One Year Ago Today...

I was in the ICU after a massive and bilateral pulmonary embolism after suffering a deep vein thrombosis.  It was all very scary and I didn't realize at the time how close I was to taking a walk into the light.  I spent a full 7 days in the Hospital and then went home to recuperate.  It was incredibly difficult to be so slow!  I could barely walk 10 feet before I was done in, and had to use a cane for my recently surgically repaired knee.  The cane actually kept me on my feet when the embolism hit me - I leaned on it with both hands so I wouldn't fall down. 

I did finally make it to my car or rather I got close enough to lean over and lean my hand on the back and then walk hand over hand to the driver's door and got in.  My ears were ringing louder and Louder and LOUDER and it was going higher and higher up my body to my head - kind of like filling a vessel with water.  The thought that came into my head was this "If the sound reaches the top of my head I will die".  I didn't want that to happen so I willed myself to be calmer and slowly but surely the sound went down and eventually went away. 

Me in ICU the second day.  My friend Ceannie visiting and keeping my mind off things.

I thought about calling my roommate on my cell from the car, but then thought "No, I can make it back to the house".  Luckily for me she had taken the day off.  Her dogs were going crazy in the bay window overlooking the stairs and she opened the door to ask if I was OK.  No I said.  No, I'm not.  I was standing with one hand on the railing, one hand holding the cane, one foot on the bottom stair, and my head hanging way down trying to breath.  She told me to get in the car - so I walked ever so slowly over and opened the door.  The seat was full so I just stood there in the rain, head hanging down until she came out and moved the stuff.  Technically we should have called 911 and had the medics take me to the Hospital...but no...I decided I was better now that I wasn't walking around.  So...off we went and the rest is history. Thankfully!

Swollen leg and foot...

Stupidly I had been ignoring the symptoms for about 4 days.  First my lower leg and foot swelled up quite large, then I had trouble breathing, then I couldn't breath, and then it hit.  I should have gone to the Hospital on the Saturday before, but my roommate had someone in town and was at a dog show.  I didn't want to leave the dogs unattended and I guess I just didn't realize quite how serious my state of being was at that point.  Funny thing was that the out of town guest is a Doctor and if I had just showed him my leg I'm sure he would have driven me directly to the Hospital without passing go or earning $200! 

This is me from the Saturday before the embolism getting a little whippet puppy therapy.  My leg was very swollen and painful...but I wanted to see the puppies!

My Mom is still a little freaked out because on that first day I was telling them how the blood clot began in my leg and then travelled up through my heart and into my lungs.  She stopped me and just kept saying "It went through your heart?  It went through your heart?  It went through your heart.  Maybe I should have saved that for later?

Lovely flowers I received...I had to send them out to the Nurses station because I was allergic...

Moral of the story honorable children friends...Listen to your body...it may be trying to tell you something.  AND  Listen to your Mom when she tells you to wear good underwear in case you end up in the Hospital.  I had both very old undies and hairy legs when I got there...

The times they are a changing...

It has been quite a while since I posted anything to this blog...mostly because things with my knee were not going well at all.  In the last month or so I started taking Aleve in the evening and that really helped.  Yesterday was the first day since my surgery on July 27, 2010 that I have been able to walk normally - go through a full stride on my bad leg.  THIS makes me very happy.  I do not believe I will ever run again, but I do need to find an alternate so I can get back in shape.  I am not much of a swimmer or bike rider...but I may need to learn to be those things.  I can walk, so I can start there and build up miles and strengthen my whole body.  HotRod will like that a great deal!  He has been a very bored dog for months and months.  Luckily for me he is a good dog and up until recently didn't get into any mischief.  I did end up in the ER last week with swelling in my leg and foot, but everything turned out fine.  No clots!

I hope to have more interesting stuff to talk about going forward - so stay tuned.

A little peek at life in the country...this is my back yard.

Has it really been 6 months already?

Yesterday was the 6 month anniversary of my pulmonary embolism.  I can't believe it has gone by so quickly. 

I have an appointment on the 21st to have a new CT scan and doppler/ultrasound of my legs to see if the clots are completely gone.  On the 23rd I go back to find out if I can put all of this behind me.  I am still seeing several Doctors, and having my blood clotting level taken every two weeks or so.  Right now I feel pretty darn good, but I still get tired easily.  That could be because I am not in shape as much as anything left over from my illness.  I really REALLY want to stop wearing the anti embolism stockings!  Those suckers are tough to get on and off.

