I didn't realize it had been so long since I blogged! I guess I will blame it on being busy (as usual).
What is new...
I passed the third level of the CFA exams, which I had taken in June! This means I have now earned the right to use the CFA designation. So 'Kara Larson, CFA' it is! Still a little weird to see in print. Think of the CFA designation as a CPA designation, only for investment people. Passing three 6-hour exams that are offered around once a year, and which you studying for about 300-400 hours per time you take the exam. The pass rate for each exam is about 50%. Let's just say I didn't pass the exams on the first try. But it is now over! I was a little surprised that I passed, as my studying for the exam was a sidetracked by all the health issues and I had a really bad headache the day of the exam (not a good thing when you have to concentrate for such a long time). Results came in August 9 and I was ecstatic to see the word, "Congratulations!" on the results e-mail. What am I going to do this spring?!?!
Within an hour of receiving the results I also got a call from my doctor's office. I had been in a week or so before for an updated MRI scan and the results had been sent on to Iowa City for review. Feedback was the blood clot had shrunk enough that as long as my headaches were gone I could stop taking the blood thinning medication! More amazing news. I decided that maybe I should play the lottery that day given the amount of good luck I was having. But I didn't, because the odds were not really in my favor. So far so good on the headaches and I haven't had any troubles since going off the medicine.
I decided that I would fill my free time with teaching Faith Formation class at church. I have 11- 3rd graders for an hour every Monday night. They are a blast and very talkative. Ellie is in class at the same time so it works out perfectly.
We also figured Ellie needed yet another activity to add to her busy schedule. So she joined Girl Scouts! And because I had free time, I became a troop leader! Our 13- 1st graders are such a joy and so well behaved. Not sure we could ask for a better set of kiddos. Come February we will have Girl Scout Cookies to sell if you are interested!
So we have church on Mondays, Girls Scouts on select Tuesdays, Ellie has two dance classes on Wednesdays and Neve has her dance class on Thursdays. We keep pretty busy and try to schedule in some 'free time' on the weekends. With both girls not taking naps, we have been able to accomplish so much more during the weekend hours (or so I tell myself).
Ellie celebrated her 7th birthday in November. Seriously, how did she get this old? And where is that dang pause button I have been looking for for the past 7 years? We went to Disney World over her birthday, so we kept her party very small and simple- a couple girls from school came over for pizza and movie night the week prior to her birthday.
The day before Ellie's birthday we headed to Disney World! But that is probably better covered with pictures in a different post.
My aunt passed away from cancer the week before we went to Disney, she was an amazing woman that is greatly missed.
We head to Ames a few times over winter break to celebrate with family and are excited for some family time at home as well.
I wonder what 2017 will bring?
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Monday, April 18, 2016
Girls Weekend!
Nick was off on his spring bike trip this past weekend so the girls and I made the most of it.
Thursday night we ran to Target and the mall. Ellie was thrilled when I told her she could get the Barbie Lip Gloss that she asked for. Who knew that lip gloss could excite someone so much. She talked about it the entire rest of the trip. Neve used one of her birthday gift cards and picked out a Barbie phone and a Lego Junior Princess set (someone likes to be like big sis). We had to rush home in order to beat the Hy-Vee grocery delivery guy.
Friday we cleaned and organized the house. And played Legos. The girls picked out dinner of Mac 'n' Cheese and hot dogs.
Saturday morning Neve was in our bedroom at 6 a.m. complaining that her throat hurt (seriously, if we have strep again...) so we were at the walk-in clinic at 8 a.m. She tested negative for strep (thank goodness), but the Dr. noticed that she has something stuck in her ear (which could cause her to think her throat hurts). He couldn't get it out easily and we already have an appointment with the ENT for Tuesday to check her tubes, so we will hope he can get it out then. Since she was not sick we were able to make it to the birthday party for a couple of the neighbors at Pump It Up. Ellie loved it, Neve is not a big fan of Pump It Up. We played outside in the afternoon and enjoyed our dinner of Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwiches (the girls told me it was an amazing meal and they wanted to have it again soon- win!).
