Hammond Henry Hotel

Dr. Atwell came back in and said again that the procedure went well. They took an xray to check and see that the filter was positioned correctly (it was) and now the only concern is to make sure that the leg incision "behaves" and doesn't swell or bleed. They stitched the skin closed, but not the femoral vein where they inserted the catheter with the filter.

They are keeping mom overnight as a precaution, due to the fact that she is taking the Lovenox and that it prevents clots (as it should). In hindsight maybe she shouldn't have taken her dose of Lovenox this morning, but as the incision isn't that big nor did they do full anesthesia, there wasn't really a concern. Keeping her from clotting is more important, so they are going to continue with the Lovenox but there is a little risk of bleeding in her leg. She doesn't have any swelling in her leg and they have these "sandbags" on the area to keep the pressure on, so she's good.

The good news is that mom feels 100% better! This morning she had another one of those "throbbing" head episodes and it lasted about a half an hour. When I picked her up I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't have a good start. Her ears were bothering her also. But after she came back in the room after the procedure today her head and ears felt 100% better - no pressure at all. And she felt better also knowing that the filter was in place and that it would prevent clots from getting through. Peace of mind makes all the difference at this point.

She'll go home tomorrow morning. I think she will take it easy tomorrow and over the weekend - no straining - and she'll be good for chemo on Tuesday.