This past week has been hard. Hard trying to settle into a routine again, Hard trying to clean the house again, Hard trying to maintain at the level I am used to, Hard getting back into the exercise swing of things, Hard because I am still going 2/3times a week for blood draws to check on my blood levels, Hard admitting that I still cannot do it all and Hard being okay with that.
HARD
However, I am getting through each day with less and less pain. And this experience has been a test of my humility and strength. I know the Lord knew what he was doing when my minor surgery veered off course.
I am having to daily focus on what my body can do and not what my brain says it can do. Because my brain says that I can do 3 loads of laundry & carry it up the stairs, sweep/mop floors, cook fabulous meals for my family and still have time to do a puzzle or craft with the kids.
BUT
My body says - "ahh, 1 load of laundry is good and it can wait to go upstairs till Bill gets home" and "lets just lay on the couch for a few minutes"
Honesty, things are going smoother. The kids have really stepped up helping. The house actually looks good a bit dirtier than normal. Ahhh, did I just type that???
The most frustrating part of this recovery is proving to be the blood clots. The 2/3 weekly trips to get my blood drawn to check the med levels in my blood are getting frustrating and time consuming. This part of the process is where I am finding it hard to see the big picture. And it seems every time I go in I find out new information on blood clots or the medicine I am on. Yesterday, I was told "increased activity will increase your med levels" - WHAT??
I might have said something along the lines of "Then what am I suppose to do sit on my A%$ for the next 3months?"
This New Normal thing is hard work! But I am trying ..... just keep swimming, just keep swimming
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Minor surgery turns major - part 2
At the hospital I was sent to the Vascular Clinic. And it is here I met a great team of nurses, ultrasound techs and doctor who would diagnosis and start my treatment.
What is a blood clot? A Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that has formed in a deep vein. They more commonly occur in leg veins and when they do they originate in the calf. The blood stops flowing properly and begins to pool together thus creating the "clot".
What causes DVT's? Risks of forming a DVT include prolonged sitting, bed rest or immobilization, recent surgery or trauma, fractures, childbirth within past 6months and the use of medications like estrogen or birth control pills. The doctor who treated me said that 1 out of 5 knee surgery patients will develop blood clots. Crazy!
How do we treat a DVT or in my case 3 DVT's? Treatment usually lasts 3-6months and the factors surrounding timing have a wide range. I was given an immediate dose of Lovenox - which is administered by injection and of which I have been giving myself daily since being diagnosed. And orally by mouth the drug Coumadin. The Coumadin will be my main form of medication once my blood thinness level reaches a INR of 2.0 - 3.0. The Coumadin takes about a week to get to peak level in your blood and "thin" it. So they combine the treatment in the beginning with the drug Lovenox. Most everyone has a blood "thinness" of 1.0 or lower. But when you have a blood clot you need your blood to become considerably "thinner" to help break up and disperse the blood clots & get the blood flowing in the affected veins. And the BEST part is my new sock that I have to wear from the moment my foot hits the floor in the morning till bed......a medical compression sock.
What does this mean for me? Until my INR blood levels get up to 2.0+ I will be giving myself the injections and oral amt of Coumadin. They will monitor me by taking my blood when I visit the Anticoagulation Clinic. I will be visiting this clinic daily till my levels get stable and stay stable. After they are stable I can visit 1x a week until my treatment is over. My levels reached a 2 today and I have to go in tomorrow for another blood draw. I am hoping to drop down my visits this week and not have to go every day. I also have to have an ultrasound every week of my calf until the blood clots are gone and have not moved.
A few warnings come along with the meds & condition:
- bruise more easily (yep, I have bruises from each injection on my stomach & each blood draw)
- bleed for longer when cut
- no dental work while being treated (risk of bleeding gums)
- no aspirin or aleve products
- no over the counter meds and most antibiotics
- you have a lower immune system - we'll see how this goes with 3 little kids in our house
- cannot high amounts of foods with Vit K (think dark green veggies, blueberries, pumpkin)
- should not drink alcohol or limit it (great there goes Thanksgiving!)
Once I am stable & clots are gone we will have to figure out what a new normal is for me. I am thankful that I listened to my gut and called the doctor. I am thankful for the care I am receiving and that it is treatable. And even though I know it's silly I have found myself asking "Why?" So for now I am trying to trust in the Lord and recognize that He has a bigger plan for all of this.
What is a blood clot? A Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that has formed in a deep vein. They more commonly occur in leg veins and when they do they originate in the calf. The blood stops flowing properly and begins to pool together thus creating the "clot".