Sunday morning we had our last session of Faith Formation. We made a stop at Hy-Vee before hand to pick up some flowers for Ellie's teacher and Neve's favorite office lady (since I am Neve's teacher). Then we were off to church. The girls did an amazing job at the show for the parents and I am sad the year is over. After church we ran to the mall for some girls shopping. The younger girls made out pretty well with new shoes, new outfits and a couple books. Ellie is reading chapter books now and is really proud (Nick and I are too). Then back home for a rest before Daddy got home. Pretty nice weekend with beautiful weather. Let's hope it continues!
Thursday night we ran to Target and the mall. Ellie was thrilled when I told her she could get the Barbie Lip Gloss that she asked for. Who knew that lip gloss could excite someone so much. She talked about it the entire rest of the trip. Neve used one of her birthday gift cards and picked out a Barbie phone and a Lego Junior Princess set (someone likes to be like big sis). We had to rush home in order to beat the Hy-Vee grocery delivery guy.
Friday we cleaned and organized the house. And played Legos. The girls picked out dinner of Mac 'n' Cheese and hot dogs.
Saturday morning Neve was in our bedroom at 6 a.m. complaining that her throat hurt (seriously, if we have strep again...) so we were at the walk-in clinic at 8 a.m. She tested negative for strep (thank goodness), but the Dr. noticed that she has something stuck in her ear (which could cause her to think her throat hurts). He couldn't get it out easily and we already have an appointment with the ENT for Tuesday to check her tubes, so we will hope he can get it out then. Since she was not sick we were able to make it to the birthday party for a couple of the neighbors at Pump It Up. Ellie loved it, Neve is not a big fan of Pump It Up. We played outside in the afternoon and enjoyed our dinner of Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwiches (the girls told me it was an amazing meal and they wanted to have it again soon- win!).
Sunday morning we had our last session of Faith Formation. We made a stop at Hy-Vee before hand to pick up some flowers for Ellie's teacher and Neve's favorite office lady (since I am Neve's teacher). Then we were off to church. The girls did an amazing job at the show for the parents and I am sad the year is over. After church we ran to the mall for some girls shopping. The younger girls made out pretty well with new shoes, new outfits and a couple books. Ellie is reading chapter books now and is really proud (Nick and I are too). Then back home for a rest before Daddy got home. Pretty nice weekend with beautiful weather. Let's hope it continues!
Shots... again
Remember how I was so excited to stop taking the shots? Went in for an INR check this morning and my number had dropped pretty significantly to where it is not therapeutic anymore. Back on the Lovenox shots I go, at least for a few days. Hoping for a better test result when I go in on Friday.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Spring Break Trip Part 6
We are getting to the end, I promise.
Monday morning came and Nick arrived prior to the second set of doctor visits. The doctor connected us with a nurse coordinator who was on a mission to get us home that day. I think my INR was at 1.1 that morning- so still a ways to go and it wasn't moving very fast.
I had to switch primary care doctors, as my current one was only part-time now and I really needed someone full time. Around 2 p.m. we got word that we would be breaking out of there that day! Nick had to go through 'training' on how to give me the shot and the first shot had to be administered at the hospital. By 3:30 p.m. we were on our way home (with a quick stop at the hospital pharmacy for pain meds, Coumadin oral pills and Lovenox shots). My mom had picked up the girls from school so they were getting ready for dinner when we were arrived home. They were very excited to see us (we didn't tell them today was release day in case it didn't work out). They missed me and I missed them. It was great to be home! Never would have thought when I went to the doctor at 8 a.m. on Thursday that I wouldn't be coming home until 5:30 p.m. Monday night.
