MIA

Sorry Ive been MIA. This recovery has been more than I could have ever imagined!! Just when I started feeling a bit better, I took a turn for the worse. It was weird, all the sudden I was so tired I slept most of the day, this was the first problem. I kept telling my DH, I just didnt feel like I was where I should be in my recovery, but then I would remember...I lost a whole organ & 4 pints of blood..this was probably normal.

Then 2 weeks ago I got this pain in my back. I called my surgeon & he said I had probably just tweaked something & to get a massage. Well, it went away, so I didnt think about it...until it was back! Last Wednesday morning it woke me up & it was downhill from there. Again, I thought it was just something tweaked, but it kept getting worse. By Wednesday night I couldnt sleep. It didnt matter if I was on my side, back or in a recliner, I was in so much pain. I started taking my pain pills again & they would last maybe 2 hours before the back pain was back. On Thursday morning, my DH helped me up to the bedroom & went to work. I tried to walk a lot that day, thinking I just needed to be up more, but after 15 mins, I was so tired, I had to sit back down. I ended up getting a massage appointment that night, thinking that was what I needed.

By the time the DH got home, I was in tears. I had managed to get a shower, but it took everything in me. We had talked about going to the ER, but I wanted to see what the massage brought...so off we went. Let me tell you, this was the most painful massage I had EVER had. I mean, crying, screaming, lip biting. My friend (my massage lady) really thought maybe a rib was out of place from surgery because of where the pain was, but was also a bit worried because I was retaining so much water on my back.

We left there, me almost in worse shape than when I went. By the time we got home, I was feeling better...until I went to lay down. My DH went to help me lay down in bed & the pain was so bad, it would take my breath away. I tried laying flat & just couldnt breath because it hurt so bad....so off to the ER we went.

I got in quickly since I had just had surgery, which was nice. They too thought because of where the pain was & what I was explaining again something was out of place or something. But they wanted to make sure there was no internal bleeding...so cat scan of my belly...clear. By then they had given me a muscle relaxer & pain pill to help with the pain. Mind you though, the entire time I was in the ER...my back didnt bother me, go figure! They were getting ready to discharge me with back pain & at the last minute the head of the ER decided to check my lungs...just in case, for blood clots.

I remember thinking, they are nuts! I mean, I had no signs of blood clots. I told my DH "Im going to do this test, it' going to be clear & we are going home to bed!"

Yeah, that is what I thought till they came & told me that I had blood clots in BOTH lungs!! (good thing I was on the meds) I think both the DH & I were in shock...as were the employees in the ER. They kept telling me they couldnt believe it....so this bought me a 2 night stay at the hospital.

I am lucky, we caught them early. I also have no signs of clots in my legs...so they really are not sure where they came from. The clots are all because of my surgery..apparently with your spleen holding so much blood when you remove it your body is trying to deal with what to do with all the blood your spleen holds....soooo your platelet count goes up. A normal persons count is 150,000-300,000 & mine was at almost 900,000, this causes clots!

So here I am, 30 years old & on blood thinning pills & shots. My body is responding VERY well to the meds, so I am hoping this morning is my last shot & then I will be on the pill for 12 months.

So that, my friends, is why I have been MIA. I will say however, now that we found the clots & are dealing with them it was almost IMMEDIATELY that I started feeling better...feeling like me! I even made my first solo trip yesterday! Today, I make my 2nd :)

Slowly but surely...almost 4 weeks after surgery, I think I am becoming me again!

Part 2

So Saturday, the day after surgery is where things went down hill & bought me more time in the hospital.

My heartbeat got up over 100 beats a minute, my fever was spiking at 104. They thought maybe an infection, but once they were able to get blood from me, they saw that wasn't the case. Now, to get the blood was fun...all my veins were shot, so the only way they were able to get blood was with an ultrasound  & using it to see to get blood from an artery in my groin (fun stuff I tell ya) So when the bloodwork came back, they figured then it was just my fever that was making things go faster...so Saturday & Sunday were focused on getting my fever down. The fever went down, but my heart rate stayed up...even leaving the hospital with a heart rate over 90.

I also had the majority of my tubes removed on Sunday & got up & walking. Let me just say having a GI tube taken from your nose is NOT FUN!

By Monday I was doing well enough that I got out of the special unit & was sent general. I was not happy with this, as I no longer had my own room with the nurses I had grown to like...but I knew it was a step in the right direction.

I had a few complications while in general...where my IVs were in my hands, my hands start ballooning up to where I couldnt move them, they were retaining major water. So all IVs had to be removed & moved to my 1 in my arm.

Tuesday came around & it did not look like I would be going home...so I just assumed Iwould be chilling in general for another day or so...pleasantly around 11 my Dr came in to say all bloodwork looked good & it was time to blow the joint!

