Thursday, April 18, 2013

TWO BLOOD TESTS WEDNESDAY INDICATED A BLOOD CLOT BUT THURSDAY MORNING’S CT SCAN SAID, ‘NO’

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ON THE NEST

A couple weeks before leaving Congress Arizona a few weeks ago I had mentioned in a post that we were considering leaving for home earlier because of a medical concern. I didn't mention at the time what that concern was. Kelly began having random pains in her upper chest as far back as a couple months ago. They were particularly bad during the night at times & caused her to lose sleep. And then they would go away for awhile. Kelly didn't feel it was serious enough to seek medical attention until we got home.  She also didn’t want to put a claim in on our travel insurance for fear of her rates going up this Fall.  And with those thoughts in the back of my mind it was another reason we did not waste any time in getting back to Ontario.
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SPOTTED A PAIR OF LARGE MUSKRAT'S ON THE POND THIS MORNING

With everything going on the past couple weeks Kelly put the problem on a back burner but in the last week when the chest pain came back & increased in intensity she finally called her Doctor a couple days ago & got herself an appointment Wednesday afternoon in Bayfield. With symptoms explained, the young lady Doctor immediately sent Kelly to the Emergency department at the Goderich Hospital for tests. She also told Kelly to stay by her cell phone for the test results because the Doctor felt it was potentially serious. 
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A BLACK CAP CHICKADEE CONTEMPLATES HIS FEET THIS AFTERNOON
Just after supper Wednesday night Kelly's cell phone rang. It was her Doctor calling from her home. "Get yourself back to the Goderich Hospital" were her instructions. A D-DIMER blood test had pointed to a PULMONARY EMBOLISM (blood clot). Didn't take us long to get ourselves up to the Hospital where the same afternoon tests were again performed to confirm the first test's suspicions. And the second D-dimer test once again pointed to a Pulmonary Embolism. Kelly was given a HEPARIN injection in her stomach area to immediately begin thinning her blood. A CT scan with injected dyes was ordered for first thing Thursday morning to more accurately pinpoint the problem. We drove home from the hospital Wednesday night in a heavy rainstorm.
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT EMERGE
The chest pain bothered her in the night again & this morning she was on her way back to the hospital for a 9 a.m. CT scan which turned out being delayed until 11 a.m. Luckily she took a book with her because she had to remain at the hospital until the results of that CT scan came back from London Ontario. Pheebs & I stayed home close to the phone in case anything changed. (we did sneak out for a 12” Cold Cut combo at Subway though)

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Kelly phoned from the hospital about 1 o’clock saying the CT scan had not found anything indicating a blood clot.  That was good news because if it had, Kelly would have been in for more Heparin shots every 12 hours for the next couple days & then put on a nasty WARFARIN drug for the next 6 months with many trips to the Doctor & hospital to regulate it.  We are happy the CT scan did not find a blood clot but am now wondering what else it could be. The two D-dimer tests are considered false-positives.  Positive for a blood clot but the blood clot was not found by the CT scan.  The D-dimer tests pointed to a problem somewhere in Kelly’s body which could manifest itself as liver disease, a high rheumatoid factor, inflammation, malignancy, etc.  Kelly will now be doing a follow up with her Doctor to see what the next course of action will be.  She felt fine today but we’ll see how tonight goes………………………….

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Both Kelly & I thank every one for their kind comments & concerns. Kelly has been fielding phone calls from friends & family for most of this afternoon.  One friend called to say he had a CT Scan a year ago at the same hospital & it was determined he had an appendix problem.  He was sent to the Stratford hospital to have the appendix dealt with but the problem was re-diagnosed in Stratford as a perforated bowel.  So, a second opinion or CT scan may be in order for Kelly……………...

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IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN TO BEGIN WHEELING OUT THE SUMMER LAWN ORNAMENTS

And on a much, much, lesser note………my Doctor’s appointment this afternoon resulted in two right hip X-rays.  An arthritic hip joint is suspected so we’ll see what the X-rays reveal.  Never had one stitch of pain in my right hip all day today & yet Wednesday it was about as bad as it has ever been.  No rhyme or reason to it.  I think medically, Kelly & I could well be considered, ‘The Odd Couple’.  

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  When his eyes began to give him trouble, a man went to a ophthalmologist in Prague.  The doctor showed the patient the eye chart, displaying the letters CVKPNWXSCZ.  "Can you read that?" the doctor asked.
"Can I read it?" the Czech replied. "I dated his sister!"

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

27 comments:

  1. We are very glad to read Kelly does not have a pulmonary emboli but as you said maybe a second opinion is in order?? We will still keep you guys in our thoughts!