Since the hospital I have had numerous visits to check my INR number. I had to take shots longer than originally anticipated, and it came to the point where Nick was going to be gone one of the nights and my first back-up (next door neighbor) was also unavailable. I lined up a second back-up, but told myself that instead of packing the girls up at bedtime to drive to my friends house I could suck it up and do it myself. Sure enough I did it (I didn't faint or anything)! Two weeks after the official diagnosis my INR number was therapeutic and I could stop the shots (which were twice a day in the stomach- ugh). I still have to go in for frequent INR checks, but that is no big deal. I go back to Iowa City to meet with the neurologists in June, followed by an appointment with my regular doctor and one with the ENT. If I have blurry vision I need to go directly to the eye doctor. The risk of a stroke is minimal compared to when I first arrived at the hospital, but there is still slight risk and I do have to be aware of changes. Since I am on blood thinners I have to be extra careful not get injured. Given that I am accident prone as it is, I try to leave the cutting of food to Nick whenever possible. I carry something in my wallet that let's people know I am on blood thinners. It sounds like I will be on blood thinners for around 6 months. I hope to find out more in June. I still get headaches, but nothing like they were in the beginning. The doctor at the hospital said it could take a while for them to go away.
I realizing how lucky I am that we caught it so early- as I said before--- someone watching over me. I didn't have a stroke, I didn't have a seizure and I didn't die. As Nina said: I was very blessed. The doctor in the hospital also mentioned that a current presidential candidate also had the same type of blood clot- so it isn't like I couldn't run for president if I wanted to. :)
I told the girls I was going to the doctor shortly after getting out of the hospital. Neve asked if I was going to be gone a long time. I told her it would be a short appointment and I would be back soon. She told me that last time I was gone for a really long time. :(
Ellie was enthralled with watching me get the shots. She would ask which side of my stomach I was going to get it in and position herself as close as possible so she could get the 'best view'. Maybe she will grow up to be a doctor- she could watch it while I couldn't.
Nick is/was amazing. Just another reminder to me of how lucky I am to have met him and how I couldn't get through what we have without him.
Grandparent's who drop everything to help out with the kiddos are also pretty awesome. Always good to know the girls are in good hands.
I love my friends and co-workers. I had so many calls and texts that made me feel special and loved. From dinner/cookies to flowers/balloons to having someone clean my house for me--- so lucky.
It has been an adventure. Not one I would like to take again, but an experience I will not forget. Maybe next year we can take a spring break trip somewhere a little more enjoyable...
Monday morning came and Nick arrived prior to the second set of doctor visits. The doctor connected us with a nurse coordinator who was on a mission to get us home that day. I think my INR was at 1.1 that morning- so still a ways to go and it wasn't moving very fast.
I had to switch primary care doctors, as my current one was only part-time now and I really needed someone full time. Around 2 p.m. we got word that we would be breaking out of there that day! Nick had to go through 'training' on how to give me the shot and the first shot had to be administered at the hospital. By 3:30 p.m. we were on our way home (with a quick stop at the hospital pharmacy for pain meds, Coumadin oral pills and Lovenox shots). My mom had picked up the girls from school so they were getting ready for dinner when we were arrived home. They were very excited to see us (we didn't tell them today was release day in case it didn't work out). They missed me and I missed them. It was great to be home! Never would have thought when I went to the doctor at 8 a.m. on Thursday that I wouldn't be coming home until 5:30 p.m. Monday night.
Since the hospital I have had numerous visits to check my INR number. I had to take shots longer than originally anticipated, and it came to the point where Nick was going to be gone one of the nights and my first back-up (next door neighbor) was also unavailable. I lined up a second back-up, but told myself that instead of packing the girls up at bedtime to drive to my friends house I could suck it up and do it myself. Sure enough I did it (I didn't faint or anything)! Two weeks after the official diagnosis my INR number was therapeutic and I could stop the shots (which were twice a day in the stomach- ugh). I still have to go in for frequent INR checks, but that is no big deal. I go back to Iowa City to meet with the neurologists in June, followed by an appointment with my regular doctor and one with the ENT. If I have blurry vision I need to go directly to the eye doctor. The risk of a stroke is minimal compared to when I first arrived at the hospital, but there is still slight risk and I do have to be aware of changes. Since I am on blood thinners I have to be extra careful not get injured. Given that I am accident prone as it is, I try to leave the cutting of food to Nick whenever possible. I carry something in my wallet that let's people know I am on blood thinners. It sounds like I will be on blood thinners for around 6 months. I hope to find out more in June. I still get headaches, but nothing like they were in the beginning. The doctor at the hospital said it could take a while for them to go away.
