Glad you survived these ordeals, Wes! Thanks for the cautionary tale. Wayne N6KR
On Sat, May 10, 2025 at 8:15 AM Wes <wes_n...@triconet.org> wrote: > (Long story follows) > > Back on Dec 20 I underwent six hours of surgery to remove a mass in my > right > butt cheek and thigh. Originally diagnosed as a liposarcoma via MRI, I > was > referred to the U of A cancer center where I met a wonderful surgeon, Dr > Jennifer Erdrich. She managed to excise the 2.7 pound mass while sparing > my > sciatic nerve. I have a twelve inch long scar and some residual numbness > to > show for it. However, the best part is, it was benign! Someone at the > hospital > told me I should buy a Powerball ticket, but apparently I used up all my > luck > with the surgery. > > Whether the foregoing has anything to do with the following is a question; > maybe, maybe not. > > Suffice it to say that at age 83, I likely did well to survive 6 hours of > anesthesia with most of my brain cells intact, but there has been a > slowdown in > my activity. For the time being, I don't climb ladders, for example. I > do, > however, sit in front of the computer and radio. But I don't do contests > and > even while writing this, I just went to the kitchen for another cup of > coffee. > So I'm cognizant of the need to move around. > > But on April 23, after writing off some pain in my left calf as a muscle > pull > for a few days, my wife took a hard look and saw a lot of swelling and > said you > need some medical attention. Ultrasound is the diagnostic tool of choice > for > DVT. Of course, it was after hours and the nearest ER is notorious for > slow > service, so I did a search and found a relatively new standalone ER. They > advertised scanning capabilities and that you can make an online > appointment. > So off we went, arriving at 10 PM. Unfortunately, while they can do X-ray > and > CT scanning they didn't do ultrasound. So it was off to the notorious > ER. We > arrived at 11 PM and gave up and went home at 3 AM while never having been > seen. (In hindsight, a mistake) Now it's Thursday morning. My PCP is in > a > group that has a radiology facility right across the parking lot. So I > make an > appointment, but cannot get in until Friday morning. When the doctor > finally > examines me, the swelling is gone and he sees nothing wrong. I insist > that I > need a scan so he orders it up. These are priority with them. > > So back home an hour later (2 PM) the scan results are on the patient > portal. > They are negative for DVT. Looks like I dodged another bullet, > figuratively > speaking. After the sun went down and the rattlesnakes came out we > decided to > go to a park and walk the dog. After walking the first half-mile we stop > to > visit with another dog walking acquaintance. While just standing there, > I'm > suddenly hit with some substantial chest pain. It wasn't "I'm going to > die > pain" but it really got my attention. So it was off to drop the dog at > home and > back to the standalone ER. Now I got the CT scan and learned that I had a > pulmonary embolism. I was started on IV Heparin and prepped for an > ambulance > ride back to the notorious hospital. Sixteen hours later a bed opens up > and off > we go. The EMTs tell me that you should never go to a standalone ER with > conditions like this. Go to a hospital and tell them that you have chest > pain > and you get priority. > > I'll spare the details of the next couple of days but I am home. I'm > taking > Eliquis for at least six months ($600/month) and other than that pain, I > feel > fine. I remain unconvinced that too much sitting was the cause but since > that > is the topic I thought to chime in. > > Take from this what you will > > Wes N7WS > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to n...@elecraft.com -- Elecraft, Inc. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
