It has been a year since I started and wrote in this blog. In that year, I almost died, I turned 50, fired my first Nasty doctor, quit smoking, reality star Donald Trump became President, and my nephew got his driver’s license. It has been a surreal reality this year.
Pulmonary Embolisms and a DVT blood clot in my right leg…. in July I started having a dry cough and trouble breathing. I went to work on Tuesday and had some difficulties with catching my breath. I took a Claritin and soldiered on because that is what those of us with RA do! The next day was a day off. I slept off and on until 3:30pm then decided to go to Walmart and then pick up my prescriptions. I got home, walked into my house up the front stairs, and ran to the day bed before almost passing out. Worried and knowing that this is not my normal, I got on Google and googled, ” trouble breathing, dry cough, dizziness, and pain under breast.” Two things were found in my search, pulmonary embolisms and pleurisy. Neither is good, so I called my sister who was working hard as a Principal to get her school up and running for the fall term start. She said she was on her way. I called my best friend and told her I needed her to come take me to the hospital because I wasn’t paying $700 again for a durn ambulance ride! I then called my mom and dad and told them I was heading to the hospital.
I sat in my chair and my friend showed up like 5 minutes later from 15 minutes away with her BP cuff in hand saying I bet it’s your blood pressure. We laugh in retrospect. I looked at her and said, “Let’s go!” We got to the hospital and she dropped me at the door. At this time, I’m visibly gasping for air. I sign in and even though the room was full of people sick and bleeding, I was taken in first! They take my BP, slightly raised. My temperature was fine. Must be my heart they say. I say no, ” blood clot in my lungs.” No one listens. They take blood for heart issues and do eeg. No issues. This lovely young girl first year resident comes in and takes out her book and takes the most thorough history of my health I’ve ever had taken. I tell her”Please do a ddimer test. I think I threw a clot to my lungs.” New Doctor walks in and says to me, ” Well…ok we are going to do the ddimer test, but..” She was so not believing I was right. They do the test. Next thing I know I’m being told that there were clots somewhere and they were admitting me. I told my family to head home. I worry more about them driving at 2 am than having someone with me. Wait! I do have someone with me! My other sister lives in Germany and she is up during the night, so I would be PMing her in Facebook the rest of the night when I wasn’t asleep.
I make it to my room at 6 am and they immediately take me to CT and to get an ultrasound on my legs. I get back to my room and my lovely nurses set me up with some food. I had the best nurses ever! I slept a couple of hours and then mom and dad showed up. About the time they came in I suddenly had 2 nurses one on either side of me hovering. I asked, ” What’s going on?” The nurse to my right said,” You cannot move or move from this bed”, as she is hanging some new meds from my pole. “You have the largest blood clots in your lungs I’ve ever seen!” YES! I should be a doctor! I just giggled and drifted off to nap land! In actuality I was relieved it wasn’t heart problems.
I will finish this story later today. Tired now! Christmas and retail is kicking my RA riddled behind!
RA AND DIABETES: THE FUN NEVER ENDS 