What causes DVT's? Risks of forming a DVT include prolonged sitting, bed rest or immobilization, recent surgery or trauma, fractures, childbirth within past 6months and the use of medications like estrogen or birth control pills. The doctor who treated me said that 1 out of 5 knee surgery patients will develop blood clots. Crazy!
How do we treat a DVT or in my case 3 DVT's? Treatment usually lasts 3-6months and the factors surrounding timing have a wide range. I was given an immediate dose of Lovenox - which is administered by injection and of which I have been giving myself daily since being diagnosed. And orally by mouth the drug Coumadin. The Coumadin will be my main form of medication once my blood thinness level reaches a INR of 2.0 - 3.0. The Coumadin takes about a week to get to peak level in your blood and "thin" it. So they combine the treatment in the beginning with the drug Lovenox. Most everyone has a blood "thinness" of 1.0 or lower. But when you have a blood clot you need your blood to become considerably "thinner" to help break up and disperse the blood clots & get the blood flowing in the affected veins. And the BEST part is my new sock that I have to wear from the moment my foot hits the floor in the morning till bed......a medical compression sock.
What does this mean for me? Until my INR blood levels get up to 2.0+ I will be giving myself the injections and oral amt of Coumadin. They will monitor me by taking my blood when I visit the Anticoagulation Clinic. I will be visiting this clinic daily till my levels get stable and stay stable. After they are stable I can visit 1x a week until my treatment is over. My levels reached a 2 today and I have to go in tomorrow for another blood draw. I am hoping to drop down my visits this week and not have to go every day. I also have to have an ultrasound every week of my calf until the blood clots are gone and have not moved.
A few warnings come along with the meds & condition:
- bruise more easily (yep, I have bruises from each injection on my stomach & each blood draw)
- bleed for longer when cut
- no dental work while being treated (risk of bleeding gums)
- no aspirin or aleve products
- no over the counter meds and most antibiotics
- you have a lower immune system - we'll see how this goes with 3 little kids in our house
- cannot high amounts of foods with Vit K (think dark green veggies, blueberries, pumpkin)
- should not drink alcohol or limit it (great there goes Thanksgiving!)
Once I am stable & clots are gone we will have to figure out what a new normal is for me. I am thankful that I listened to my gut and called the doctor. I am thankful for the care I am receiving and that it is treatable. And even though I know it's silly I have found myself asking "Why?" So for now I am trying to trust in the Lord and recognize that He has a bigger plan for all of this.
Friday, October 19, 2012
A minor surgery goes major - part 1
Monday was the day of my "minor knee surgery" to repair my torn meniscus. I met with the surgeon the week before and we went over what to expect/not expect after the surgery. He did say at one point "The MRI only gives me a general idea, I wont really know how bad it is in there until I get in there".
The surgery time was 3:15 Monday afternoon. Bill and I worked out a plan that he would take girls to school & work (I work at their school on Mondays to offset tuition cost) and I would stay at home with little man. Little man had a speech evaluation that had been scheduled for weeks. And going to the girls school with the smell of coffee/food in the church cafe probably not a great idea for me.
After school was over I took a little nap while Bill fed the kids and his parents arrived. And then we headed into Seattle for my "minor knee surgery". I had told everyone "It's not a big deal, it's an easy surgery" and normally it is. I should've known when they hadn't taken me back at 3 that things were going down hill. Bill finally asked and they said "OH, the doctor is running behind we will get her back in 20mins"
Finally, at 3:30 they came for me and I got to get all dressed up in my fancy gown, socks & hat. Yes, they made me wear this funny knit hat thing. They took me back shortly after that. The operating room overlooked Seattle skyline & it was raining. So it was kinda of cool to see from the operating room as I laid down on the table - which was heated by the way! The anesthesiologist numbed my arm and tried to get my vein for the iv. After 3attempts he finally found a vein in my wrist that he could use for my iv. Thank goodness for that numbing agent or else I would've been dying. (I have deep vein issues, veins that roll & disappear and result in my arms being human pin cushions.)
I woke up in recovery a little after 5 and they soon got Bill for me. I got a little sick from the anesthesia but they were able to keep me from a huge puke fest. Good thing. Sadly their parking lot didn't fair better though! The doctor said the tear in my meniscus wasn't as bad as he thought but that the other cartilage damage in my knee was worse than he had expected. He sent me home with some nifty pictures. Let me know if you want to see them.
