with.
Amber

David W. Sumner said...

Thanks everyone. I'm doing pretty well. It was a shock, but it's under control and will eventually go away. It's not uncommon, but something to take seriously.And it has nothing to do with the CLL. I've just got banged up knees that get worse as I get older. The great thing is that it looks like I will be getting older, and I think that is really cool.

Dave

Anonymous said...

I always get worried when phone calls go unanswered...friends want to be "in the loop" and be helping, but I also understand that sometimes it is easier to just hunker down on your own for a while and attend to things.
Dave, its good to read your comment. Yes, as a nurse I'd often point out to patients or their families that people with one "Big" disease can also "simply" sprain an ankle or get a sinus headache. Stu and I look forward to many visits and dinners and video nights ahead.

Nancy Ewart said...

I keep the both of you in my thoughts and my prayers.