I realizing how lucky I am that we caught it so early- as I said before--- someone watching over me. I didn't have a stroke, I didn't have a seizure and I didn't die. As Nina said: I was very blessed. The doctor in the hospital also mentioned that a current presidential candidate also had the same type of blood clot- so it isn't like I couldn't run for president if I wanted to. :)
I told the girls I was going to the doctor shortly after getting out of the hospital. Neve asked if I was going to be gone a long time. I told her it would be a short appointment and I would be back soon. She told me that last time I was gone for a really long time. :(
Ellie was enthralled with watching me get the shots. She would ask which side of my stomach I was going to get it in and position herself as close as possible so she could get the 'best view'. Maybe she will grow up to be a doctor- she could watch it while I couldn't.
Nick is/was amazing. Just another reminder to me of how lucky I am to have met him and how I couldn't get through what we have without him.
Grandparent's who drop everything to help out with the kiddos are also pretty awesome. Always good to know the girls are in good hands.
I love my friends and co-workers. I had so many calls and texts that made me feel special and loved. From dinner/cookies to flowers/balloons to having someone clean my house for me--- so lucky.
It has been an adventure. Not one I would like to take again, but an experience I will not forget. Maybe next year we can take a spring break trip somewhere a little more enjoyable...
Monday, April 11, 2016
Spring Break Trip Part 5
On Friday when we talked about Nick going home I reminded him that his cousin worked at the hospital. I contacted her and sure enough she was working that weekend. I think this helped ease his mind on leaving me "alone" (because there weren't nurses visiting me constantly). His cousin ended up visiting me after the doctors left Saturday morning. Her family is dealing with a struggle of their own, her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and things have exactly gone as well as we would hope. If you say prayers, please say one for Katie- I know she can use all the support she can get.
I had a nice chat with Nick's cousin and waited for Nick to arrive. Nick got to the hospital around 1 p.m. and we chatted for a while. His birthday was the next day and I felt awful that my spring break trip was going to ruin it. Remember how I thought I would just be in the hospital overnight and be home Friday? Yeah, that wasn't happening. But I still hoped that my numbers would shoot up and I could go home on Sunday. Then the entire family could be together to celebrate. Neve was still sick- so we didn't want her at the hospital, otherwise we would have considered bring them to Iowa City for the day/night. But I didn't want them to see me hooked up to all the machines and get worried (although Ellie asked a lot of questions and was really interested in what was going on- such a smart kid and they did see me via FaceTime). Things went well on Saturday during the day. The doctor had ordered a CT scan that morning so we were waiting for that to happen. We learned that when you are an inpatient that usually means your CT scan occurs in the middle of the night- not like you have anywhere else to go. Nick and I broke out of the neuro wing and walked around part of the hospital (with my IV in tow) for a while. I had a pretty relaxed nurse and as long as I had someone with me I could move around freely.
It was about time for Nick to head to my brother's house for the night when I started getting sharp stabbing pains in a specific point in the left side of my head. Painful enough that I started crying and like nothing that I had felt during this whole ordeal. We alerted the nurse who contacted the doctor. The pains started to get better and I convinced Nick to head out (he hadn't eaten since the morning and my brother's house was just a few minutes away if he needed to come back). They moved up my CT and I headed down for that. Around 12:30 a.m. (seriously, I was up at all hours during this process) the doctor came in to tell me that everything looked fine. He also made a comment about me knowing where the blood clot was located. Interesting. I was relieved that nothing was worse.
Nick was back at the hospital really early (for him) on his birthday (Sunday). I cannot remember, but he may have made it in before the first round of doctor visits. My INR was still 1.0, which was a little disappointing. But everything else was going well. Later on the large group of doctors came to visit and the doctor discussed the possibility of us giving shots at home to get the INR up to the therapeutic level of 2.0-3.0, without having to stay in the hospital until that point. We had to be very serious about it and make sure we administered the shot at the certain time, and went to all follow-up appointments needed. I quickly volunteered Nick to give me shots (I didn't think I had the stomach to do it myself) and the doctor obviously didn't know me if he was questioning my ability to follow a schedule and do what I am told. It would require some coordinating with the doctors in Des Moines to make sure they were willing to take over at the current point, but we found out that I might get released Monday or Tuesday! I was thrilled that I would be able to go home before Neve's birthday that Friday. The doctor also informed me that I would not be able to go back to work until the following Monday and was on a weight restriction of 10 lbs. until then.