Coming home was nice, however hard...my poor DH had to take off work to wait on me 24/7. But here I am a week of being home & he has been able to go back to work. I am up & moving a bit more. I had my post op yesterday, which was my first time out of the house & wore me out!! I was out for an hour & slept for 5.

My doctor is very pleased with how I am recooping...he did say that it would take another 2-3 weeks before my energy level went up...as not only did they recycle 4 pints of my blood, which is like giving 4 pints of blood, but also the spleen is a large blood holder...so I lost that blood too. I am now cleared to walk all I want & do stairs, which is nice since Ive ben stick in our basement! Then next week, if I feel like it, I can start driving short distances.

I have a couple outings planned for this weekend, so depending on how those go, I will try to possibly go to work a few hours next week & see how that goes.

Of course my biggest concern is now & always will be getting sick. The first 2 years after loosing my spleen will be my hardest; when I can get sick the easiest. My kidney & liver will take over a lot of the function of my spleen, but it takes a couple years...in the meantime I have to stay up to date on 3 special vaccines & at any sign of a cold or anything...it's off to the dr for me. This does cause me to worry a bit about starting to be around people again...but I have to & my body will build everything back up!

So that is probably about it! Thank you again everyone for you care & concern & good thoughts during all this!

A Spleen Free Life-part 1

I will make this as short & sweet as possible. You are probably even lucky I do not remember it all.

So the morning of surgery we got up at 5:30 for my 6:30am arrival time. I honestly was calm, cool & collected until about 6:20 when we were almost to the hospital. Got to the hospital, checked in & got sent to get ready. Did all the fun stuff of undressing & whatnot...then they wheeled me to preop.

I had never been to this hospital before, so I assumed once I was in preop, they would get me ready & then call my DH back before I left...nope! We got off the elevator to go to preop & they told me to say my good byes to him. This did NOT sit well. I started crying like a baby. I got to preop & they 2 nurses were so sweet. I was trying to stop crying when they start telling me about a special IV that will be going in my neck & then a big needle one they needed to put in my hand. By this point, I'm acting like a baby, crying for my DH. They were soooo nice & went & got him to stay with me until the minute I went to the operating room.

I kept telling everyone I felt so stupid. I had had my fair share of surgeries & I was scared shitless of this one & couldn't stop crying...I hated it

The one nurse I guess must have asked if we had kids or something...because the next thing I know, we are talking about infertility & adoption. She was so nice about it & just calming...for once I would have rather talked about infertility than what was going on with me.

Once everything was ready & all IVs, tubes, etc in place...I was off.  I remember going into the operating room & feeling like a circus show because there were so many people in there. Between how rare my case & the complications that could have happened...I think 1/2 the hospital was in that room. I remember starting to cry a bit once I was in the room & that was it until recovery.

I was in recovery a long time while I waited for a room in a special unit of the hospital. I remember fighting to open my eyes..but it was just so hard. I have no idea how long I was there or when I got to my room...but I remember waking up & seeing my husband.

I had tubes everywhere...from my nose, my stomach...a catheter. I do not remember much of Friday night & very little of Saturday...but Saturday is where things went a bit down hill.

I don't want to bore you with all this crap...so I will make this a 2 parter...

Short & Sweet

I got home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon & I can say it's soooo good to be home! I have slept more since I got home than the entire time at the hospital.

I still have a long road ahead of me & will type more about the surgery & everything when I have a bit more strength. But as always...thank you all again for all of your good thoughts!

Surgery Day

Today my spleen goes to splenic heaven. As you read this, I am currently loosing my spleen. After 3 weeks of this surgery hanging over my head, we are getting this show on the road.

This is my first major, non IF related, surgery in 11 years...& it's been rough on me. I am glad that this will be done & over with & I can start my road to recovery. I will not have to worry about the mass rupturing or anything...so it is a huge sigh of relief.

I will be in the hospital for 3-5 days, then home for about 4 weeks...so I am sure you guys will be getting plenty of blog post from me!!

Wordless Wednesday-Smells Like Spleen Spirit

 (yes, this is what I will be wearing to the hospital on Friday)

Bloggers for Hope

Hey guys!! Can you do me a favor today?! Go stop over at Bloggers for Hope & check out my first post!

As I mentioned last week, Bloggers for Hope is a group of amazing women & a man that are talking about all aspects of infertility. This site really has it all & I am so honored & proud to be apart of this new journey for Chance to Hope. All of us authors are here for you & always more than happy to answer any questions you may have, blog about aspects you would like to hear about etc.

As their resident adoption blogger, I would love to know...what do you want me to write about? What would you like to know??