PICCs and other procedures
Sam and I are both up. Sam is in good spirits having had a sound sleep last night. It must have been a quality sleep because it certainly was not a long one … we should both take naps today. Last night we watched a very disappointing hockey game and then had a gaming session. I confess it got later than it should and Tina was not here to put a stop to it. She went to have a full night sleep at the RMDH and I hope that she is able to sleep well into the morning. As I write this Sam is reading a classic – if you know that the answer is 42 then you know the series he just started.
Reflections on May 8
To start the day we thought it would be rather simple and that the afternoon would be relaxed… It wasn’t all bad though there are some concerning elements, it just did not all go as planned. The bulk of the day
To start Sam did go under general anesthetic to adjust his PICC-line and complete a lumbar puncture. The PICC procedure did not go the way the medical team had hoped. The plan was simply to adjust the position of the existing line, but they were not able to do this so they pulled that line and attempted a new line on the other arm. This new line also did not go as planned, as they were not able to centrally locate the outlet. This is where there is some concern, attempts to (re)position the previous or locate the current line failed due to blood clots in Sam’s system. No one is very clear as to why he has clots so frequently in his blood vessels (to be clear this is not because they are keeping anything from us … it is just they do not know). We know that some of the clots are an effect of the cancer – as the body tried to fight it; alternately, this clotting could be somehow related to the previous chemotherapy. The fact is there is clotting in Sam’s blood vessels, and there is more clotting than a couple weeks ago despite taking blood thinners twice a day.
The lumbar puncture went as planned.
The quiet afternoon turned into an additional procedure. The previous scans had focused on the upper chest and neck. This ultrasound was done to evaluate the potential of clotting in the abdomen and legs. Results are pending.
We were finally back to the room by about 4pm. Time for dinner. I had left overs. A friend had brought poke bowls yesterday and the left over one as almost as good as the first. Sam had a hospital dinner supplemented with snacks from Safeway. Tina was off on her own adventure.
I am so happy for Tina as she was able to get away yesterday afternoon. Senga was here and she took her out to a local park and then out for a Tina-friendly meal.
Concerns and victories
Sam has a new PICC, despite not being placed idealy it should work.
Concerns around clotting in Sam’s blood vessels. He is on blood thinners but there appear be more clots than a couple weeks ago.
We are expecting to meet with the Dr. Cheng this afternoon to discuss recent results and plans for Sam’s next round of chemotherapy – which may start tomorrow.
Joyful for connections with friends – in person and through communication.