Sorry about the delay in post...I have been meaning for several days to get on and post and when I think about it something else pops into this little head of mine and gets me distracted else where.
So to catch you up, I went back to the vascular surgeon on Friday for another ultrasound. It was really nice because she actually came in while the ultrasound tech was doing it and she was able to show me everything I was looking at and what it all meant. This is the first time it has ever been explained to me while looking at the ultrasound screen. It looks like a bunch of nothing until she started pointing out my veins and blood flow. Very interesting to see your body from the inside like that... it makes you realize again how amazing our bodies are made. God wasn't kidding we he put this all together.
Ok so, the good news was that the clot in my upper internal iliac vein is starting to dissolve. This is the one located in my pelvis area. Then I still have a few segments in my calf and behind my knee but it looks like the blood is flowing pretty good around the clots so there is no real concern there. However, the original clot, the one that extends from right above my knee and about 8 inches up my leg is still there, not budging and limited blood flow around it. I was a little frustrated with this, but then I just tried to focus on the good news that day and just be grateful that something was dissolving. So, needless to say, I am still swelling and still have some pain around the clot due to the lack of good blood flow around that nasty little sucka.
I am starting to feel a little better. Its still pretty slow moving for me. All those who know me well, know that it is impossible for me not to be up doing something! I sit in this little house all day and my mind just takes over of all the little projects I just can't wait to get my hands on. However when it comes right down to it, I just don't have the energy. I am still pretty tired and get worn out very easily. I clean my house in stages and it's killing me!!! I pretty much do a room a day (ok so my bedroom may get totally neglected) but the rest of my house gets cleaned!
Ok enough of my pesky little behaviors. I go back to the Dr today which is a good thing because for the past 3 days I just can't kick these nose bleeds so I am thinking maybe my blood is too thin again. We'll see! I will try not to wait 5 days before I post again... I mean I really don't have a good excuse right?!? I just sit around all day...Oh wait, no I still have 2 little boys running around here like nothing in our world has changed! I had a hard time keeping up with them when I was healthy!
So long for now! Again, thank everyone for all the meals!!! It has made my life so much easier right now and I appreciate more than I can ever express!! (Dane thanks you too!)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Cautiously Optimistic
We had a Dr appt this morning with the surgeon. For the first time in a while Dane and I feel very positive about what is going on. We feel very confident in her and she did an amazing job explaining everything to us, with pictures, diagrams and putting it into terms we could completely understand. The only problem was she totally contradicted what my hematologist has said. She disagreed with his regimen wholeheartedly, from me being on bed rest, to the meds I am currently taking. We are in between a rock and a hard place because we felt like at this point, who do you listen too? We are praying about what to do, but our surgeon is also contacting my hematologist about her concerns. We pray for wisdom over both doctors so that I may receive the correct treatments that will resolve this long going issue and get me back to my "new normal" life.
I say new normal because there are things that will have to change now that we know of the genetic mutation that was found through all of this. Unfortunately, the compression hose will become a more permanent fixture in my daily wardrobe even long term. I am certainly not a fan of the hose for several reasons, mainly because they are hideous looking and also because this hot Dallas weather does not make it the most comfortable. However, I am ok with wearing it if it will prevent this from ever happening again! The coumadin looks like it will also become a permanent thing in my life....again I can handle that! Do I love it? No, but I except it. The clots still remain, however we got some positive feed back on resolving the issue.
We did ask if they thought the clot that was in my internal iliac vein was a break off from the original or was it new clot? They are not able to tell. We also asked the chances of the one in my pelvis breaking loose and going to my lungs? She said that it can still happen and there is no way they can tell me if it will or not. However, it is 3 cm and they feel very confident that if it did break loose that I am young enough, strong enough, in good shape and have healthy lungs that it would not be fatal. I would have to seek treatment and obviously would not be good, but they are very optimistic that it would not be deadly. That alone brought great relief.
So where do we go from here?
Well ,she feels that I need to continue to let my body heal...it's under alot right now but she does strongly believe that exercise and being active will help bring oxygen back to the veins and help them open back up. My veins have been damaged and have become very weak. This is part of the reason I still swell even though I am on blood thinners and wear the hose. The hose and blood thinners will not make my clot go away...they only prevent new ones. But if I can get my veins healthy again and get them working properly this will help my body focus on dissolving the clots.
