Well, the blog hasn't had a post in awhile, so i'll use it to share my latest story.
As you know, i had my catheter ablation in mid-Jan, and it was a huge success. Stupid electrical pathway ablated, random racing heart a thing of the past.
Since then, i've noticed that specific things that used to be no problem were leaving me more out of breath than was necessary -- going up the stairs at work, or taking my turn in agility class. So i went in a week or 2 ago and talked to a nurse practitioner about it and he made me get a whole bunch of tests, including a heart monitor that i wore for 7 days. (I was supposed to have jury duty but did not have to report -- wish i had as that monitor woulda gotten me outta there in a flash!)
Yesterday was my scheduled follow-up appointment with my cardiologist. 9:15am, on my way to work. Or so i thought.
Once i got there the Dr said it could be 2 things -- blood clots in your lungs, which i'm sure it's not but we'll just do a cat scan to rule it out, and something else that you'll need to take medication for for a few months, here's a prescription now since i'm sure that's what it is. Yeah. As soon as he said "rule it out" i KNEW that was gonna be it. So i popped down the hall from his office into the hospital for a cat scan (gee this appointment is getting longer, i guess i'll call work and tell them i'll be a tad late), which -- no surprise to anyone except everyone but me -- showed loads of blood clots in my lungs. Also called pulmonary embolism, which sounds WAY scarier. Well, it turns out that once the hospital knows you have PE, you ain't gettin' out of that hospital, no matter how much you point out that you've had it for a month before they knew about it and have been largely just fine. (Yes, i know it can cause sudden death, but i'm not into spontaneous hospital stays, okay?) Into the ER and admitted to the hospital before i could dig my heels in, and on the phone in hysterics to my parents (who dropped everything and immediately drove 4 hours south to stay with my dogs) and my boss (who doesn't know what to make of me because i'm sometimes freakishly cool about impending heart surgery and sometimes randomly in tears). And then a fun overnight in the hospital where all the nurses were TOO nice (STOP ASKING ME IF I CAN WALK 5' TO THE BATHROOM, I'M FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!!), the Dr was super bummed out about me having a complication (i heart him), i received the horrifying news that i must immediately stop and switch contraceptives (i super mega gigunto hearted my pill), and all the VERY old and VERY unhealthy people in beds around me got on my VERY last shallow and cold-hearted nerve.
For those still following, i am fine. I am home, and am going to give myself injections of a fast-acting blood thinner for several days, followed by probably at least 6 months of coumadin (aka warfarin/rat poison/blood thinner) via pill, including lots of blood tests to get my blood exactly thin enough. Now that i'm on blood thinners i'm not going to drop dead from the blood clots. I have no restrictions (other than to watch my intake of leafy greens). I'd like to see a lot less of hospitals and labs after this year. And the next doctor who says we're going to rule something out is gonna get a right hook to the jaw.
Hope you all are doing GREAT!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
We're Just Gonna Rule That Out
Posted by Ariel at 8:33 PM
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11 comments:
Ok so that's a better explanation than on Facebook! I would have had the same reaction as you, except maybe not try to convince them not to take me to the ER :). So is this a complication from your procedure or the anesthesia or just coincidental. Just because you know I'm in the medical field, and we don't get to use CT to find pulmonary embolisms in the vet world ;). Love you lots, and keep me updates - you better be well enough to come to the wedding!!!
Just a word of warning. Coumadin can be dangerous, you absoutely cannot drink any alcohol while you are on it. Wait - I forgot who I was talking to! I am glad you're feeling better!
First off, great to hear of the good health! Yay!
Second off, why would changing birth control bum you out? I mean, if I had to change from Trojan to Durex... I don't think it would bum me out.
F: It's a complication from the procedure plus caused by being on birth control which (as we all know from the commercials) can increase your chances of forming blood clots. So now that i've had clots once, i will have to use non-estrogen-based b.c. from now on.
Rick: ::gesture::
Andrew: That's because YOUR b.c. doesn't also control whether or not you have cripplingly-painful cramps every month. There's no way another type can ever live up to my previous one... oh lord and i wonder if i will get horrible acne again. YAY.
Dude, I am now well and plenty sick of your scaryass medical whatnot. This was your last one. You don't get anymore, and further I expect your next post to be full of exciting, chiseled reasons for your pill other than acne control.
Hmmm... i think you just effectively banned me from posting for like a year.
:-p
You misunderstand: I love your posts. My demand is merely that you stop getting sick.
His "expectation" is really a thinly veiled attempt at showing support and desire for you to have a satisfying relationship. Give the man math, or English, or a book of puns, and he just crushes it. But when he tries to be coy, man, it's just ugly.
Understood. I have a date on wednesday. I will let you all know if he's chiseled.
Congrats! Note, don't talk about coumadin, CT scans, or ablations. Really not the best first date topics.
Well, i told him that i was in the ER when i had to postpone our date from last week. So if he asks i might have to explain it, rather than be all shady and sound like i have something icky or infectious.
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