Stevan was lucky enough to kill a big buck the first day of muzzel loading season. We had a terrific week of Thanksgiving in the woods, camping and hunting. Stevan was sick for a few days at the beginning of the week but pulled out of it with lots of sleep and NyQuil. Dustin was lucky enough to kill an eight point on the first day. Brett saw several bucks while she was out with Stevan. Me... yeah I wasn't that lucky to see anything long enough to throw my gun up and get one. There is always next year.
I finished a graduate math class in December and will be starting another one in a week. I have been short 6 hours of graduate math classes. By finishing these two classes, I will then be qualified to teach at the college level full time. Something I've been interested in for a while.
Stevan has continually complaining about his ribs and back hurting throughout deer season, but would never want to go get it checked out. Until the second week of December, when he and a friend went for a drive up to the hills. His back was hurting so bad that he couldn't drive. When I got home I found Stevan in bed. He couldn't hardly move. Even with several pain pills, he was still in a lot of pain. This got us very worried so the next day, he was still hurting. I called and left a message for Patti, the nurse at the transplant clinic, letting her know what was going on and what should we do. I then emailed Stevan's cancer navigator nurse, Sara (Orthopedic Oncologist, Dr Jeremy White's nurse) and told her what was going on. I soon got a reply in the late afternoon asking if we could come in on Monday. I emailed her asking when Stevan was in so much pain then that he was contemplating going to the emergency room to have them check him out, so I emailed Sara again and told her this. Around 8pm, Sara called us asking if we could come in the next afternoon. Dr White wanted to see what was going on. They were very concerned.
So Dec 13th we headed up to OKC. They did x-rays of his shoulder and of his back. Results: everything looks normal. Really! Why was he in so much pain and could hardly move? They were able to get him in for a bone scan of his back to see what was going on at a closer look. Result: at his T-4 vertebre, there is bone missing on the left side of it exposing a nerve. When Stevan sits or stands, it pinches that nerve causing pain.
Dr White decided to refer Stevan to a back speciallist and have him look at Stevan for a possible nerve block for his back the following Tuesday. The back doctor, saw Stevan for about three minutes and refused to do a nerve block. Stevan was feeling somewhat better by then so the doctor said there was too many risks involved with a nerve block. When Stevan can't stand the pain anymore, they will have to go in and do a repair of the vertebrae and build it back up to relieve the pressure off the nerve.
So for the more recent report. Several people have commented that they have noticed Stevan's left eye as being swollen. I didn't notice it until they pointed it out a few weeks ago. He had been commenting that he can't seem to focus out of it. The brightness from the snow on Christmas Day really bothered it and made it water.
Wednesday his left eye was so swollen it looked like it was being pushed outward. Between me and our neighbor, Bendette, we got him to go to Dr Butler, the optometrist. Butler said there was some pressure behind the eye but he couldn't make a determination if it was from the swelling or from something else. He noticed that Stevan's left eye was not tracking with the right one, it was stopping and lagging. He recommended seeing a neuro-ophthalmologist but also suggested contacting his cancer doctor and seeing what she recommended.
I called Patti, our wonder nurse from the transplant clinic that can move mountains, and left a message for her on Thursday of what was going on. She called me back this morning to let me know that she was going to speak with Dr Holter in just a bit and would relay the information on to her and would get back with me shortly. About thirty minutes later Patti called to say that Holter was concerned that this symptom is a result from the Myeloma. She wanted him to come to OU and get a MRI or CT scan to see what was going on. She didn't want him to take any chance by waiting till Next Friday when he has an appt. with his endocrinologist, Dr Hummer.
Stevan originally stated, he was not going, He would wait till Monday. I decided to call his mother. She came over and talked to him and then the kids started in on him to please go. He finally got a few things together and started the truck.
So here we sit, wait in the ER with everyone else, flu, stomach bugs and the crazies. They tried to take him back through the fast-track to get him in and out. Once they learned of his history, they sent him back out to the waiting room to go through the regular route. They said this is not a quick fix. LOL Really? What was their first clue?
I'm not really concerned about him getting sick with anything in here. He's been around so much over the past six months, and done so many things he wasn't supposed to be doing and he's been fine. His last several blood tests show that his counts are good. I'm just thankful he's here in case something is seriously wrong.
I will update as soon as I know something.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteHope you both are doing well.
Cheryl