First, the good news. It looks like I won’t be needing to see a Wound Care specialist for the blister. After a couple of weeks of bleeding and draining, it suddenly decided to heal. I have practically no trace of it left. Hoorah!
Now, the bad news, and it is indeed bad. If you’ll recall, I’ve been fighting edema/swelling in both legs and ankles for months now. My primary care doctor ordered an ultrasound of my legs, which came back negative for blood clots, DVTs, or other problems. He also ordered a blood test called a “D-dimer” test, which is supposed to check for evidence of a blood clot. A normal person’s numerical value on this test would be below 0.50. My value was 4.08, which my doctor called, “very high.” He immediately ordered me a prescription for 20 mg of Xarelto (a blood thinner) and is going to set me up for a CT scan of my chest, since that’s where any blood clot will likely be.
Fortunately, I have something working in my favor. Back in December of 2009, I had a “Greenfield Filter” (pictured on this page) implanted into my inferior vena cava. This was done to prevent blood clots from traveling from my broken ankles to my heart and lungs at the time (long story). Who knows – it may be doing its job as I write this.
Needless to say, this whole situation is scaring the daylights out of me. I’ll admit that I’ve upped the dose on my anti-anxiety medication in response. It’s helping a bit, but mostly it’s making me sleepy. I’m combating that with a Diet Mountain Dew and the soundtrack to The Mandalorian, Season 1, Chapter 1. Remarkably effective.
Anyway, I won’t have any further information until after the CT scan. Wish me luck.
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