Fitness Warrior Diva

Wow! Just when I thought I was on the road to recovery...BAM! Hit with a Mack truck disguised as a pulmonary embolism (PE). Two weeks ago, I didn't really even know what a pulmonary embolism was, but now I sure do.

On Thursday, February 16th, I went to physical therapy as usual and expressed that I had been having pretty severe pain in my calf and foot of my surgery leg. The physical therapist took a look at it and didn't think it was anything to worry about. I had none of the typical physical symptoms of a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT- blood clot). My leg wasn't swollen or red or warm. It appeared normal on the outside, but putting any pressure on it whatsoever was excruciating. I left physical therapy with the thought that it was a normal effect of the surgery. Blood pooling upon standing. Something like that.

Saturday morning I woke up and just decided that I should let my doctor know. I called Dr. Koe's answering service, and he called me back, suggesting that it is better to go in and get it checked than it is to wonder. With that piece of advice, I drove myself to St. Rose San Martin Hospital. Nope, it isn't the closest, but it is the fastest! I walked in the doors, wrote my name on the sign-in sheet, and was ushered back before I could even sit. The swiftness ends there, however. I spent the entire day in the ER. The first test ordered was an ultrasound of my left leg. The U/S showed no sign of DVT, thank goodness. The ER doctor asked if I had experienced any shortness of breath. Well, I've had issues with that related to anxiety in the past, so I mentioned that. He let me make the call. He could send me home, knowing there was no DVT in my leg, or he could do more extensive tests to be sure it hadn't travelled. I always like to rule things out, and I was already there, so I told him to go ahead and run the tests.

The first test he ran was called a D-Dimer. It tests your blood for possible clots. Mine came back abnormal. He said it is only 70-80% accurate, so no worries yet. The next step was a chest x-ray. The chest x-ray was clear. Next up, CT scan of the chest. Aha! Within about a half hour of my CT scan, the doctor came and told me that a small, peripheral pulmonary embolism was found in my right lung. I was immediately given two IV's.
 One was supposed to be for heparin and one was supposed to be open. Neither was used at any point during my stay. Figures!! I actually did request to have the one in the crook of my elbow removed, and they complied. It was REALLY hard to sleep or use that arm at all with the IV in.

I was admitted to the hospital thinking I would be gone the next day. WRONG!! I was in for six days, waiting for my blood levels to reach a therapeutic level between 2-3. It started at 1.2. In order to thin my blood enough to reach the level, I was put on Lovenox, an abdominal injection twice a day, and coumadin, an oral blood thinner. The nurses started by giving me the shots and then I took over on day four. I'll spare you all the pictures. hahaha The first time I had to poke myself three times before I got it right. It didn't hurt...it is just a little bit freaky to stab yourself with a needle.

I'll spare you the details of hospital life. I think everyone knows how stir crazy you get, especially after six days. I lost two pounds in the hospital, which is a surprise since the meals there are so carb-heavy. I was grateful for the visitors I had, friends and my babies. Here is a picture of my baby girl, visiting me at the hospital:  be kind...I'd been in the hospital without makeup for five days at this point! LOL

The night before I left the hospital, I couldn't sleep. Okay, so I haven't slept all night since my surgery, but this was different. I started to feel light-headed and short of breath. They put me on oxygen and I told them I was just really really anxious. I was so worried that I would do something to dislodge the clot and it would go straight to my heart or brain and it would kill me. I couldn't relax, so I took an extra pain pill, kept the oxygen on, and finally fell asleep. Thank goodness a different doctor came to see me for discharge.

The female doctor who showed up to discharge me spent a lot of time talking to me, unlike the previous doctors. I was finally able to express my concern and anxiety, and she was very reassuring. She told me the clot is at its final resting place. It can't move back from where it is. That made me feel SO much better. I wish all doctors would take the time to listen and answer questions like that. I left the hospital feeling confident that I'd be around a while.

I was sent home with Lovenox shots I had to give myself and a prescription for Coumadin. Luckily, my levels were therapeutic and I only had to give myself three shots at home and was told I could discontinue them.

There are a few daily reminders of the clot. I get tired REALLY easily. I can't even go up the stairs without getting out of breath. I guess that is normal. Also, when I take a deep breath, I can feel a twinge of pain on the far right side. Again, also normal.

What a scary event! You don't expect to have to go through things like this when you are relatively young and relatively healthy (minus the knee surgery). It definitely has made me count those who are a blessing in my life. I will never take a moment with my children for granted. I missed them so much!! I know they missed me, too, and it is great to be home! Now maybe I can finally get on with my recovery...