My Stay at Hotel Edward

I thought I should post a little update on my condition. And perhaps a little story on how I got to this place. I have been tired and easily winded for awhile (I have to stop and catch my breath after walking up a single flight of stairs) and still don’t know if that is related to what happened. Also my heart tends to race whenever it feels the need. I had gone in for a chest x-ray and pulmonary function test on Tuesday, January 20th. That evening we had a rug delivered and left outside by the garage. M helped me bring it inside. I thought maybe I pulled a muscle in my back because by Wednesday morning I had a sharp stabbing pain in my back. I had things I needed to do on Wednesday so I pretty much ignored it and laid low for most of the day. By the end of the day the pain was pretty bad, so I went to bed early and decided I would go see a doctor the next day if the pain hadn’t resolved itself. Thursday morning K needed me to drive him to the train station so he could catch a train to the airport later that day, but I was in too much pain to drive - the pain only went away when I lay on my left side. By that point I could feel pain in the lower part of my left lung - particularly with any sort of deep breath. I opted not to go to the emergency room because I wanted to get the kids off to school and take a shower. And what if it was just a pulled muscle?

After I got the kids off to school, B dressed, and myself showered (which were no small tasks), I called the doctor and was able to get an appointment for 9:45. She ran some tests (pulse oxygen, EKG, etc.), not coming up with anything specific. (Because my shortness of breath was not sudden onset, I was not showing classic symptoms.) My chest x-ray from Tuesday showed emphysema (wrong) and pneumonia (probably wrong as well). The pulmonary function test was fine. She sent me for a blood test and a CT scan of my chest. I went home, found someone that could come over to watch B and be home in case I wasn’t home when the girls got home from school, then left for my CT scan. It was almost 3pm when they did the CT scan and they said I could wait for the results. As I was in the waiting room the receptionist handed me the phone and sent me to an empty room so I could speak with my doctor. My doctor told me that my CT scan showed blood clots in my lungs and that I would need to go directly to the emergency room at Edward Hospital. She had already admitted me. That was a very interesting phone call. I was shocked. Strangely, it was nice to finally have a clear diagnosis on something. I called K, in tears, just 30 minutes before he was planning to leave for the airport. I also called my babysitter (a great friend of mine from the ward) to let her know that I wouldn’t be home, but would check in with her later, from the hospital.

After they wheeled me up to my room in the Edward Heart Hospital, the nurse came in and mistook me for family of the patient. Yes, I am winded, but only if I move around, and yes, I have pain, but only if I breathe deeply. I was never on any pain medication while in the hospital - although with all the needles they jabbed me with I wished for a little. K arrived just after I put on my gown. He should have come about an hour later after the IV was in and all the vials of blood were drawn. It’s a good thing they had a full size couch for him to lie down on. The next couple days were full of doctor visits - my Primary Care doctor and my new Hematologist, nurses, technicians, nutritionists, medications (I will now take blood thinners for at least six months), monitors, visitors, and some peace and quiet. I actually had time to read and rest - so unlike my regular life. (Picture taken on second day.)

So far they don’t really know why the blood clots happened (other than oral contraceptives and my having the Factor V Leiden gene which both make me more susceptible to blood clots). My oxygen level tends to drop when I exert myself (meaning at this point just walking around), so that earned me an extra day in the hospital. My IV blood thinner was disconnected Friday night after I started the blood thinner by injection (I was also taking blood thinners orally). I left the hospital Sunday. I continued the injections twice a day for another week. I think it was a total of 18 shots. My belly fat did not appreciate that. The blood thinners keep more clots from appearing. My body has to heal itself and get rid of the clots. Since my clot burden was "moderate to large" I guess that could take awhile. There is also a part of my lung that was deprived of blood and, well, isn’t doing so well, but may recover. I think that is the part that was really hurting on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday B’s teacher noticed that K dropped her off at school so she asked B about it. B told her that I was in the hospital for eating too many berries in my smoothies. I’m certain that she was confused because just before she left the hospital I had been talking with the nutritionist and she mentioned that I should not eat any cranberries or drink cranberries juice while on the blood thinners because it can interfere with the medication. We had to have a talk later.....

It has been a very slow recovery. Slower than I anticipated. Everything tires me out. Disciplining the kids is very difficult. I can drive, but getting out and walking anywhere is difficult. I have had to go to the hospital clinic several times to have my blood checked. I love valet parking. K has been doing laundry and grocery shopping on Saturday. Friends from the ward have been bringing in meals, running errands, and taking B for playdates. I have been playing Little People with B A LOT. I think she is getting used to it and liking it, but I am not very good at pretend play. I guess I will have to be patient. Not one of my strong points.