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  2. I guess one has to be very pro-active on your own healthcare...There is pain for a reason..Don't stop until they find out why..Your body is trying to tell you something...(and maybe it 's nothing more than to just "slow down".. ;-)

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  3. Doesn't it just suck big time getting old???? All these aches and pains, gets on one's nerves. I can relate.
    Take care. Wouldn't it great if it was just anxiety over all that's happened in the last month or so???

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  4. I'm surprised that Kelly did not want you to go with her for the CT scan. I sure would have wanted some company had it been me.

    Glad it wasn't a blood clot.

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  5. I have no idea what Kelly's pain is, but, I agree...our bodies are telling us SOMETHING! I think we are all getting old! I'm sending positive thoughts to you and Kelly! :-)
    ~~Cheryl Ann~~

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  6. Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers, Kelly. Hopefully, this is a minor issue. Jim & Bev

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  7. I think the little Chickadee was saying a prayer for you guys. And the little dove too. She looks like she has on blue eye shadow. Good luck to you both I hope you both get to feeling better really soon.

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  8. very pleased that first diagnosis says "no P.E.) I would seek a second opinion though. And then if not, keep looking for the answer. Still praying.

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  9. The truth is ... what is the truth? Tests can conflict, doctors can disagree, symptoms can go away and then return. All you can do is find someone you trust and go with that person. Fortunately, you trust each other, and that's the most important thing. We'll keep you guys in our prayers.

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  10. I hope those doctors keep on looking until they find out what's going on with Kelly. Also that they'll do so in short order. And the same for the problem with your hip. X-rays don't always reveal problems, though. I needed cervical surgery. Suffered a year, went through countless x-rays, nerve tests. Always negative. It was a very happy day when I got the phone call telling me that an MRI discovered vertebrae problems in my neck. Finally an explanation for why the excruciating pain in my shoulders!
    I sure hope you and Kelly come out with such good results.. Happy, pain free days.

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  11. I am glad they are going to do some follow-up tests.Good to find out whats wrong and get it treated.

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  12. Hope that everything proves to be o.k. Sorry about your hip pain. Often things in our bodies are very difficult to understand. That's why we just have to keep on living the best we can. Prayers and hugs to your both.

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  13. sure is tough as we all get a wee bit older!..hope everything works out for both of you!

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  14. So sorry to hear about Kelly. Hope they soon discover what is causing her problem. Sorry your hip is still acting up. Hope you get an answer, as well. Getting old is not fun sometimes. Take care of yourselves. Hope the next post brings better news.

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  15. Oh goodness. Just get back to catching up on blogs and so sorry to hear about the medical issues. Really hope it turns out to be something simple. Our thoughts are with you both!!
    Nina & Paul

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  16. Get well soon Kelly hope things work out for you guys!!!

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  17. I have no wise words for you and Kelly. You both are in my thoughts and if Positive thoughts count for anything, you have mine.

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  18. I'm not at a computer but thank goodness the iPhone let me check in with you. Sorta good news I hope. At least no nasty blood thinners and no scary clot. Take care Kelly and know we love you!!

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  19. Darn! I am sorry you are going through that. I was in the hospital Sunday to Wednesday with multiple problems...one being a high d-dimer. My belly is Technicolor from all the heparin shots. I don't have to take warfarin, though. I read your blog all the time and was surprised to see us having the same issues. Hope you feel better soon!

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  20. Although pain is a message we often ignore it or label as "old age" but best to get looked at, and probably by more than one export if an answer isn't found at first. Thinking of you both.

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  21. Sure hope you get that second opinion. There must be a reason for the pain. Hoping you both feel better soon. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

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  22. Al, Bea had similar problems together with breathing difficulties the previous winter. We called health insurance and got her to the E.R. in California. They did tests for 4 hours and it went inconclusive, but they suspected it was "all in her head". (like a panic attack) The bad thing is that the health insurance doesn't want to pay. They pay only if the patient is being hospitalized. Good thing you did all this in Canada, where the health insurance system is a million times better than in the U.S. We hope the best for Kelly!

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  23. Good Luck Kelly, but I think maybe a second opinion should definitely be on the books for you.

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  24. hope they find out soon what is wrong with Kelly...personally think the not knowing is the worst part...once you know you can take a course of action. I'm sure they will figure it out soon.

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  25. Working through those "no easy diagnosis" medical problems can be very time consuming. As evidenced by her approach to computer problems, Kelly has the patience to stick with it until a solution/treatment is found.

    I agree whole heartedly with Jerry and Suzy, who have learned from their own difficult health experiences: tests aren't infallible, diagnoses sometimes don't agree, symptoms come and go. A patient's patience and resolve areimportant ingredients in the mix. Best wishes to you both!

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  26. Our thought are with you two.

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  27. Not knowing what's going on in your body is certainly scary, I really do wish Kelly all the best.

    Started following your site, hope you follow baqck my travel blog soon :)

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