2nd ASCT - Day 139 - October 4 2012

Up early AGAIN - not sleeping well at all - bothered by neuropathy, AND leg/foot cramps TERRIBLE. My right foot went in to some sort of SPASM that I thought would KILL ME until I was able to stretch it out.

Drove my father to his appointment in Blackfoot, Idaho. He had a follow-up ultrasound of all the arterial stents he has had placed in his legs since June 2012. We took his wheelchair today and it was a lot easier on both of us getting around between the hospital and the doctor's office right across the street.

After the ultrasound which took about an hour, we saw David Shelley, MD (Interventional Radiologist)  who explained that Dad's stents are all open and he now has good blood supply to his legs and feet. Here is a diagram showing the approximate location of the stents (yellow lines). The stents can only be 6-7 cm long according to the FDA, so a lot have to be placed if the occlusion is long. Dr. Shelley said the swelling in Dad's legs and feet is probably the result of better blood flow to his legs and to be expected - the compression socks are fine to use. We are to watch for coldness and/or pain in his legs and feet which would signal a stent has been occluded and would necessitate an IMMEDIATE RETURN to Dr. Shelley.

Drove home to Mackay arriving just after 3 PM. Walked Kemmer to get my mail. We had our first freezing weather last night - woke to 24 degrees and it warmed up to about 55 this afternoon.