And the winner is .....

What a relief !  I mean if you gotta have a problem with your blood this one is waaaaay better than a lot of them.  I really don't know what it means for my future and I won't until I meet with the Hematologist again next week. I supposee it could be blood thinners for the duration or some kind of management strategy . I've had so much blood work done that it's the weirdest feeling of freedom or as my brother called it ' serendipity '....not only do I now know what I have but I also know what I don't have. My blood work by and large has returned to normal, my PSA is good, my lipid panel is good, I don't have any inflammation in my blood that signals bad things . so, mystery solved...I think I'm even going to be able to get my neck problem fixed with surgery this spring. Decompression / fusion : next order of business. And for all my guide friends, I'd bet dollars to donuts the cervical problem came from thousands of hours of rocking around in a boat telling stories, laughing, chasing the pesca and of course making a bit of $$$. And it was all worth it !  

Factor V Leiden

OVERVIEW

SYMPTOMS

TREATMENTS

SPECIALISTS

Main Results

An inherited blood-clotting disorder due to a change in of the blood's factor V protein.

Factor V Leiden (FAK-tur five LIDE-n) increases the chance of having clumps of blood, known as clots. This can be life-threatening. Women with the disorder risk developing blood clots during pregnancy or when taking the hormone estrogen.

Most people never develop symptoms. The first indication of the disorder may be a blood clot. Some clots do no damage and disappear on their own. Others can be life-threatening depending on what part of the body is affected.

Treatment may include blood-thinning medicines. Other precautions, including keeping the legs moving and wearing compression stockings, can reduce the risk of having blood clots.

Very common

More than 3 million US cases per year

Treatment can help, but this condition can't be cured

Requires a medical diagnosis

Lab tests or imaging always required

Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong

Whats a little blood ?

Well I've become quite the veteran of needles and blood draws. I used to be manically afraid of needles but the pandemic and now my seemingly weekly blood draws I've kinda learned a self hypnosis kind of thing that I just submit myself to it knowing that it's all important and going to help. The other day I finally got to see the Hematologist and it was no surprise when the phlebotomist looked at the blood draw order and said ' oh my, 11 vials , " that's a lot ".

So now with my Eliquis blood thinner at work the edema in my leg is looking so much better . I'm wearing a compression sock all day and trying to get my 10,000 steps in which wouldn't be so hard if it would just quir snowing here and warm up a bit. They tell me that the danger phase of the DVT is over and now of course now the 42 dollar question is why is my blood clotting like that so we can keep it from happening again . I've now given blood three times and at each one most of my elevated levels are returning or trying to return to normal. Apparently my particular DVT was trophy sized so the trauma to the body is taking longer to subside....For instance my hemoglobin level on Jan 23 at Urgent care was 13.3 and now it is at 14.5 which is close to the bottom of the normal range of 14.8 . The hemoglobin is one of the markers for anemia which has been making me so tired....it seems to be getting better. So with 11 veils of blood the many tests seem to be normalizing , I'm still waiting to see the ones that were sent to Slat Lake City . Then we see the Hematologist again on March 6th and we'll get the Pro's version of what is going on....and more blood work I'd guess. Here's a pic of a portion of a panel that shows some indicators in the green but also my mchc and rdw variations doing exactly that . Both of those have something to do with the percentage of bigger red cells as opposed to regular sized healthy sized ones... and that's just about as much fish guide / amateur biology any of us need.

The really good news is that all the DVT mystery aside I got the call yesterday from The spine guy here Montana and I've been accepted on referral .   I should be able to get my much needed Decompression and Fusion surgery on my worn out neck . My Hematologist said that by late April it would be safe to vacation my blood thinners long enough to have successful surgery.....and for that I''m soooo happy.

So that's the sit rep, the skinny , the ballad of ageing ...my life....How's about a song ?