Note from Erin: I'm going back and posting from Dad's original emails, so you can catch up. The actual first date of this blog was in January 2015.
To: Friends and Family
From: John Swank
02/06/2014For those who get this email, some may not know at all, some may be aware of some of what has been going on with me.
If there are relatives or friends who are not included in the address list, please help out and send this on to others who may be interested.
It has been a hell of a roller coast ride since mid January. So I will give you run down by a time line.
January 1 brought in New Year by having “Pink Eye.”
January 10 more or less started getting cramps in my left leg. Thought it was due to the very cold weather, so kept stretching it to exercise it. Kept getting worse.
January 17-Celebrated my 67 birthday. Went to Jazz Central night before with some cousins. Good thing I didn't dance much.
January 20 went to ER when pain would not let up. Diagnosed with a 2 foot long blood clot (Deep Vein Trombosis DVT) in my left leg. Hospitalized at Upper Valley Medical Center (UVMC) Troy.
January 22 discharged from hospital. Felt good for several days. Learned the joy of giving self injections of Lovenox in stomach (pinch an inch and inject) for 5 days. Actually fairly little pain in my leg after discharged.
January 29 back to ER as pain had escalated to level prior to hospitalization. I was worried that a further blood clot had developed. Results nothing different . Sent me home.
January 31. Saw my PCP, Dr. Spagnola. Left leg still swollen. I had worked in his office when I first came to Troy, so I know him well. He greeted me with the blunt assessment- “We have to check for cancer. “ I have learned that if you have unexplained blood clots there is a very high chance that there is underlying cancer, or something else major going on. He ordered several CT scans (Chest, and Abdomen from stomach to pelvis) and ultrasound of prostate to be done at Kettering Medical Center. V I was a bit frustrated with UVMC and started looking at going to a different hospital. .
February 3- starting looking for different solutions as leg more swollen. Considered going to Cleveland Clinic. As swelling had not gone down, I wanted an appointment with a specialist who might look at getting the clot removed as it was so massive. (Many people think Coumedin/warfarin disolves blood clots. It only keeps the clots from moving to lung, etc by making blood thinner. It takes months for the clot to be reabsorbed back into the body.)
Had a friend, Matt,with a PHD in Pharmacology (PharmD) recommend his friend, Dr. Lavelle. He is a hemotologist/oncologist. Started trying to make appointment to get in.
February 4- Did above tests at Kettering Medical Center. Dr. sent med records to Dr. Lavelle.
February 5- Dr. Spagnola called me with results of CT scans, even though his office was closed because of the snow. Stated that there were several areas of concern around the appendix and there was a lesion on the liver. Wanted me to see an oncologist. Contacted my friend again, who had said if not able to get in quickly, he would make it happen. Called him in the afternoon, and in about a half an hour he had the personal phone number of Dr. Lavelle's nurse, and the promise that Dr. Lavelle “would work me in.” My physician had said that it is very hard to get an appointment quickly with Dr. Lavelle.
February 6 (today) Called Dr. Lavelle's nurse at 830 this morning, she said she would check and get back with me in a couple of hours. She called me back at about 11am, and wanted to know if I could be there by 2:15pm.
Arrived early, spent a total of 3 hours in the office. Everyone extremely attentive, and explained things in detail. Dr. Lavelle explained that he needed to know more to treat, so ordered lab work (taken on the spot), and arranged the following before we left:
Tomorrow (February 7) PET scan at 9:15 am to identify any cancer activity in the whole body. Medicare does not like to authorize Pet Scans (My sister Becky said it took them quite a while to get her husband Tom's authorized through Medicare. Dr Lavelle's office had it authorized while we were still there.
Sunday-Feb 9th- start 24 hour urine collection
Monday-Feb 10: Liver biopsy
Tuesday Feb 11: Meet with doctor who will do colonoscopy
Wednesday Feb 12: Colonoscopy
Thursday Feb 13: Results and recommendations
It has not been an education I wanted, but I am so pleased that everything is moving along at near breakneck speed. (I have talked to people who had to wait 4-6 weeks to get into an oncologist.)
We have wonderful support from friends. Joyce has been a trouper. I feel that she has to do so much for me, as my stamina and energy are low. Thanks to all for well wishes. support--and food.
I am aware that this is the first that some have heard, so now that have more information, thought we would broaden the group to whom this is sent.
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