After that wonderful news Nick headed home to spend the rest of his birthday day with the girls. My parents arrived before he left and kept me company for the day. While my parents were there a gentleman from the local Catholic Church came and offered us communion. I realize I am very lucky with how things worked out. I truly believe that God was watching over me. I felt like this was just another way of him saying, yup- I am here with you.
To be continued...
I had a nice chat with Nick's cousin and waited for Nick to arrive. Nick got to the hospital around 1 p.m. and we chatted for a while. His birthday was the next day and I felt awful that my spring break trip was going to ruin it. Remember how I thought I would just be in the hospital overnight and be home Friday? Yeah, that wasn't happening. But I still hoped that my numbers would shoot up and I could go home on Sunday. Then the entire family could be together to celebrate. Neve was still sick- so we didn't want her at the hospital, otherwise we would have considered bring them to Iowa City for the day/night. But I didn't want them to see me hooked up to all the machines and get worried (although Ellie asked a lot of questions and was really interested in what was going on- such a smart kid and they did see me via FaceTime). Things went well on Saturday during the day. The doctor had ordered a CT scan that morning so we were waiting for that to happen. We learned that when you are an inpatient that usually means your CT scan occurs in the middle of the night- not like you have anywhere else to go. Nick and I broke out of the neuro wing and walked around part of the hospital (with my IV in tow) for a while. I had a pretty relaxed nurse and as long as I had someone with me I could move around freely.
It was about time for Nick to head to my brother's house for the night when I started getting sharp stabbing pains in a specific point in the left side of my head. Painful enough that I started crying and like nothing that I had felt during this whole ordeal. We alerted the nurse who contacted the doctor. The pains started to get better and I convinced Nick to head out (he hadn't eaten since the morning and my brother's house was just a few minutes away if he needed to come back). They moved up my CT and I headed down for that. Around 12:30 a.m. (seriously, I was up at all hours during this process) the doctor came in to tell me that everything looked fine. He also made a comment about me knowing where the blood clot was located. Interesting. I was relieved that nothing was worse.
Nick was back at the hospital really early (for him) on his birthday (Sunday). I cannot remember, but he may have made it in before the first round of doctor visits. My INR was still 1.0, which was a little disappointing. But everything else was going well. Later on the large group of doctors came to visit and the doctor discussed the possibility of us giving shots at home to get the INR up to the therapeutic level of 2.0-3.0, without having to stay in the hospital until that point. We had to be very serious about it and make sure we administered the shot at the certain time, and went to all follow-up appointments needed. I quickly volunteered Nick to give me shots (I didn't think I had the stomach to do it myself) and the doctor obviously didn't know me if he was questioning my ability to follow a schedule and do what I am told. It would require some coordinating with the doctors in Des Moines to make sure they were willing to take over at the current point, but we found out that I might get released Monday or Tuesday! I was thrilled that I would be able to go home before Neve's birthday that Friday. The doctor also informed me that I would not be able to go back to work until the following Monday and was on a weight restriction of 10 lbs. until then.
After that wonderful news Nick headed home to spend the rest of his birthday day with the girls. My parents arrived before he left and kept me company for the day. While my parents were there a gentleman from the local Catholic Church came and offered us communion. I realize I am very lucky with how things worked out. I truly believe that God was watching over me. I felt like this was just another way of him saying, yup- I am here with you.
To be continued...
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Spring Break Trip Part 4
Yes, we are still on March 17th/18th if you are having trouble following along with my ramblings. I know the details are probably not needed, but this is for me as much as anyone reading it.
Did I mention that Nick 'slept' all night in what looked like a very uncomfortable chair next to my bed? No way was he going to leave my side, despite my brother and sister-in-laws offering for him to use their house (remember they were on that spring break trip to Florida that I was so envious of). Neither of us slept much. They checked me all the time to make sure I was still OK. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got pain medicine in Iowa City! Remember that headache that started all of this? Yeah, it hadn't gone away. But the pain medicine helped some. Not completely because I was limited on what I could take- I needed to be alert for the checks they did so very often.
