Thursday, November 20, 2014

Not What We Planned

 

On our last hike in Zion up to the West Rim trail, Jim’s left leg was bothering him and he felt like he was more winded than normal. That is a very steep trail going up Walters Wiggles, and I wasn’t having the best time climbing it myself. The following day he had a hard time putting weight on his leg, but as he was up and walking around it started feeling better. We did a little biking and some easy hiking over the weekend, but it was still bothering him some. A few days ago he noticed his calf was swollen. A Google search for swollen calf and leg pain suggested a deep vein thrombosis, something Jim had been examined for in the past but which just turned out to be superficial clots of his varicose veins, which he was told not to worry about.

I finally convinced him to go to the ER since it was not getting better, so this is where we spent our day, and where Jim is spending the night. St. Rose Dominican Hospital (Sienna Campus) in Las Vegas. Not a bad place, but very busy. As I write this there is no room at the inn, so he is still in the ER hallway. Not good.

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The ultrasound and CT showed he surprisingly had deep vein thromboses in both legs and multiple pulmonary emboli in his lungs. Not the diagnosis we wanted to hear, but he was started on anticoagulants and they are keeping him overnight. He joked about wanting to use his new Medicare, but this really isn’t what he meant.

The internist who came to talk with us said Jim should see a hematologist, so he will be following up at the Mayo Clinic while we are there next month. Last year he had tests run to see if he had a blood disease or genetic factor that may have caused the superficial clots, but all of those tests were negative, so they just recommended low-dose aspirin which apparently didn’t do the trick. The ER doc said that he has seen a good number of people of all ages with DVTs and PEs where nothing ever turns up on the testing.

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Another exciting day in the life…I would much rather be hiking. And although we get on each other’s nerves sometimes, I sure do miss him when he isn’t here.

33 comments:

  1. Give him my best wishes for recovery and prevention. I really enjoy you folk's adventures in places I cannot go anymore.

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  2. Give Jim a hug for me tomorrow, and tell him I'll be his DVT crash test dummy.
    Box Canyon Mark

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  3. I feel for you guys. Hope he gets better soon and that you can get a better handle on it while you're in the valley. Shout if you need anything while you're in town.

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  4. And here I still sit in the hallway at 8:30. They tell me I have a room but don't know when I will see it. So far they have attempted to give me some meds tonight that I shouldn't till in the morning and provided a nice sloppy joe which doesn't work for a vegan.

    Here is hoping I live to get to the Mayo Clinic.

    Jim

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  5. That's what you get for leaving us! If you were just down the road in St. George, I would be organizing a rescue party....or at least whipping up some nice Tofu pups, (or whatever the heck it is you vegans eat!)

    Hang in there Peterman!

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  6. Yikes. No fun at all. Get out of there as fast as you can!!

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  7. That certainly is NOT good news. Hoping the you will be on the mend soon and ready to hit the road again. Try to behave and play the part of a good captive. Take good care you two!!

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  8. Sorry to hear of your woes. Red meat and less hiking is the remedy. Bet, you can not do post with the H word.

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  9. Oh I am so sorry. We have been there and done that. Not exactly that of course but the hospital, the hematologist, the waiting. Sure hope it turns out to be something they have a fix for or at least a work around. Our thoughts are with you in this. Be sure to ask Mayo if they take payment in full from medicare. We were very surprised when they couldn't guarantee that in Jacksonville. You guys don't need any more surprises.

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  10. Best wishes for a quick recovery and good news at Mayo!

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  11. Here's hoping Jim is released back into the wild soon.

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  12. No good.... Hopefully you recovery quickly and get back on the trails!

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  13. Yikes. Go easy on those nurses Jim and feel better soon! So much more fun reading about your adventures on the trail!!

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  14. Good thing you decided to check it out so the proper dosing and torture can get him back on track! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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  15. Not the way to try his Medicare Coverage. Hope to hear of Jim having a speedy recovery after visiting the Mayo Clinic.
    Be safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  16. Thoughts and prayers going out for you! In 2011 I broke my foot in two places and it turned black, two months later I ended up for three days in the hospital with DVT and a pulmonary embolism. I was on blood thinners for 6 months and am ok now. Not fun but if you follow what they say you will be ok. Much better to catch this before you are out in the boonies and it is more serious.

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  17. Yikes! Fingers crossed Jim gets through this quickly and with no repercussions. Thank goodness for Medicare.

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  18. How frightening! Hope those clots clear up real soon and Mayo can give you some answers. Not fun at all.

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  19. I think Mayo Clinic is the best place to go, but I suppose I'm biased. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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  20. Oh my gosh. Wish there was something we could do. But I am so glad you guys went to ER. A great decision. And glad he listened to you. You are in our thoughts. We can be there quickly if you need anything. Thinking of you.

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  21. Oh dear. Please tell Jim we are keeping him in our prayers for a complete recovery.

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  22. Oh man, not what you expect at all. Really hope the meds work and clear those clits fast. So sorry you have to go through this. We'll be thinking if you both!
    Nina (Wheelingit)

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  23. I'm so glad you got to the hospital. Big hugs. Speedy recovery.

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  24. Jim and Gayle, we have sent you a personal email. Best wishes.

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  25. Gail, it might be time to see what you can get for that old boy in trade. Not much, I suspect, in his current condition, but until you put him on E-Bay you'll never know. :-)

    Enjoy your travels
    Ed

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  26. That's a real bummer. Sorry to hear about it. Hope they find the right medicines to right the problem sooner rather than later.

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  27. Be well, Jim. This will pass and you will be on the trail again soon.

    Chris

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  28. I wished I had known you were doing the hospital thing. The hospital and ER in Boulder City were amazing. Their ER is brand new. Sending thoughts and prayers to Jim. Hope he gets a room soon. Please keep us posted. There will plenty of time to hike later after Jim is fully recovered.

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  29. Take care of each other. Sending healing thoughts your way.

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  30. oh dear! We are sending you well wishes from Anacortes where we are enjoying morning coffee at Gere A Deli. Thinking of you. Hope our paths cross this winter in the southwest. Take good care.
    Marti and Charlie

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  31. All the very best with Jim's quick recover. Warmest wishes to you both and I hope to see you in the desert this winter.

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  32. Popped in to catch up on your adventures and didn't expect this to be what I found, as I'm sure you didn't expect it either. Do what they tell you, I know it's hard for us active types to sit still while we wait to heal so we can get going again but it always pays off to take doc's advice. I was reading up on risk factors for DVT and it seems birth control pills and pregnancy are on the list so tell Jim to lay off those and maybe pee on the stick just in case. After all, we know it can't be due to inactivity or being obese, right? Thought I'd take a stab at making you laugh, maybe it'll pass the time waiting in the hallway.

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  33. Sending healing thoughts for a quick recovery and helpful diagnosis.

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