27 Aug 2008, Wednesday - Just back from my physiotherapy session. The lymphedema on my right arm has improved somewhat. When I had my session on 19 Aug, I bought a sleeve and a glove. These are firm fitting and the material is thick and stretchable like those of stockings. The sleeve and glove helped, but whenever I have my arm down during the day, a bulge will form on my upper arm on the inner side just above the elbow. I had to remove the sleeve and glove and gently massage it to relief the bulge. It cannot be left alone the protein deposit will harden and the bulge will probably become permanent.
The physiotherapist also measured both arms for comparison. I had thought she was going to use a tape, but no, it was some kind of machine with sensor, it's called a perometer. I grabbed a handle on the base plate in the middle of a rectangular frame and the frame with sensors all round moved up along the whole length of my arm, and the results were printed. My right arm was 600 points bigger than my left arm.
Collected the results for my chest x-ray and blood tests.
Chest x-ray stated that there is increase right-sided pleural effusion while the left side is stable. The right lower zone of the lung has collapsed. It also suspected that my right 7th rib has metastasis, but I don't think so as earlier x-rays showed a fracture and that the fracture has healed.
Cancer marker down to 12.7.
I had been reading Q and A on John Hopkins site and learnt that bone and liver metastases could come and go and are unpredictable. Also learnt about the signs of impending doom, like dark urine, whites of eyes turning yellow, extreme lethargy and sleeping all the time.
Several parts of the blood vessels on my left arm had been burnt by chemo and I have found out that they cannot set the iv plugs on these parts again otherwise the blood vessels could burst. Shows how toxic the chemo is. And that's why my onco insisted that I used a central line.
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