After stopping to get my pain meds we were home and I was in bed by 9pm. I didn't sleep as well as I had hoped even being on pain meds. And again this should've been a sign they say. By 6am I was wide away (only sleeping 3hrs) and having a charlie horse in my calf under the bad knee. Bill got me some more water and a banana. By 8am I was still having the charlie horse pain and I jokingly said "Maybe it's a blood clot" and Bill said "It's not a blood clot, stop saying that" and we laughed it off. By 11am I called the doctor's office and left a message with my symptoms. I also still wasn't able to sleep either no matter how hard I tried.
At 3pm the call came from the nurse. She asked me several questions and then I heard these works "How fast can you get back here?" and I said an hour. And she said "You need to get here as soon as possible we believe you have a blood clot and you need to be seen immediately"
We called the in laws who met us at the hospital and we went into the Vascular center within the hospital to be seen. An ultrasound on my leg revealed 3 blood clots. Three of the four veins in my lower calf were blocked with different size clots. And this is where the story gets fun. This is where a "minor surgery" has rocked my world.
The surgery time was 3:15 Monday afternoon. Bill and I worked out a plan that he would take girls to school & work (I work at their school on Mondays to offset tuition cost) and I would stay at home with little man. Little man had a speech evaluation that had been scheduled for weeks. And going to the girls school with the smell of coffee/food in the church cafe probably not a great idea for me.
After school was over I took a little nap while Bill fed the kids and his parents arrived. And then we headed into Seattle for my "minor knee surgery". I had told everyone "It's not a big deal, it's an easy surgery" and normally it is. I should've known when they hadn't taken me back at 3 that things were going down hill. Bill finally asked and they said "OH, the doctor is running behind we will get her back in 20mins"
Finally, at 3:30 they came for me and I got to get all dressed up in my fancy gown, socks & hat. Yes, they made me wear this funny knit hat thing. They took me back shortly after that. The operating room overlooked Seattle skyline & it was raining. So it was kinda of cool to see from the operating room as I laid down on the table - which was heated by the way! The anesthesiologist numbed my arm and tried to get my vein for the iv. After 3attempts he finally found a vein in my wrist that he could use for my iv. Thank goodness for that numbing agent or else I would've been dying. (I have deep vein issues, veins that roll & disappear and result in my arms being human pin cushions.)
I woke up in recovery a little after 5 and they soon got Bill for me. I got a little sick from the anesthesia but they were able to keep me from a huge puke fest. Good thing. Sadly their parking lot didn't fair better though! The doctor said the tear in my meniscus wasn't as bad as he thought but that the other cartilage damage in my knee was worse than he had expected. He sent me home with some nifty pictures. Let me know if you want to see them.
After stopping to get my pain meds we were home and I was in bed by 9pm. I didn't sleep as well as I had hoped even being on pain meds. And again this should've been a sign they say. By 6am I was wide away (only sleeping 3hrs) and having a charlie horse in my calf under the bad knee. Bill got me some more water and a banana. By 8am I was still having the charlie horse pain and I jokingly said "Maybe it's a blood clot" and Bill said "It's not a blood clot, stop saying that" and we laughed it off. By 11am I called the doctor's office and left a message with my symptoms. I also still wasn't able to sleep either no matter how hard I tried.
At 3pm the call came from the nurse. She asked me several questions and then I heard these works "How fast can you get back here?" and I said an hour. And she said "You need to get here as soon as possible we believe you have a blood clot and you need to be seen immediately"
We called the in laws who met us at the hospital and we went into the Vascular center within the hospital to be seen. An ultrasound on my leg revealed 3 blood clots. Three of the four veins in my lower calf were blocked with different size clots. And this is where the story gets fun. This is where a "minor surgery" has rocked my world.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The Results......Torn Meniscus
I have been waiting till I knew for sure but today I got the call. Yesterdays MRI confirmed what my doctor and I suspected. I have a torn Left Knee Meniscus. To tell you the truth until my doctor told me what he suspected I didn't truly know what a Meniscus was. But boy do I know what one is now!! Thanks to Google OR not.
The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that provides a cushion between your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). There are two menisci in each knee joint. They can be damaged or torn during activities that put pressure on or rotate the knee joint.
I have a "medium to severe" tear. I do know that is bad, bad enough to cause the "locking" up of my knee that I have been experiencing when I run or go down the stairs. OR even lying in bed the other night I moved just right and my knee locked up. Luckily it doesn't stay locked long but enough to get my attention. When you have a bigger tear you get the locking issues. The "tear" flaps over inside the knee causing the knee to lock up because that meniscus should be flat all the time so you bones can glide over on another. When they cannot glide, you cannot move your knee = the locking.
