Bloody 'ell

Walking down the stairs my calf felt like I had pulled a muscle in it. I hadn't been doing anything extraneous to hurt it, but my body is doing all sorts of odd things by itself, so just chalk it up. All day it felt like "calf splints." pain every time I would flex- which is every step. But like millions of runners do everyday- walking with shin (for me it was in the back of the leg) splints isn't too painful.
However, by the next day my leg felt like a REALLY bad pulled a muscle. rub and rub. By the middle of the day my leg is hard as a rock and swollen. I had mentioned it to my parents once maybe twice- but now it is time for the full on complaining.
My mom calls the dr.
We are going into Ultrasound stat. Possible blood clots.
I go into the white room with two beds and an ultrasound machine (oh that is what they look like) I'm told to undress put on the night gown. Everything- even underwear.
The tech pours the gook all over my leg and rub and rubs, the most embarrassing part is he has to go right up my by pelvic bone. kill me!
Deep vein thrombosis was in my right thigh. "this is SERIOUS" I'm told again.

Admitted, bed rested and put on large amounts of blood thinner. I'm now a patient of Magic Valley Regional Medical Center- for at least a week. oh joy.

I didn't really understand the whole bed resting. I about died when the nurses were telling me that I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. Two hours ago I was walking around my house- I was fine then. When Dr. Ippilitto came I took it up with him- asked him PLEASE can I at least get up to go to the bathroom, I will stay down for everything else! he kind of got mad it and stressed upon me the importance of laying down, if I moved then the blood clots could get dislodged and go to my heart or lungs or brain. I still didn't understand how seriously that is. You know teenagers and their attitude toward life (we are invincible!). But I knew it was serious, and I had to do it. so I did.
It was really hard, and really gross. I would even say traumatizing. have you ever had to pee and poop in a bed pan while laying down. Let's say I would get pee everywhere. The nurses would have to change me and change the sheets change everything while I'm laying in the bed. ugh. haha going to the bathroom probably would have been less of a workout for me and them than peeing in a bed pan.
now going #2 was a lot easier- but a lot harder emotionally, embarrassing and S.I.C.K. for me. but "everybody poops." So embarrassing- I remember going potty once, and in the middle of it I had visitors. of course they were asked to stay outside (no one told them what I was doing just they had to wait.) but I'm sure it smelled when they came in. haha. oh man. can't believe I just wrote all that.
anyway- other than the potty and needles it wasn't that terrible. I had lots of visitors, and some gifts. Things like a betty bop from Steph and a tigger and an Anne Geddies doll from the detweilers. All of them meant so much to me. It was now summer, so I wanted to be out in the warmth with friends, but they were kind enough to come visit.

Me and my sis Aubrey
Summer between 8th and 9th grade.
1997



Me and my best Friend at the time- Emily.
I had been on the Prednisone now for a couple of weeks, maybe a month. And I remember my dad said that it looked like I was starting to fill out a little in my cheeks. That really hurt- it was the last thing I wanted, and wanted to believe. I was really in denial. I think I thought that A. I wouldn't get the moon face or B. My blood scores would get better so I would go off the prednisone before my face would blow up. wrong on both accounts.

Because of the blood clots I stayed on Coumadin for a long time, a couple of years. I couldn't do anything crazy like contact sports (basketball, volleyball etc) i bruised like a ripe banana. And was warned that if I was in a car accident I would probably bleed to death in a matter of second. I believed it too- just a paper cut would bleed for HOURS.
They had planned on doing a a kidney biopsy, but that was now out of the question. so I would start chemo sooner.

Today- this still effects me, like I can't be on any type of birth control, they increase your rise of bloodclots. Also pregnancy increases your risk of blood clots. SO for about 8 months out of the nine I have to take shots. Blood thinner. I can't take aspirin or Coumadin because it will effect the babies heart- now allowing it to form closed. With Sydney I took two shots of heparin. Heparin was good because it didn't burn, and only about $500 a month. it was bad because I had to take it 2Xs a day, and my bruises don't heal that fast. so it was really painful. It is also harder to regulate my blood with Heparin so I have to get my blood draw quite often.(yes heparin is what Dennis Quad's twins were overdosed with...)
With Jack I took Lovenox. This is good because it is already loaded with the poison, and I take it once a day. Bad because it BURNs baby burns for about 5 minutes after. Legs are worse...makes my whole leg hurt for a long time. oh and anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 a month.
when it comes time to deliver the baby, it gets tricky. I can't have my blood thin and deliever- because A. no epidural (yeah yeah, no pain no game. I have no doubt in my mind that I could deliever a baby without meds...but I CHOOSE not to. I have had enough physical pain in my life that I just plain and simple DO NOT want to purposefully put myself through more. I think the Lord has blessed us with the medicine.) B. Loss of blood could be great.
So they take me off the thinner for 24-48 hours and induce me. Another reason to be induced...Lupus patients tend to deliver earlier with each baby. Really unpredictable- not a good combination with thin blood. So with Sydney I lucked out. I had missed a couple of injections and was about a week early. but with Jack, we didn't take chances. At 37 weeks I had an amnio and was induced later that evening.