Medical emergency: Bill MIGHT have a thrombosis

In the midst of this wicked storm with ice and high winds and snow, we are going to Boone in our 4-wheel drive SUV, because Bill has developed what almost certainly is a large thrombosis (blood clot) in his arm, just below the elbow. It is large, hard, and hot and his pain is increasing.

We called the Oncologists and they said, "Don't wait. No matter what it takes, get to the hospital."

Now, listen: IT MIGHT NOT BE A THROMBOSIS! I have a huge tendency to over-dramatize things, so this might be NOTHING! I don't want to cry wolf to you, so please know my tendencies and take the square root of what I say. But the thing in his arm matches the description exactly. That's all I'm saying. Plus, thrombosis follows chemotherapy very often, AND follows a high platelet count (high platelets can cause thrombosis) and Bill had very high platelets last week.

So we are leaving in a few minutes for Boone.

Bill is just this second reading another site on the Internet and saying that his arm doesn't EXACTLY match the symptoms of thrombosis. So that's another plus, another hope.

He says he thinks it is only phlebitis, an inflamed blood vessel. After listening to the symptoms, I think so, too! This would be fantastic, compared to thrombosis.

An untreated thrombosis can do several things: 75% of people with untreated arm thrombosis develop permanent paralysis in the arm. Twelve percent, the clot breaks off and travels. If it lands in the lung, it is a pulmonary thrombosis or is that an embolism? I'm not sure of the terms, but it can be fatal. If it lands in the heart, a heart attack results. If it lands in the brain, a stroke results.

We are scared. Pray for Bill. Thank you. I will post an update as soon as I can get to this computer, to let you know what is happening.

[Now Bill is saying that if I want to think of percentages, the chances of us getting killed driving to Boone in this severe storm might be as high as the chance he has something bad in his arm. Maybe we will just go to the Blowing Rock hospital, but then we lose the access to the cancer center in Boone. Hmmmm.]