I want to start this post off first by thanking every one of you for your thoughts and well wishes when I first posted about being diagnosed with blood clots back in December.  It meant a lot to me to know that there were people out there thinking of me.

And since I’ve been posting about a lot of normal things lately, I figured it’s probably time to update you on how things are going, since it’s obvious I’m not dead or laid up anymore.

When I first posted about it, I was enduring two shots a day in the stomach of Lovenox.  The purpose of this was to immediately administer anti-coagulents right into my bloodstream to insure that the clot did not break loose and pass to my lungs, heart or brain.  The goal was to get me on an oral dosage of Warfarin but it can take about five days for it to manifest in the system and start doing some good, so the shots needed to sustain me until then.  I was also on Augmentin to counteract any infections I might have gotten (since they were initially thinking it was cellulitis) and Darvocet for the pain.

The only way the doctors could check if the Warfarin was working was to draw my blood everyday and test my PT/INR levels.  They were trying to get it to a level of 2.5 – 3.0.  I had to wake up every morning and head out to the lab to get the bloodwork done.  Not something someone who is terrified of needles wants to do first thing.  Since I was on the pain medication and could barely walk, I couldn’t drive.  I was staying at my mom’s house so she could give me the shots, one that had to be done at 1:30am because the initial shot was given to me at 1:30 in the afternoon and it had to be done on a 12 hours basis.  So she would wake me up and I would pull on my yoga pants, sweatshirt and slippers and we’d head out to the lab.  Then we would head home, I’d eat lunch, do some work and take a half an hour in the afternoon to prepare for the next shot and then deal with the pain of it as it subsided.  Then I would do some more work (thank god I could dial in and work from home!), eat dinner, head to bed and wake up at 1:30am to prepare for the next shot.  And my days just went on and on like that.

I had to make sure I was getting up to “stumble” around every hour or so.  I needed to move around to make sure that I didn’t get clots in the other legs.  I could only really sit with my leg up or walk around – I could not stand anywhere for long nor could I sit normally, like in an actual chair with my foot on the ground.

Truth be told, I didn’t realize how much the pain medicaton was affecting me until I looked back on it later and realized I was way doped up for the entire time I took the medicine.  I felt like I floated through those weeks which in a way was a good thing because I honestly think that the “numbness” was the only way I could successfully force myself to deal with the situation without having a ridiculous panic attack or stress overload.

So I spent a week at my mom’s while the shots kicked in and on Thursday the 11th, I was finally taken off the Lovenox.  Since I no longer needed the shots, I was able to go home and be with Steve and Sammy.  I love my mom dearly for helping to take care of me and taking off a week of work to help out but I missed my home and my bed and my doggie and cuddling with Steve.  So I limped home (because I still couldn’t walk) with the sheer joy of the fact that I didn’t have to endure those awful shots anymore.

The first night home was rough.  I think I pushed myself a little too far, thinking because I was off the shots I could do anything and everything.  I was still having a hard time standing without my foot hurting so when I tried to take a shower, it didn’t go over to well and Steve had to help me down into the tub and spray me off since I couldn’t reach our sprayer without standing up.

(The standing was an issue because the clot was blocking the circulation of the blood back up my leg, so when my foot was in a position for the blood to make its way down into the foot, it couldn’t go back up and would pool in my foot, causing extreme pain.  I even had a large red bruiselike spot on the top of my foot that was SO tender, I felt like I had broken it, which was why I couldn’t wear real shoes and had to be careful when anyone even touched my foot because it hurt so bad.)

I gradually got better though as the Warfarin started to take effect in my system.  It took me another few days before I could actually walk around like normal.  I spent about a week at home in my yoga pants dialed into work with my foot elevated.  Steve would make me dinner and just generally take care of me, bringing me my medicine and helping me to bed.

I was finally feel better enough to go back to work on the 18th.  I figured I’d go back on a Friday to give me a chance to get settled back into things while not having to go through an entire week.  It completely helped that Steve and I commuted in together that day so we could go to the Christmas dinner party for his work.  He was able to drive and take me to get my blood drawn and then I met him early in the afternoon for us to head over to the other shop for dinner.  I did well at work, elevating my foot and making sure I walked around on a regular basis.