One of the neurologist doctors came in that morning. He asked me what I thought was happening. I informed him that I had a blood clot in my sinus'. I was 'sort of' correct. And mainly not. I had a blood clot, that was confirmed. The name was something I had no idea what he was saying. A few days later I asked the nurse to write it down for me so I knew exactly. What he had said was that I had a Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (basically: cerebral- in the head, venous- in the vein, sinus- on the outer part of the brain, thrombosis- blood clot). He even drew a little picture. He answered any questions we might have, which we didn't have much because we were still taking it all in, and said they would be in with the whole group in a little while.
My sister was really wanting to help out in some way, and we didn't want her around the sick girls, so she headed to Iowa City to hang out with me so Nick could head home to relieve my parents and give the girls a little normalcy during this whole process. Megan arrived right about the time the large group of doctors/doctor students arrived to talk with me about what would happen next. I felt so important. We discussed possible causes, ruling out that a pregnancy or child birth caused the blood clot (neither of those happened recently) and thinking maybe it was an ear infection since my hearing was having issues. The doctors told us multiple times how "serious" this was. At one point I wondered if he thought I wasn't taking it seriously- which I was, I just didn't understand it completely. He schedule an appointment with the eye doctor (vision issues can occur with this type of thing) and the ENT to see if an infection caused the blood clot. He said we had to get my PTT numbers up to a therapeutic level so they could start me on Coumadin, which I would be on for 6 months or so. After the doctors left Nick headed home to the girls and Megan and I hung out. If I was going to be off work I wanted to watch the Iowa NCAA game. No sooner had that come on then a guy with a wheelchair showed up to 'drive' me to my eye doctor appointment. Megan and I got a tour of the hospital and our tour guide was a hoot to chat with. The eye doctor appointment went great (seeing 20/20 with no signs of problems). At the end of the appointment we mentioned that we needed to get back to the room so we could watch the last part of the game, to which the doctor said he would turn it on via his computer so we could watch it (with him of course). We watched the end of regulation play and then headed to the lobby to wait for our 'driver' to show up (watching the game on our phone at that time- cannot miss overtime and the amazing ended- Go Hawks!!). We made it back to the room and soon after the ENT showed up to check me out. He said there was no way the blood clot was caused by an infection in the ear and everything looked good (but my hearing was still not normal).
Megan left and I ordered some dinner, FaceTimed with the girls and settled in for the UNI basketball. Oh, during that time my PTT numbers became therapeutic! Which meant I could start the Coumadin! I took my first dose that evening. Remember how they checked me all the time- just happened to turn out that they were drawing blood during the finale of the UNI game. I held as still as I could and tried not to move and mess the nurse up. Go Panthers! Three Iowa teams in the second round- must be our lucky year! :) Then I tried to get a little sleep (while still being woken up multiple times a night to be checked on).
The next morning the doctors came in and told me that we now needed to get the INR numbers therapeutic so we could figure out the correct dosage of Coumadin that I would be on long-term. Goals- always good to have goals and numbers that I needed to hit. Although I didn't have a real impact on how fast I was going to get there, at least I knew where I needed to get. On Friday my INR number was 0.9. At the time I thought I needed to get it to the 2.5-3.0 range before I went home. Saturday morning I was 1.0. This was going to be a long process.
To be continued...
Did I mention that Nick 'slept' all night in what looked like a very uncomfortable chair next to my bed? No way was he going to leave my side, despite my brother and sister-in-laws offering for him to use their house (remember they were on that spring break trip to Florida that I was so envious of). Neither of us slept much. They checked me all the time to make sure I was still OK. Oh, I forgot to mention that I got pain medicine in Iowa City! Remember that headache that started all of this? Yeah, it hadn't gone away. But the pain medicine helped some. Not completely because I was limited on what I could take- I needed to be alert for the checks they did so very often.
