The Report on Leg Red Spots

Yesterday there was good news and disappointing news relative to the bizarre spots on my legs.

Review: In two places, the small red spots have expanded into something that looks like raised bruises. A biopsy was done on the largest one (right shin) by Dr. Skin a few weeks ago.

The biopsy results proved puzzling. The presence of leukemic cells was indicated.

I presented the report to Dr. O on Monday. She, too, was puzzled. A confab with Dr. MDS was in order, she decided. She reported that confab's conclusions by phone yesterday.

The good news:

• Dr. MDS has seen these "lesions," as they are now being called, before.
• They are a reaction to Vidaza.
• They can be treated with Depakote (valpoic acid).
• The presence of leukemic cells does not indicate that the MDS is devolving into leukemia.

Whew.

The disappointing news:

• The 7-day shots cycle must continue.

Okay. I'm bumming about the seven days. I'd been psyched about reducing the cycle to five days, which I figure would reduce my feel-lousy time by at least two if not three days.

I'm also a bit leery of this Depakote. Sure, I trust Dr. MDS when he says it works to eliminate the Vidaza-related lesions. But, hold on, Depakote is an anti-convulsive also used in the treatment of bi-polar disorder.

Whoa! Are we ready for some schizophrenia!?! (As if the football Giants don't make me schizo enough.)

Alright, alright—just I'm kidding. I understand that drugs often successfully treat problems other than those designated for their primary use. Still, yet another drug to combine with those already being ingested (Vidaza, Zofran, plus a couple of  digestive supplements) bugs me. My brain still categorizes me as a young, healthy person.

Guess we're going to have to adjust that.

Anyway, Daughter reassured me about the frequent off-use of meds, and that an anti-convulsive doesn't mean inducing convulsions (hey—I knew that). And, she expressed cautious optimism about the bi-polar aspect.

"Might do you some good," she said.

Wait til I tell the rest of my personalities about that.

MDS Legs in London

Onward we trudge, traipsing through London as if on the Last March to Victory, testing not only my stamina, but Penny's, as well.

Museums, street markets, shopping, string quartet concerts, walks across the Thames, negotiating five flights of hotel stairs—it was in all in a day's pleasure yesterday.

I looked at my lower legs last night. The right one appears as if it's suffering from a sporadically placed but significant acne. The right one shows some acne-like red bumps, but the shin (where the skin biopsy was done), more than anything, looks like a plum is growing there.

Are there more red blots now? Is that purple blob growing larger? If so, is that all related to walking miles per day?

Probably not. It's more than likely my imagination, combined with a traveler's fatigue.

But, at this rate, I'm never going to win the "most beautiful legs in New Jersey" contest, never mind the "most beautiful New Jersey legs currently visiting London" contest.

What's a poor, middle-aged MDS boy to do?

Keep on truckin'.

This is a great city. So, Vidaza be damned, we'll do just that.

MDS: Today's Blood Counts & Other Good Stuff

Today, lots of good news na things I want to hear, starting with this week's blood counts:

• Hemoglobin: 12.6
• Platelets: 101,000

Dr. O was particularly pleased with the hemoglobin counts.

She also said we'd add an extra week between shots and, even better as far a I'm concerned, said it was alright with her to try doing five-shot sequences rather than seven.

Excellent.

Being shot-up from Monday-Friday only should provide a huge psychological lift. It should also give me 2-4 more functional day per month.

Let's just hope it works.

And . . . this just in:

The skin biopsy apparently show nothing new. Dr. D says if the bumps need to be treated, it's have to be done systemically, and that's Dr. O's call.

Now—enough with the medical stuff. Penny and I are off to London for a week. Pip-Pip, and all that.

MDS: On Dermatology & Oreo Cookies

Well, now we can add Dr. Derma to the list of docs participating in this medical adventure.

As I expected, she looked at my legs with puzzlement, and she'd never heard of Vidaza, no less whether these bumps on my legs are a Vidaza side-effect. No surprises there.

"Which is the newest one?" she asked, poking at the purpled-bluish protuberance on my right shin.

"I don't really know. I just noticed these two big ones last week."

"Which is the newest one?" she repeated.

"I don't know," I repeated. "I just noticed these two big ones last week."

Pause.

"So probably they're the newest ones."

"It's right on the bone," she declared.

"Yes it is."

She was reluctant, I guess, to start poking holes where there was no so little flesh, muscle or fat to cushion the incision.

She had no choice.

She flattened out her power chair, causing me to lie back. I didn't like that. I'd've preferred sitting up and watching the action.

But, stab away she did with the novocaine needle, then poking with whatever poking implement she used to extract the biopsy-able substance from within. Then, she began to sew.

Stitches? Now I've gotta deal have stitches?

Come back in three weeks, I was told. Replace the dressing after you shower. Keep your leg up. No running on treadmill for a week. Results in about two weeks.

"I'm not going to treat these," Dr. Derma said, staring at my leg, "because I don't know what they are."

Sounded logical to me. I don't know what they are, either.

But, no running for a week just adds a new level of disquiet. Next week's a Vidaza Shots Week (VSW), anyway, so I'd probably not be running anyhow. But, losing these two or three days will just make me that much fatter and more out of shape. Because you know that the inactivity will cause me to eat.

Oh well. Being the good patient that I am, I'll keep my leg elevated whilst I eat extra Oreo double-stuff vanilla cookies. Boy, those things are good.