My second day of apheresis: the syphoning of stem cells from my body.
We are not off to a good start. My swollen left foot and ankle have not improved at all, despite the Colchicine and Oxycodone prescribed the day before, and concerns arise as to what might be causing the intense pain and swelling. The previous Thursday I had begun injecting myself with Neupogen, a treatment that is meant to generate stem cells in my bone marrow and force the overflow into my bloodstream. Is it possible that the Neupogen has caused a form of gout, with uric acid crystalizing in my foot and ankle? How could this happen when I am on Allopurinol, a medication designed to head off this problem?
Could the problem be a blood clot instead? Or cellulitis?
It is decided to proceed with the apheresis, and arrange an appointment for later in the day with my primary care physician. Perhaps an untrasound might be performed.
The morning session is a long one, and we finish at 12:30 PM. The courier dashes in with his cooler, ready to take possession of the bag and dash off to New York City to store my stem cells.
Donna and I stop for a quick lunch, and then jet over to Dr. Ryan's office. As my primary care physician, he concludes that it is indeed gout, and decides to prescribe his favorite medication for this horrendous affliction: Indocin. In addition, he will double my dose of the painkiller Oxycodone. Dr. Ryan has been successful with this approach before. Donna and I leave, confident that things can only get better. We wave a big goodbye to our good friend Jocelyn, who is Dr. Ryan's secretary, and also a former student of ours at Tamarac. It's always worth a visit to Dr. Ryan's office just to see her cheerful face!
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