Today is the best that Dane and I have felt since this all happened. I left the Dr office with a glow and feeling as if I was a new person. It's so funny, my condition has not changed, but just the confidence we had from our doctor and fully understanding gave us both a peace that we can not explain. I hope I answered most everything that people have been asking and hope this makes sense. Feel free to leave comments below or shoot me an email...I love hearing from you all!
Take Care, God Bless and thank you for the prayers... they are working!
I say new normal because there are things that will have to change now that we know of the genetic mutation that was found through all of this. Unfortunately, the compression hose will become a more permanent fixture in my daily wardrobe even long term. I am certainly not a fan of the hose for several reasons, mainly because they are hideous looking and also because this hot Dallas weather does not make it the most comfortable. However, I am ok with wearing it if it will prevent this from ever happening again! The coumadin looks like it will also become a permanent thing in my life....again I can handle that! Do I love it? No, but I except it. The clots still remain, however we got some positive feed back on resolving the issue.
We did ask if they thought the clot that was in my internal iliac vein was a break off from the original or was it new clot? They are not able to tell. We also asked the chances of the one in my pelvis breaking loose and going to my lungs? She said that it can still happen and there is no way they can tell me if it will or not. However, it is 3 cm and they feel very confident that if it did break loose that I am young enough, strong enough, in good shape and have healthy lungs that it would not be fatal. I would have to seek treatment and obviously would not be good, but they are very optimistic that it would not be deadly. That alone brought great relief.
So where do we go from here?
Well ,she feels that I need to continue to let my body heal...it's under alot right now but she does strongly believe that exercise and being active will help bring oxygen back to the veins and help them open back up. My veins have been damaged and have become very weak. This is part of the reason I still swell even though I am on blood thinners and wear the hose. The hose and blood thinners will not make my clot go away...they only prevent new ones. But if I can get my veins healthy again and get them working properly this will help my body focus on dissolving the clots.
Today is the best that Dane and I have felt since this all happened. I left the Dr office with a glow and feeling as if I was a new person. It's so funny, my condition has not changed, but just the confidence we had from our doctor and fully understanding gave us both a peace that we can not explain. I hope I answered most everything that people have been asking and hope this makes sense. Feel free to leave comments below or shoot me an email...I love hearing from you all!
Take Care, God Bless and thank you for the prayers... they are working!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday
Today has been a pretty good day. Last night I had a little scare so today I stayed off my feet most of the day. I got a little greedy on Friday and was on my feet a little too much and paid the price that night when my leg swelled up again and the back of my knee swelled up like a bubble and caused me alot of discomfort. Then this morning I was still having some discomfort along with nose bleeds. I know that is really gross but I think it comes along with the territory of taking 3 blood thinners.
We have had some company this weekend. My in-laws are in town so they spent the day over here visiting. We had a good time. Just because my legs don't work too good right now, it sure has not affected my mouth so I can still carry on a nice long conversation.
We received a few goodies today that were great at cheering me up too. We had a nice visit from a friend/coworker, Beth, she brought us a delicious chicken casserole that was fantastic, along with a bundt cake. Then one of our sweet neighbors dropped by some chocolate peanut butter brownies that were to die for. I also had a special delivery from a few ladies at the office...they sent a card with Beth to deliver that contained a gift card. I can not tell you how much all of this means to me! Honestly, I feel so undeserving of all of this and can not thank everyone enough for the outpouring of love that I have felt. I am amazed at the kindness of people. Every phone call, text, email and gift or just words of encouragement make my day! It also shows me that I have surrounded myself by a wonderful group of people.
Well I guess that is it... I am hoping for another good day tomorrow! Just one day at a time!
We have had some company this weekend. My in-laws are in town so they spent the day over here visiting. We had a good time. Just because my legs don't work too good right now, it sure has not affected my mouth so I can still carry on a nice long conversation.
