The Past Few Days

Beginning last Sunday, April 25th, a slight cramping feeling started in my right calf. The cramping feeling got progressively worse through Tuesday evening.

Under the advisement of my doctors in Boston and Iowa City, I went to the local emergency room at Covenant Medical center for an ultrasound to make sure it wasn't a blood clot. No clot was found, everything looked great. Covenant also did some blood work and, according to the Covenant doctor, I "look perfectly healthy on paper, but there's obviously something going on in that leg". We left Covenant with a prescription for antibiotics and the guess that it was an infection of some kind, time would tell.

Well, time told. I woke up Thursday in more pain and by Thursday night the cramping pain had progressed into both feet. So I now had both feet and a right calf that felt like they were cramping and wouldn't stop.

Upon hearing this news on Friday morning, both Boston and Iowa City advised me to get to Iowa City immediately to see my oncologist (better perspective on my particular case than the ER doctor had) to figure out just what was going on with my legs.

A breath of fresh air: Boston and IC now both think they know what's happening. After the clear ultrasound and blood work that hasn't flagged anything, they believe that my calf and feet are just cramping continuously. This can happen with the type of trial drugs that I'm on because they can deplete a lot of the magnesium, electrolytes, etc. in my system. Why my feet and calf? Because they're the muscles you use the most every day. Now, I know that doesn't sound like fun (and it's not) but the good news is; it's easy to fix. TUMS and Powerade and a heating pad should help clear it up in about 48 hours.

Iowa City is still running some blood work to make sure no permanent tissue damage has been done, but for now, I am to rest up and stop the chemotherapy drugs until I'm back in Boston.

Short term good: I get a break from the chemo and I don't have to fast anymore. I won't be taking anything but Aleve :-)

What's Next:
Fly to Boston on Wednesday, May 5th. Get a biopsy and some more testing and potentially go back on the chemo.

Thank you everyone, especially those of you at work who have helped support me while I had to take this sudden time off. Believe me, I'd work 48hrs straight rather than have those 48 straight hours of continuously cramping feet. :-)