Complications

So, we ran into a slight bump in the road to recovery this week. It started Wednesday night. When I got home from seeing baby Bentley I had what I thought was just a horrible cramp in my calf. That night and the next morning I tried everything from heat, ice, massage, icy hot etc. and nothing was giving me any relief. So the next day I called Matt's mom Lynn. She is a physical therapist and has an ultrasound machine at her work, so I called to see if she would u/s it for me to help break it up. Her reaction kinda freaked me out - she said no way, she wouldn't touch it until I had it looked at to make sure it's not a blood clot! Ummm - okay!

So I called the docs office (it was about 2 in the afternoon) and they said they didn't have anyone in right then, but to come in first thing Friday morning. So, I went to the doc (surgeon), both he and his PA say "i highly doubt it's a blood clot, it seems more like muscle, but the only way to tell is by an ultrasound"

So, off to the hospital I go to get me an ultrasound. I walk into the u/s room and the girl doing it says "hey, my best friend is a Cantwell, do you know Sally?" Turns out it is Bryce and Sally's next door neighbor and good friend Jess! So she does her thing,basically running the u/s from groin to ankle and compressing the veins in various spots to see how they react. She doesn't find anything but has to have someone "check her work" because of how new she is. The other lady comes in, said everything looks great - then scans thru the pics one last time and says "wait, that looks weird - let's recheck that". Sure enough - blood clot. Aparantly it's in a vein they don't normaly check - but part of it just happened to get caught on the picture (and it was where my pain was). They they do a bunch more stuff and then call the doc (i'm not allowed to leave until the doc says so). So, not only is it in a weird vein, but it's also very deep, whatever that means.

So they call the doc and he doesn't even know what to do! He's not sure if I should be admitted or not. So he calls one of his good doctor friends. THANKFULLY I did not have to be admitted, but I was sent immediately over to the office of this doctor friend (his office was in the hospital).

So, doctor friend tells me that I have to go on blood thinners - one is a pill that is slow acting (coumadin), and one is a abdominal shot that is fast acting (lovenox). Goes on and on about the list of do's and don't - no aspirin, no IB Profen, aleve, advil etc. Try not to bump or cut myself, don't rub it, no heat, don't stretch it etc. etc. Then he gets into the fun stuff like any numbness, shortness of breath, slurred speech etc. go straight to the ER. I can still do my therapy exercises tho, and can still walk on it (well, if you want to call it walking - i would call it more hobbling clumsily, but whatever).

I picked up my Rx at the hospital pharmacy b/c they have this Lovenox stuff in stock when most pharms don't. And i go over to my friend's new house (they moved out this AM) and she walks me thru giving myself my first shot. I'm such a wuss, but I did it! I also started the coumadin last night too. I go back in monday for a check of my blood levels to see if I need to keep doing the injections or if the pill will be enough.

Crazy stuff. So, here I sit, in horrible pain not because of any part of the surgery, but because I got a freaking BLOOD CLOT! That's not supposed to happen! I'm not old, or fat, or sitting around on my butt all day! GRRR. So anyway, this little glitch is one that will take a few months to fix, and in the meantime, I gotta be careful to not cut myself shaving or anything!