Close Call

About 3 weeks ago, I sustained an injury to my foot, a mid-foot sprain. I didn't really know it at the time because neither incident I can think of was particularly painful when it happened. I do, however, suspect that the self-absorbed woman that mowed over my foot with her big ass stroller was the culprit. (Yes, I'm aware that the irony is quite lovely, thank you.) My foot was only a little tender the next day. It was only after standing on it for 5 hours while observing a surgery that Friday that I noticed it had started to swell a little. Eh, it was a sprain, I knew what to do.

However, the next day, Doug & I left for New Orleans to join the Luces on vacation, which meant 10 hours on the road. After walking all over the French Quarter, my foot was in pretty bad shape by the time we got on the cruise ship that Monday. After a couple of days of ice, elevation, & very little walking, my foot got a bit better, but the pain had started to crawl up the inside of my calf. Again, no big deal, that happens sometimes. Overall, things were looking up.

Fast forward to Sunday, the day after we got home. My inner thigh was starting to hurt quite a bit, & that made very little sense to me. By the time Wednesday morning came around, the pain was quite awful, & my inner thigh was red, swollen, & a bit warm. I told Doug that I was going to try to get into see someone about my leg that day, but if not, we were going to either an urgent care facility or an ER that evening. Luckily, I was able to see a doctor that morning.

It turns out that I had a very large blood clot from just above my ankle all the way to my groin. Yeah....that's enormous. Since deep vein thrombosis is a very serious thing, I was direct-admitted to Barnes Hospital. They put me on 2 blood thinners & ordered me to stay in bed (with the exception of going to the bathroom).

I was fortunate enough to be put in a room with a drug-seeking sickle cell patient that was one of the acute care ward's least favorite people of all time. Yay. (If the hospital had WiFi, I could've written some very entertaining blogs, all borne out of my frustration & decreasing patience. Too bad, I'm sure you would've enjoyed them immensely.) I did keep my cool, however...but after the first night of almost no sleep & constant drama from her side of the room, Doug had had enough. On his way out, he told the nurses that he wanted me moved. As you may or may not know, nothing happens quickly in hospitals, so I was finally moved at about 11:45 that night. (Apparently, the staff had a pool going on how long I'd make it with her.) I slept like a baby, except for the tech waking me up a couple of times for vitals & taking blood. Honestly, I don't know how anyone can be expected to get rest in a hospital!

After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally released on Friday afternoon. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be home. Obviously, I'd been away from home with Doug, & I'd been at home without Doug, but I found it very distressing to be away from both home & Doug, & against my choice. (Ok, so I didn't have to go to the hospital, but since I like living, I really did.)

Anyway, I'm home until at least next Tuesday. I have to stay off my feet, for the most part, & I have to be very, very careful. No bumps to my leg, no stairs, no driving, no shaving my legs, no stress, & no alcohol. (Silly readers, it sucks, but it's no big deal yet. I have DVT, not DT's!) Doug's doing all of the housework & taking care of everything. I have to give myself a shot in the abdomen twice a day (it's only for about a week, & it's one of the blood thinners). I'm so hardcore! My stomach is starting to feel like a pincushion, but it's a necessary evil, & it's turning into a rainbow of color. The home health nurse came by & said that I'm doing well. She was very excited that I'm not old, but I don't share her excitement - I'm not old, but I have a home health nurse....

So, things are going well, & I'm feeling better. I still can't wear regular shoes, but my killer moccasins have earned their purchase price & then some. Thanks to my friends, I'm armed with a bunch of books & movies in addition to a bunch of emails, calls, & visits, & our DVR has plenty of things to watch as well. I'm a lucky girl to have caught this thing before it was too late, to have such an incredible husband, & to have truly outstanding friends.

However, I'm here to tell you that Shark Week, which isn't a picnic to begin with, is a fucking barrel of monkeys when you're taking blood thinners.