I have started working out some and registered myself to walk a half marathon on May 8th in Kirkland WA.  Just the right incentive to get myself in fit shape.  I walked 8 miles a few weeks ago, so this 13.1 miles should be no problem.  Running the half may have to wait until late summer or until I feel like my knee can really take the pounding.  I will not have any more surgery...so if something breaks I will have to live with it.

I hope to be writing more regularly now that things are progressing so nicely...so stayed tuned...

It's official...

I have sleep apnea.  I have now gone to the second overnight sleep study - which is where they have you wear the CPAP machine so they can fit the mask and determine the proper air pressure.  I had no trouble with the mask, but my stupid chronograph watch alarm started going off about 1:30 AM and continued about every 10 minutes.  I would just get to sleep and then beep beep beep.  I would turn it off and then it would beep beep beep again.  Finally the voice in the ceiling told me to take the watch off and she would come take it away from me.  How embarrassing.  Of course sleeping after that was even more difficult. 

Now I am just waiting for my Doc to call in the prescription to a company that supplies durable medical goods and I can get started being a "hose head".  I don't care - I just want to feel better and have more energy.  That will help me get back on a good exercise schedule too. 

Stay tuned for more exciting details...

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun....

Didn't realize just how long it had been since I posted here.  A lot has happened and all for the good! 

The clots are gone from my lungs with very little left in one leg, the right side of my heart is back to normal, my lungs are back to normal per my pulmonary function tests, and I am exercising.  I walked 4 miles yesterday...which is 3 times as far in the same amount of time as when I started after the embolism.  Yay Me!  When I can't walk I ride my bike indoors so I don't miss any time.

I am now taking steps to determine if my sleep apnea is causing me to still be lethargic, exhausted, and headachey all the time.  I went thru an overnight sleep study last Wednesday night, and will get the results on the 16th.  I am hoping they have found something specific that can be corrected.  I would like to know what it feels like to wake up refreshed - haven't had that in my whole life.   From what other people have told me using a CPAP machine can make a huge difference in your life - and that is what I am really hoping for now.  I will try to post more often as I recover and get back to real training.

Check out this pic of me all wired up for the sleep study.



How's this for a scary photo?



Aint that a kick in the head...

What a week so far!  Monday morning I ended up in the ER with symptoms like those I had before the pulmonary embolism.  They ran a bunch of tests...CT, EKG, Doppler of my legs, blood, etc.  All came out great - which is wonderful news, but we still don't know why I am having the shortness of breath, and extreme lethargy.  I went to my cardiologist on Tuesday and they ran an echo...which also came out really great.  Now what?  I will see a pulmonary specialist on Oct 18th and see what, if anything, they can find.  Maybe I was still feeling the effects of my head cold, or I became anxious because I was having the breathing issues and that made it worse?  Not sure, but below are my results...

CT = no more blood clots in my lungs
EKG = normal
Doppler of legs = only very small clots that present no threat
INR = 2.9
Echo = heart is back to normal.  Cardiologist said if he had not seen my first echo he would not be able to tell I had a pulmonary embolism!  Yay for me!

My INR had dropped quite a bit when I was checked at the anti-coagulation clinic yesterday - down to 1.9.  Need to get that back into the therapeutic range of 2.0 to 3.0.

Feeling better today - just having some allergies going on with a headache.  I can live with that.

Going backward a little this week...

The last few days my breathing has been more difficult again and I am coughing a lot more.  I will be taking it easy and hopefully this will get better in a few days.  I have an appointment at the anti-coagulation clinic on Wednesday, so I will be sure to ask them about it.  They did tell me I would have ups and downs, so I just need to go with it and try not to over do anything.

I am going to our local race meet in Roy WA tomorrow in order to see Anneke run the oval...but all I will be doing is sitting and watching.  I won't be able to help anybody with their dogs.  I know everyone will help me stay on the straight and narrow!  I have some great friends in the racing community and I appreciate all their help and concern.

Still waiting until I get the results of my upcoming echo before I can really do much more than ride the exercise bike and walk a little with HotRod.  I am getting a little antsy...but must follow directions to keep moving in the right direction.  My goal is full and complete recovery. 

Hope you are all having a great weekend out there!