It’s been a year since I found out I had blood clots in my leg.
What an adventure that day was. My doctor called me late Friday night to urge me to go to the ER, and I didn’t get there until past 10:00. I was admitted right before the ultrasound specialist left for the day (phew). The ER doctor told me I had two clots at midnight and I was home by 1:40 am. Four hours seems fast for an ER visit, now that I think about it!
But still, phew.
I could recap the whole post-ER healthcare nightmare/adventure, but that’s not why I’m writing this.
Why am I writing this?
Because dates stick in my head, and I’ve been thinking about this “anniversary” coming up for a while and wanted to acknowledge it. So here we are. It’s been a year.
It would be great if I could write that that night made me want to change my lifestyle for the better and I started right then, but I sure didn’t. I was in a bit of shock and completely overwhelmed with the healthcare system and didn’t make any health changes until this calendar year. And those have all been slow and gradual, to keep them sustainable.
And those health changes don’t affect APS (Antiphospholipid Syndrome) anyway. I could be my healthiest self and my body’s immune system would still be creating those abnormal antibodies that increase the risk for clots. Traitor! But anyway.
I will forever be grateful to my PCP for listening to me at my appointment that Friday morning and ordering blood tests, and looking at them that night and calling me. She may have saved my life.
I will also forever wonder if I already had APS and COVID-19 revealed it, or if my body’s response to having COVID-19 was to make APS occur. I don’t spend a lot of time wondering about this, but the thought will never go away.
And actually, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about this at all anymore, which is great. It’s slipped into the background. I take my daily blood thinners and go to my appointments and do my best to take care of myself. I could go into robot mode and eat the exact same thing each day to keep my INR (how fast my blood clots) in exact range but, eh. I don’t want to. So I will just keep doing the best I can!
And maybe in a year I won’t even think about it on September 2nd!
What a roller coaster you’ve been on the past year! And even if the lifestyle changes you have made don’t have a direct impact on APS, they do improve your general health and resilience, so good for you for having made the effort!
They sure do!!! Thank you!
I’m guessing that most people don’t make lifestyle changes right away. It probably does take a hot minute to process everything. And after that a lot of people DON’T make the changes. Sometime you should ask your doc what percentage of their patients make changes that get them significant results and what percent stay in denial.
It might take a few years, but I am sure that eventually September 2 will just be another day that ends in y.
I bet you are right and I should totally ask that! I am so curious about the other patients as it is. #nosy When I was asking about what that odd pharmacist at Target said they were telling me they have plenty of other young patients and I was all “you dooooo?” Ha. I rarely see anyone else when I go.
It will be!
Congrats on making steps to improve things! I’m sure you’re a doctor’s dream patient – paying attention, asking questions, and being compliant. What else could they ask for?
Aww, thank you!
I think it’s useful to mark these passages of time – in some cases, it can show how far you’ve come in such a long time. Perhaps one day this date won’t have such a stronghold of memory for you, but it’s okay if it does, too! That was quite the adventure for you, and a diagnosis you probably weren’t expecting, and it DID change your life (more doctor’s appointments, more testing, more meds, etc.) But you got through it and look where you are today!
I, too, will be forever grateful to your PCP. I need you around, friend! <3
You are so sweet. Thank you Stephany! And you’re so insightful and kind. You’ve put in to words what was going on in the background of my mind but I couldn’t get out. Wait, are you a writer? LOL
Wow, a whole year… was it initially a routine blood test or did you have symptoms? (I don’t recall.) I am glad though that you took steps in the right direction and look where you are today. Making lifestyle changes is hard, so it’s usually not possible to make them overnight, but you’ve continued working on making changes and working with your doctor. That’s how it’s done!
I had symptoms and had had a previous test at the ER where they didn’t find the clots, so I thought that wasn’t it.
And yes, you’re so right! Slow and steady is the way to go!!!! Thanks for reminding me that.
Wow, Kim. You have come a long, long way in a year! You are managing an unexpected chronic illness (one that is annoying and frustrating given that the treatment is so hard to get “right”), you are improving your health every day, and you are moving forward with the rest of your life. You are seriously the BEST kind of patient (and I say that as someone who has actually cared for patients in the past :>). Go, you. Seriously. You should CELEBRATE yourself on 9/2, I think.
OMG, you are so so nice Anne. Thank you for cheering me on and making me feel amazing! I appreciate you!