Problems!

Well, Dr. Cole recalculated the Doxorubicin and Sammy was officially taken off having completed all the doses.  He started the methotrexate via his port once a week and had to begin twice weekly visits until the asparaginase shots are complete...they can't be given the same day.  Having spent most of March in the hospital; admitted twice, we were very glad to hear that things should become easier now.

Well, it has not!  Sam has now become an invalid, unable to walk without help and then only for a few steps without being exhausted and in pain.  This development happened after a fall over a weekend in April, but I think it was already developing due to the vincristine taking its cumulative toll.  So, after Sam fell, he was taken to the local doctor who sent him to the osteopath to get an xray.  There was a slight shadow on one of the xrays so Sam was put in a brace.  He was unable to move or walk.  By Wednesday afternoon, he was looking very strange and hot, so I took his temperature as soon as I got home from work.  It was 102.6!!!!!!   We still waited to see if it would go down...it didn't..until we reached the ER.  Yep, we were back at Montefiore, doing the ER dance again.  (Brian had taken Sammy to the ER only a week before for a fever Spike but his ANC was high enough to come home by about 11:30 - we hoped it would be the same again.) 

Sammy was accessed and the nurses tried to take blood...no luck.  I explained that it had happened a week earlier too and only a special anti-clotting drug would help.  That had to then be ordered and administered and then we had to wait for it to work.  Meanwhile we were taken to xray to check out the leg. We got back to the ER from xray by about 1am.  Sammy was exhausted and I was feeling it too.  I was a little wired, however, as the technician had called me into the room to check Sam's pockets for objects as something had shown up on the xray.  The tech and the doctor did not know what it was....we had to wait for the specialist to read the xrays.  I was so worried...Sammy's original xray had shown the huge mass of cells in his chest...had it come back?  This was to be an unanswered question into the next day.  Sam and I were still in the ER by early morning and they then sent us to the clinic to have the HemOnc doctors look at him.  I was cross eyed by then.  Thankfully Sammy had slept a little. 

Sam had his chemo in the clinic and we waited for the results of the xray.  Nothing!  He was then sent home, returning the next day as his blood was low and a transfusion was imminent.  Instead, Brian, who had taken Sam in, called me to say the specialist had seen the mass, checked the bones, and said they were fine but the muscles had atrophied.  The mass remained a mystery but it wasn't cancer.  Finally, Dr. Moody burst in to look at the films and burst out laughing.....it was Sam's penis!!!!!!!!!  Phew!