Still House Bound

And a happy Saturday to you, too!

It's one of those days where I don't really feel like writing a post but I really kinda want to. Thus, it's a conundrum day. Had the first good night's sleep in two weeks. I actually woke up sans the alarm clock. Thing was, I took some painkillers to deaden the knee pain and dozed off for another three hours. Oh well! At least I'm in a better mood today.

I saw Dr. Berrey Thursday. And I finally figured out that he's an Orthopedic Oncologist. On the whole, the appointment went well, but there were a few bummer moments. On the plus side, I got a chest x-ray, which came out clean. Whew! There are always a few tense moments when there is the possibility of a lung lesion. More so because my family history is fraught with lung issues - lung cancer, emphysema, collapsed lungs, asthma, and so on.

I met with a new intern, Dr. Puffin. Why is it that all male interns are drop dead gorgeous? I mean, Dr. Berrey, though in his late 50's is good looking himself. But he seems to get the serious eye candy interns. So, Dr. Puffin goes over my record. I regale him with what's been going on since radiation treatments were done, and I pass on Dr. Indelicato's note that knee MRI's/CT scans are no use for at least two months. Then in comes Dr. Berrey.

Now, I'll preface this by sharing that yes, I am a nerd. I hated being one when I was young, but it's actually done good by me these many years. So, I'm finally embracing my geekiness. Which is why, when I was going through radiation, I asked the radiologist techs loads of questions. I was, and am, genuinely curious about the whats, whys and hows of just about everything. And since Dr. Puffin is a new intern to Dr. Berrey's office and to my case, I was thrilled to be part of the learning process. So, this is what I learned from Dr. Berrey's mini-lecture to Dr. Puffin.

When a patient presents GCTTS in a joint, it's important that the Chief Radiologist be someone who not only specializes in soft tissue sarcomas, but also specializes in joints. The reason being that we want to preserve as much of the joint function as possible. And the Radiologist needs to be someone familiar with both so they can ensure the treatment preserves the function.

The interpretation? Dr. Danny is such a Radiologist. Thus, the radiation treatments I received were mapped out to minimize joint damage (so I could retain almost complete use of my knee/leg). The radiation treatments were designed to go relatively deep in some points and on the surface at other points.

Which explains why I am so uncomfortable post-radiation. Why? Since the radiation treatments were so close to the surface, there are 2nd and 3rd degree burns on and around my right knee. (I am sure I've mentioned this in at least 2-3 posts, so bear with me as I repeat myself yet again.) They do not encompass the entire joint area. Rather they cover the front and right of the knee; about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. And something I am learning about 2nd and 3rd degree burns. For those of us who have never experienced anything worse than a bad sunburn, this is far more painful and difficult. As the skin 'heals', it first has to die while the new skin develops - if it can. So, the radiated skin is stiffening making movement difficult. When the knee is flexed, this dead skin must stretch, which causes pain, can crack, peel off, bleed, etc. And the new skin underneath is still not ready for exposure. So, it's painful in and of itself. White blood cells come rushing in, which causes the oozing and seeping. And when the new, incomplete skin flexes, it too can crack and bleed. In addition to all this, there is swelling and all other sorts of damage that needs to heal.

In comes treatment such as Silvadene cream. This minimizes the risk of infection (which is at an all-time high for the developing skin) while assisting, albeit slowly, in the healing process. And because it's the knee, and because the joint has to be regularly exercised and flexed, there is no use covering or wrapping the wounds. And because there is dying skin and developing skin, the nerve receptors are exposed, which means the slightest breeze, bend, anything causes pain. And I mean, PAIN. And with pain and healing, the body goes into overdrive which causes additional fatigue. Lots of fatigue. Loads of fatigue.

So, though the fatigue is really cramping my style and I really want to get back to 'normal, here comes the bummer part. I am still working part-time and from home. Dr. Berrey doesn't want me back in the workplace until the burns heal. I asked Dr. Berrey about going into the office even one day a week, and he hesitated so long, I told him I got the message. Gotta minimize  that risk of infection. It would do more harm than good to get something like a staph infection in my knee. Dr. Berrey told me I have to be patient and give my leg time to heal. I grinned back and replied that patience is not one of my virtues. He laughed and said that as long as I keep the twinkle in my eye, he is confident I could hold on.

Here's why, for me, it's a bummer; job security, paychecks and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). [For those unfamiliar with FMLA, this guarantees an employee's job (same or equal but different position) for up to 12 weeks in a 12 month period. It's unpaid leave. But if you've got STD, then you get some form of payment.] I have been out on leave, both full and part-time, since August 3. While I am currently covered under Short Term Disability and FMLA, these are finite. And my FMLA will be all used up by mid-December.

My boss was very considerate. He knows I'm chomping at the bit and I'm concerned about my job, but in his words "Follow the doctor's orders and get healthy. That is more important. We can manage the project work." And I trust my boss enough that I believe that if my job were at risk, he'd warn me in some way.  He would rather I heal completely and come back without reservations than heal some, come in and have to go back out.  So, I understand. But man!

So, here I am. Home for the duration, praying that this wonky knee will heal and I can get back into a 'normal' life by mid-December. In the meantime, it's work, rest, and whatever else to keep me busy during my waking hours. Oh, and trying to stay awake longer than 4 hours a pop!