One of the neurologist doctors came in that morning. He asked me what I thought was happening. I informed him that I had a blood clot in my sinus'. I was 'sort of' correct. And mainly not. I had a blood clot, that was confirmed. The name was something I had no idea what he was saying. A few days later I asked the nurse to write it down for me so I knew exactly. What he had said was that I had a Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (basically: cerebral- in the head, venous- in the vein, sinus- on the outer part of the brain, thrombosis- blood clot). He even drew a little picture. He answered any questions we might have, which we didn't have much because we were still taking it all in, and said they would be in with the whole group in a little while.
My sister was really wanting to help out in some way, and we didn't want her around the sick girls, so she headed to Iowa City to hang out with me so Nick could head home to relieve my parents and give the girls a little normalcy during this whole process. Megan arrived right about the time the large group of doctors/doctor students arrived to talk with me about what would happen next. I felt so important. We discussed possible causes, ruling out that a pregnancy or child birth caused the blood clot (neither of those happened recently) and thinking maybe it was an ear infection since my hearing was having issues. The doctors told us multiple times how "serious" this was. At one point I wondered if he thought I wasn't taking it seriously- which I was, I just didn't understand it completely. He schedule an appointment with the eye doctor (vision issues can occur with this type of thing) and the ENT to see if an infection caused the blood clot. He said we had to get my PTT numbers up to a therapeutic level so they could start me on Coumadin, which I would be on for 6 months or so. After the doctors left Nick headed home to the girls and Megan and I hung out. If I was going to be off work I wanted to watch the Iowa NCAA game. No sooner had that come on then a guy with a wheelchair showed up to 'drive' me to my eye doctor appointment. Megan and I got a tour of the hospital and our tour guide was a hoot to chat with. The eye doctor appointment went great (seeing 20/20 with no signs of problems). At the end of the appointment we mentioned that we needed to get back to the room so we could watch the last part of the game, to which the doctor said he would turn it on via his computer so we could watch it (with him of course). We watched the end of regulation play and then headed to the lobby to wait for our 'driver' to show up (watching the game on our phone at that time- cannot miss overtime and the amazing ended- Go Hawks!!). We made it back to the room and soon after the ENT showed up to check me out. He said there was no way the blood clot was caused by an infection in the ear and everything looked good (but my hearing was still not normal).
Megan left and I ordered some dinner, FaceTimed with the girls and settled in for the UNI basketball. Oh, during that time my PTT numbers became therapeutic! Which meant I could start the Coumadin! I took my first dose that evening. Remember how they checked me all the time- just happened to turn out that they were drawing blood during the finale of the UNI game. I held as still as I could and tried not to move and mess the nurse up. Go Panthers! Three Iowa teams in the second round- must be our lucky year! :) Then I tried to get a little sleep (while still being woken up multiple times a night to be checked on).
The next morning the doctors came in and told me that we now needed to get the INR numbers therapeutic so we could figure out the correct dosage of Coumadin that I would be on long-term. Goals- always good to have goals and numbers that I needed to hit. Although I didn't have a real impact on how fast I was going to get there, at least I knew where I needed to get. On Friday my INR number was 0.9. At the time I thought I needed to get it to the 2.5-3.0 range before I went home. Saturday morning I was 1.0. This was going to be a long process.
To be continued...
Friday, April 8, 2016
Spring Break Trip Part 3
We arrive at Methodist West Emergency Room and they hadn't received any of my information (the doctor was going to have it sent over). We explain what we know and they start me on blood thinners. While that is going they take more blood (remember how I hate having blood drawn?). Only took three different people to get what they needed- it is that much of a challenge. Methodist West is in contact with my doctor getting all the information, and with Iowa City to get the transfer lined up. They worked on lining up the ambulance ride I was going to take (remember that spring break trip I wanted to go on...). Nick and I decided (I pretty much bugged him until he agreed) that he should take Neve to the doctor. At 4:45 p.m. Nick went to the doctor with Neve and I boarded the ambulance for what seemed like the longest ride ever to Iowa City. Thank goodness for my sister and a good friend that I was messaging with most of the way. The ambulance did not have any music and I was secured to a gurney for the ride (I couldn't even walk from one location to another). I was hooked up to a heparin drip to start the process of thinning my blood- it was a blast.
