It Might Get Messy

Sherman, set the Wayback Machine for one week ago today. Those of you too young to remember Rocky and Bullwinkle should immediately get ahold of all the seasons that have been released and watch them front to back in a weekend marathon. Otherwise, everybody go back to last Friday’s entry here at docviper and re-read it. Except for the one-week displacement (in which I did manage to accomplish some time-critical work, so meeting primary objective of the postponement), it pertains.

In the interim, though, I thought of something. I don’t know much about the lymphatic system. In fact, the only two “things” I sort of know are that a) when your “glands are swollen”, that is usually the flotsam and jetsam of microbial warfare clogging key points in the lymph system, and b) the lymph system is a major route by which cancers spread from primary tumors to the rest of the body. Given that lymphatics is why I am where I am now, heading back in for additional surgical slicing and dicing Tuesday, and also how my secondary tumor that took over my right parotid gland was produced, I figured I should learn something about it.

Evolutionarily, it goes like this. Fish circulatory systems, with gills, operate at a nice moderate pace and pressure. The oxygen-for-carbon dioxide exchange process runs a rate that also allows the nutrient fluids that bathe the tissues at the end of the arteries to release their good stuff and let the spent liquids back into the veins. It just matches up nicely.

Now, when you take away the gills and the direct blood vessel gas exchange, the pace and pressure in the system—arteries and veins—increases. In fact, it gets too high for the cellular bath to make its way back into the veins. Evolutionary solution? Devote a set of vessels to the fluid itself. Run it at low pressure, and the all that fluid can re-enter the circulatory system, run itself back through the heart and other acquisition points, and make another round. A nice, low-tech solution.

My problem now is that the hook-ups from the lymph vessels back to the veins aren’t sealing. Basically, my circulatory system is releasing goop out into the tissues and not picking it back up as needed. Doc H needs to re-seal things up.

I’m hoping this explains my last month of incredible weakness. My nutritional cycle is all screwed up. With a little luck, this might put me back onto some kind of directional path to better health.

You’ll know, because my communications abilities have been very limited lately. I start to feel better, you’ll be inundated with emails, weblogs, photos, random thoughts and way more words than you hoped you’d have to deal with. I’m looking forward to it. Hang in there, my friends. You all are keeping me alive. A little more time and effort and I can shoulder some of the effort from you. Thanks—and all the love and good thoughts I can send your way!