They were still having trouble regulating my PT/INR and I was going to get my blood drawn every single morning up until last week.  Unfortunately, when it comes to regulating it, there’s nothing you can do as the levels can be affected by everything from sleep, stress, food, activity, etc.  But at least it was helping me get over my fear of needles.  Anyway, they had me on a 5mg every day dosage but as of Monday last week, they kicked me over to a 6mg a day and that was the first time I was allowed to skip three days of bloodwork.  When they drew it again last Friday, it was a bit high, so they had me take 9mg on Friday and 6mg yesterday and today and I go for a blood draw again tomorrow.

As of now though, I am doing good as far as handling things.  They fitted me for compression stockings and I wish I could tell you how sexy they really are but they do help.  The first day they put them on me, my foot was still hurting and I yelped so loud that the entire office was startled.  But once they were on, oh lord did they do some good.  I have to wear them everyday for at least six months which is fine now that it’s winter.  It’s just going to stink when it starts to get warmer.

I’m also completely off the pain medication and the antiobiotics.  I was finally able to wear real shoes the week of Christmas because the top of my foot had stopped hurting constantly.  I can drive again and work full days AT work.  I can move around and do housework and go out with friends and have a social life.  And I’m extremely happy for that.

I have stopped smoking completely and that feels amazing.

I am completely off of birth control and damn, that feels absolutely amazing as well.  I’ve been on it for ten years and ever since being off it, I really feel like myself again.  I’ve lost ten pounds.  I have more energy.  I have more interest in Steve and *ahem* other things.  My hormones are completely out of whack though, especially at this time of the month.  My skin is a little crazy too.  And (sorry if this is too much info!) because of the blood thinners and the fact that I’m off the BC pills completely, my flow is quite heavy and the cramps are crazy but they told me to expect it.  I’m also EXTREMELY tired, which is to be expected when I’m losing so much blood.  But the rest of the time, I feel really good and almost wish I had explored my options before going on the pills so long ago.

I’ve also had to quit drinking, at least for now.  Which, combined with the not being on birth control and being unable to smoke is kind of a lethal combination.  But the drinking was the hardest part, not because I’m a lush or an alcoholic but because you never realize how much you miss that glass of wine with dinner or that beer until you can’t have it anymore.  I don’t have to completely cut it out of my life forever, I’ve just chosen to abstain from it for now while they’re trying to regulate the medicine since it can affect my levels.

I can’t take any form of medicine, be it for pain (aspirin, tylenol, etc.) or sinuses and that is really affecting me.  I had two really bad sinus headaches that turned into migraines since I’ve been sick and I’ve had to endure the pressure, the pain, the nausea, the sensitivity to light without pumping myself full of medicines that would get rid of them.  I guess in the long run it’s good because I can teach myself not to be dependent on OTC’s but having to spend hours upon hours with that kind of pain is excruciating.  I’ve been using nasal sprays and Vicks to help clear out my sinuses enough to perhaps get rid of the pressure.

I have to be really aware of not cutting myself or banging into things because I bruise really easily and my blood doesn’t clot quickly.  Just yesterday, we were in Best Buy and I was holding the Wii Fit box.  It slipped out of my hands and when I tried to catch it, the perforated side of the cardboard cut into my finger.  It was a fairly deep papercut, one that in my previous life would have stung and bled a little but not been a big deal.  But I immediately panicked because I didn’t know how bad it was going to be and spent the next ten minutes sort of sucking on my finger.  It definitely took longer to clot but thankfully, it eventually clotted.  I just didn’t want to be that girl bleeding all over the floor of Best Buy.  People freak out at blood, you know.  As a result of that alone, I have to wear one of those medical alert bracelets informing anyone who might try to safe my life that I can’t be given pain medicine (like Tylenol or anything), since it interacts with the Warfarin.

I also still have issues walking and I think it will be like that for awhile.  My leg still cramps a little bit and foot goes kind of tingly numb when I’ve walked or stood on it for too long.  I still have a slight bruising on the top and my skin is really dry and itchy, which is apparently, also a side effect.

But overall, I am doing much better.  There’s still many adjustments I have to get used to and life changes I need to make.  But my mood has improved greatly and my general health is getting better.  I still have really bad days but I also have more good days.

And I’m just thankful to have those days.  Because things could have been a lot worse.  And I’m going to keep talking about it because if that allows someone to realize sooner than I did what they have, then I’ll have done some good in the world.