A Real Pain in the Rear

Warning: Some of the following images are graphic and are not meant for children and the squeamish.

By now most everyone knows that Kate has had some strange happenings going on with her body. Several people have said it to me, so let me just put one thing to bed: It has nothing to do with all of the weight she’s lost.

We have started playing a game called ‘count the bruises’. My personal record is 33. Some of the contusions are minor, while others are pretty nasty. Some can be explained, like the one on her forearm that she smacked against the dresser. Others cannot, like the one on her ring finger. We are not sure what is causing the easy bruising, but I can say that the jokes about me beating my wife are starting to get stale.



We spent the day at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital running the gamut of tests. Her platelets are still low, and have gone down since the last tests. The hematologist is pretty sure that she has ITP, or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. But he is concerned about the excessive bruising and her swollen lymph nodes. So there will be more tests to come.

The highlight of the day was the bone marrow biopsy. The NP who performed the biopsy insulted me by telling me that I could stay and watch, but that I had to stay seated with my head near my knees, ‘just in case.’ I explained to her that I had practically delivered two of my children and didn’t get squeamish. She wasn’t impressed.

The NP told Kate to find a happy place, because it might hurt a bit. Apparently Kate’s happy place is in a comedy club, because she cracked dirty jokes all the way through it. We wondered if the topical lidocaine had gone to her brain.

To get the marrow, the NP had to go through the flat on the top of the rear pelvic bone. She had to force the needle into the bone, which prompted Kate’s joke about her ‘hard bone’, and her request that I not get one too. Ba-doom-boom! I don’t know what gauge needle she used to take the sample, but I have seen garden hoses that were smaller than that needle. It was huge. The marrow looks like Dr. Pepper. Though if it came from Kate, Diet Coke would be more appropriate. She also took a cross section of the bone. It was fascinating to watch.




We appreciate all those who have been concerned and keeping her in their prayers through all of this. IT has been strange and stressful. The support helps. It also helps that Kate’s glass is always half full. And if you haven’t noticed, Kate and deal with situations through humor. Everything will work out as it always does. And we’ll keep you posted.