We received a few goodies today that were great at cheering me up too. We had a nice visit from a friend/coworker, Beth, she brought us a delicious chicken casserole that was fantastic, along with a bundt cake. Then one of our sweet neighbors dropped by some chocolate peanut butter brownies that were to die for. I also had a special delivery from a few ladies at the office...they sent a card with Beth to deliver that contained a gift card. I can not tell you how much all of this means to me! Honestly, I feel so undeserving of all of this and can not thank everyone enough for the outpouring of love that I have felt. I am amazed at the kindness of people. Every phone call, text, email and gift or just words of encouragement make my day! It also shows me that I have surrounded myself by a wonderful group of people.
Well I guess that is it... I am hoping for another good day tomorrow! Just one day at a time!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday Update...
Ok, went back to the Dr on Wednesday. Heavy bed rest has been lifted however I am still supposed to be staying off my feet, keeping it elevated. I have to limit my activity but I can drive short distances now, like to take Breck to school. I am not to be standing still for long periods of time. However at the same time walking at a good pace is good for me. The Dr recommended taking a brisk walk, not walking around doing useless stuff like trying to clean! Bummer! Taking the quicker paced walks are supposed to help open up the veins. He said with all of this there are limitations, that only my body will know and tell me. Bottom line is don't be up doing things that are not necessary and put stress on my leg.
My clot does reside in the pelvis, not the groin like I thought. There are segments in my clot where there are spaces but it does go from me knee up into the pelvis area, the internal iliac vein to be exact for any interested in looking it up. I will be seeing the vascular surgeon on Tuesday to see if her opinions have changed on putting in a stint since my conditions have changed since she saw me in the hospital.
Another discovery made yesterday was that my hemoglobin took a major dive putting me in a very weak part of anemia. I thought something might be going on because when I don't have the energy to sit up and read a trashy magazine or try and wipe down a counter when no one is looking, there is something wrong with me. They have prescribed me a Iron pill to help with this. I am ready for that to kick in because I have been extremely tired and weak. It's one more pill added to the collection I take at night.
I think that is about all for know! Good thing huh? Some days I am falling apart and then most days I feel like I can handle anything. Keep praying... specifically for peace. I had a minor meltdown last night, but I will be ok. Just taking it day by day...I know the Lord had big plans for my life, and the devil better be scared when I do get up and back to normal!!
Take care! God Bless
Brittany
My clot does reside in the pelvis, not the groin like I thought. There are segments in my clot where there are spaces but it does go from me knee up into the pelvis area, the internal iliac vein to be exact for any interested in looking it up. I will be seeing the vascular surgeon on Tuesday to see if her opinions have changed on putting in a stint since my conditions have changed since she saw me in the hospital.
Another discovery made yesterday was that my hemoglobin took a major dive putting me in a very weak part of anemia. I thought something might be going on because when I don't have the energy to sit up and read a trashy magazine or try and wipe down a counter when no one is looking, there is something wrong with me. They have prescribed me a Iron pill to help with this. I am ready for that to kick in because I have been extremely tired and weak. It's one more pill added to the collection I take at night.
I think that is about all for know! Good thing huh? Some days I am falling apart and then most days I feel like I can handle anything. Keep praying... specifically for peace. I had a minor meltdown last night, but I will be ok. Just taking it day by day...I know the Lord had big plans for my life, and the devil better be scared when I do get up and back to normal!!
Take care! God Bless
Brittany
Lets see how this works!
I set up this blog in hopes to keep everyone up to date. There are many doctors appointments and often lots of information so I thought it might be easier for me to find one place to write it all down to keep you all informed. I have been overwhelmed with the response from people, some close friends and family and some just acquaintances. To say I am overwhemed honestly is an understatement. All the calls, texts, emails and visits have meant so much to me, words can not begin to describe. I remember every word you all say to encourage me and trust me it works. I will attach the latest update below. Some of you have already read it but I am posting it for those you have not. I go see the surgeon on Tuesday so I should have another Dr report then. I may write in the meantime. I want this blog to also be somewhere for me to come share my feelings about this journey, sometimes they are good and other times they are bad, but one thing that will be for sure is they will be honest and real.
God Bless!
Brittany
God Bless!
Brittany
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