See aren't you glad I did some research for you?
So what does this mean? It means surgery to fix. It's a day surgery so not too terrible. I meet with a surgeon on Thursday.
Want to know the crazy thing? So there are 3 of us in my running group. And my buddy Karen has the EXACT same thing going on with her right knee. She met with her surgeon yesterday and is having surgery next Thursday.
We have been keeping each other positive and sharing our research/doctor knowledge.
The good thing is the surgery recovery time isn't that long & you can start exercising pretty quickly afterwards. In fact it's encouraged so you can get your knee working again. The nice thing about this surgery is once the meniscus is fixed you're good to go. It's not like repairing a muscle or tendon. Where if you exercise to quickly after surgery you can hurt it again. Once the meniscus is fixed, it's fixed.
It's the Best worst case for a sports injury.
And yes, I am still planning on doing the Tinkerbell in January. The doctor said I could be up and running for it. I wont finish in a stellar time but hey I wasn't planning on a wonderful time. It's my first half so no matter what I will PR, ha!
The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that provides a cushion between your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). There are two menisci in each knee joint. They can be damaged or torn during activities that put pressure on or rotate the knee joint.
I have a "medium to severe" tear. I do know that is bad, bad enough to cause the "locking" up of my knee that I have been experiencing when I run or go down the stairs. OR even lying in bed the other night I moved just right and my knee locked up. Luckily it doesn't stay locked long but enough to get my attention. When you have a bigger tear you get the locking issues. The "tear" flaps over inside the knee causing the knee to lock up because that meniscus should be flat all the time so you bones can glide over on another. When they cannot glide, you cannot move your knee = the locking.
See aren't you glad I did some research for you?
So what does this mean? It means surgery to fix. It's a day surgery so not too terrible. I meet with a surgeon on Thursday.
Want to know the crazy thing? So there are 3 of us in my running group. And my buddy Karen has the EXACT same thing going on with her right knee. She met with her surgeon yesterday and is having surgery next Thursday.
We have been keeping each other positive and sharing our research/doctor knowledge.
The good thing is the surgery recovery time isn't that long & you can start exercising pretty quickly afterwards. In fact it's encouraged so you can get your knee working again. The nice thing about this surgery is once the meniscus is fixed you're good to go. It's not like repairing a muscle or tendon. Where if you exercise to quickly after surgery you can hurt it again. Once the meniscus is fixed, it's fixed.
It's the Best worst case for a sports injury.
And yes, I am still planning on doing the Tinkerbell in January. The doctor said I could be up and running for it. I wont finish in a stellar time but hey I wasn't planning on a wonderful time. It's my first half so no matter what I will PR, ha!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Inspiration
Do you need inspiration? When you do where do you get it from? Friends, spouse, kids, a book, prayer or better yet Google?
Well I have been in need of inspiration for awhile now. Training for this half marathon makes me have to be up to speed in the inspiration department.
The Tri was completed with the inspiration of my family. Seeing my kids faces as I passed by & hearing them cheer me on. Completing a goal and setting an example for my kids was my inspiration.
But the half marathon is for me. Plain and simple it's for me. For me to be able to say I did that, I ran 13.1 miles. And I am not the most optimistic person in case you didnt know.
I have been having to dig deep for inspiration for this half training. Yes, I have searched for inspirational quotes, browsed training websites & read the begining of some motivational books.(thank you kindle)
So I reach out to you, the blogging community.....
Inspiration - what does it mean to you, where do you get it and what makes you keep going - and it doesn't have to be in running.
Well I have been in need of inspiration for awhile now. Training for this half marathon makes me have to be up to speed in the inspiration department.
The Tri was completed with the inspiration of my family. Seeing my kids faces as I passed by & hearing them cheer me on. Completing a goal and setting an example for my kids was my inspiration.
But the half marathon is for me. Plain and simple it's for me. For me to be able to say I did that, I ran 13.1 miles. And I am not the most optimistic person in case you didnt know.
I have been having to dig deep for inspiration for this half training. Yes, I have searched for inspirational quotes, browsed training websites & read the begining of some motivational books.(thank you kindle)
So I reach out to you, the blogging community.....
Inspiration - what does it mean to you, where do you get it and what makes you keep going - and it doesn't have to be in running.
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