Who Knew?

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It all started in May 2017 while on an anniversary cruise. 10 days of walking in cute flip flops rather than good support shoes lead to a stress fracture in my left foot. By the end of July I was wearing an orthopedic boot to heal the fracture and my calf muscle felt like it had a charlie horse (probably the blood clot recently found behind my left knee) but I was glad to be released from the Dr. to wear regular shoes.

All summer I suffered from a dry cough with no relief from prescribed meds. In September a friend and I traveled 3 hours to the mountains....that's when it all started....the shortness of breathe, stabbing pain under my right ribs, feeling exhausted. I was away from home and I didn't want to go to the hospital so I suffered all weekend but the pain would come and go. I wasn't THAT bad, or so I thought. By Sunday evening when we arrived home my husband could tell something wasn't normal and he forced me to go to the ER (thankful he did!).

I was immediately taken back to a room, sent for the 1st CT scan (no contrast) and results would show nothing, sent for a chest x-ray and results would show nothing, sent back for a 2nd CT scan (with contrast) and it was obvious I had 3 blood clots in my right lung. The ER doctor came in to tell say I had suffered from a PE and this condition was deadly! I was immediately given Lovenex shots and admitted to the hospital were I stayed for the next 3 days.

Scared to death because I'm 48 years old and only stayed in the hospital for the birth of my son 26 years ago. Fairly healthy woman now needing help to use the restroom. 1 in 3 people die from PEs they said.....1 in 3! Why did God choose me to be a survivor? Not sure but I'm so glad he did!

During my hospital stay they took so much blood for testing I'm surprised I had any left. The one test I knew nothing about came back positive, Factor V Leiden - Heterogeneous. An ultrasound was completed on my legs and what did they find....a blood clot behind my left knee, remember the orthopedic boot and the fractured left foot? It's starting to come together now! But how was I supposed to know that I have a genetic blood disorder? Nobody in my family ever had this or maybe they were never tested for it.

I was released from the hospital after 3 days with a new prescription called Eliquis and put on bed rest for another 4 days then back to work I went. Felt like hammered dog poo but I had to return to work and luckily they were very understanding. It's been 3 months since my life changed forever and I'm not sure yet if I'll be on blood thinners for the rest of my life or not but I will say I'm very thankful my husband made this stubborn woman go to the ER!

I now have a sense of thankfulness I never had before. I also cut my hair REALLY short just because I can and don't worry about what others think because I'm alive to tell about it