Health Update

  This past Tuesday, I went over to my oncologist's office to have my blood drawn in order to check my PT-INR and a1c levels. My primary care physician, Dr. Boerger, said that my a1c was 7.3 which was slightly on the high side for someone with type 2 diabetes. At her suggestion, I arranged an appointment with an Aurora opthamologist to have my eyes examined. For the most part, the eye exam was uneventful. My prescription has changed slightly since last year's exam but not enough to warrant new glasses. The early stages of cataract development have been detected. There's the possibility that 10 to 15 years down the road I may need cataract surgery. Since diabetes is a risk factor for cataracts, I'll have to be more careful controlling my blood glucose levels. The only noteworthy item from the exam was an unusually twisted artery near the optic nerve of my left eye. I'm going to see a retinologist on June 22nd in order to get a better idea as to what caused the arterial twist and whether or not it's going to be a potential problem. The opthamologist said it might be due to a blood clot.

The NHGHs of Life Pt. 3 - The Health Edition

  My health has been pretty crappy lately. I spent the last four days of 2014 in the hospital due to my creatinine level jumping up to 6.91. Normal range is 1.0 to 1.3. It seems the trial drug (which was most likely Celebrex) and the metformin I was taking were the cause. A blood clot in my right calf was also found at this time. On a more recent note, I just got back from the hospital again. This time my INR was through the roof. Since the discovery of the blood clot, I've been taking Coumadin a.k.a. warfarin. It's an anticoagulant. I was also taking a faster acting anticoagulant, Lovenox, for a short time until the Coumadin in my system reached the therapeutic level of between 2 and 3. The amount of Coumadin I was taking was periodically adjusted in order to achieve this level. Right before I had to head back to the hospital, I was taking 12.5mg on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10mg the other days of the week. This past Wednesday, I wasn't feeling well. The right side of my jaw ached and I was told I looked rather pale. Every time I blew my nose, the mucus was bloody. That night, I couldn't sleep. I had chills and my jaw still hurt.
  The next day wasn't any better. My appetite was gone which turned out to be a good thing because my stomach became upset. I went to the emergency room and checked myself in. Over the course of the next few days, an infection was discovered in my jaw and my INR was found to be a stratospherically high 10.1. If I had cut myself during this time, I would have bled rather profusely. If I had suffered a more serious injury, I could easily have bled out. So more time in the hospital. More work days missed. More medical bills. This shit's happening far too frequently. I'm a pessimistic, cynical son of a bitch when things are relatively normal. This isn't improving my mood. I find myself waiting for the next crisis. It seems whenever things start looking up, NHGH comes along and bitch slaps the taste out of my mouth.