I arrived at the Iowa City Emergency Room and guess what... they took MORE blood. Looking back it was nothing compared to what I was going to go through- but it was torture at the time. Wait, did I mention that I left home at 8 a.m. that morning and didn't eat breakfast? Or when I suggested that I wait in the café at the clinic the doctor said no food or drink because he didn't know what sort of tests/etc. they would need to do at my next location? I was starving. And it was after 7:00 p.m. at this time. The ER doctor said I could have something to eat and hooked me up with some water and crackers (highlight of the day!) The neurologists came to visit and Nick arrived (yes, Neve was diagnosed with the flu). They were not sure it was actually a blood clot (WHAT?) and wanted to get a closer picture of the area. Since I had an MRI earlier they couldn't do that, so they set up a CT scan. I asked the doctors if Nick could get me some real food and they did even better-- they got me an intern/student/really sweet younger girl to go to the cafeteria and get me whatever I wanted. Chicken wrap it was. Did I mention that the wait time for a room on the neurology floor was 4-5 hours from the time you were admitted to the emergency room? I was admitted around 6:45 p.m. We hung out in my own private room in the emergency room, ate part of my chicken wrap, watched some basketball, got a CT scan and waited for a room to get ready.
Sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. we were set-up in an official room (which was really tiny and I shared with an older lady). More blood draws from our awesome nurse, Nina (no really, she was awesome). Lots of blood pressure checks and tests to make sure I wasn't showing signs of a stroke. We didn't know for sure if it was actually a blood clot, but from what Nina indicated yes it was. Nina kept patting my arm and telling me how blessed I was that we caught it (over and over again). I should have realized then how serious it all was. But in my defense I thought it was a blood clot in my nose or ear or something (i.E. sinus') and I knew of two different people that had blood clots that spent the night in the hospital for observation and were released the next day to continue shots and treatment at home (with frequent visits to the doctor for monitoring of course). Once again I was the optimist and figured I would go home the next day... despite what the Methodist West ER nurse said and Nina hinted at.
To be continued...
I arrived at the Iowa City Emergency Room and guess what... they took MORE blood. Looking back it was nothing compared to what I was going to go through- but it was torture at the time. Wait, did I mention that I left home at 8 a.m. that morning and didn't eat breakfast? Or when I suggested that I wait in the café at the clinic the doctor said no food or drink because he didn't know what sort of tests/etc. they would need to do at my next location? I was starving. And it was after 7:00 p.m. at this time. The ER doctor said I could have something to eat and hooked me up with some water and crackers (highlight of the day!) The neurologists came to visit and Nick arrived (yes, Neve was diagnosed with the flu). They were not sure it was actually a blood clot (WHAT?) and wanted to get a closer picture of the area. Since I had an MRI earlier they couldn't do that, so they set up a CT scan. I asked the doctors if Nick could get me some real food and they did even better-- they got me an intern/student/really sweet younger girl to go to the cafeteria and get me whatever I wanted. Chicken wrap it was. Did I mention that the wait time for a room on the neurology floor was 4-5 hours from the time you were admitted to the emergency room? I was admitted around 6:45 p.m. We hung out in my own private room in the emergency room, ate part of my chicken wrap, watched some basketball, got a CT scan and waited for a room to get ready.
Sometime between 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. we were set-up in an official room (which was really tiny and I shared with an older lady). More blood draws from our awesome nurse, Nina (no really, she was awesome). Lots of blood pressure checks and tests to make sure I wasn't showing signs of a stroke. We didn't know for sure if it was actually a blood clot, but from what Nina indicated yes it was. Nina kept patting my arm and telling me how blessed I was that we caught it (over and over again). I should have realized then how serious it all was. But in my defense I thought it was a blood clot in my nose or ear or something (i.E. sinus') and I knew of two different people that had blood clots that spent the night in the hospital for observation and were released the next day to continue shots and treatment at home (with frequent visits to the doctor for monitoring of course). Once again I was the optimist and figured I would go home the next day... despite what the Methodist West ER nurse said and Nina hinted at.
To be continued...
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