Clot be gone!!

I just wanted to send a quick update on how things are going. As you've probably heard, on July 6th I was admitted to the ER with a severe pain in my left thigh. I was diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis (a blood clot). The condition is pretty scary - if a piece of the clot breaks off it could travel through the bloodstream to the heart and then to the lung blood vessels, causing an acute pulmonary embolism.

They found a small clot in my right leg that I wasn't even aware of. The clot in my left leg which was causing the pain was pretty extensive - it extended from my upper thigh to my knee. Although they are not sure what caused the clot, in general, pregnant women are more susceptible to clots. The doctors believe the clot may have been caused due to my size and the weight of the baby pushing down on my veins. It may also be partly hereditary (a few years ago my brother had a stroke due to a blood clot and a heart condition.)

I was released from the hospital on July 8th and have been on Lovenox shots ever since. Lovenox is a blood thinner that is used to prevent the clot from getting bigger and prevent new clots from forming. My body must do the rest of the work of breaking the existing clot down on its own. I will be on Lovenox throughout the rest of the pregnancy to prevent any future clots.

Thankfully, the baby is doing fine and not affected by my condition. Baby's heartbeat has been strong and he/she has been doing the hokie pokie in my belly!

We have been blessed to have family available to help out with Owen since I'm pretty useless right now (thanks Mom, James, Judy, Laura and Kris!) My mom has been staying with us to help out and will hopefully be able to be with us until I'm back on my feet. My stay in the hospital was the 1st time I have been away from Owen overnight. Ever since he hasn't been sleeping well. He won't go to bed at night and wakes up screaming for his mama at 4:00 in the morning and won't go back to bed. I'm sure he's wondering what the heck is wrong with his mama!

We meet with my doctor on Monday and will begin working on a plan for the rest of my pregnancy, which is now considered high risk. Being on a blood thinner during delivery adds a lot of complications. We plan on finding a new OB and consulting with a hematologist, anesthesiologist and maternal fetal medicine specialist (thank you Cheri and Nicole for all your great medical advice!)

Now, a week and 1/2 later, I am feeling SO much better. I have been in a wheelchair since being released from the hospital. The pain is slowly going away - I can move my leg more, sit up, and cough without wanting to cry! I still have a ways to go, but each day I'm getting better. I've been told that the older the clot gets, the more stable it becomes and less likely it will break off and cause any serious problems. Before leaving the hospital I was told that the pain would not subside until the clot was completely gone. Obviously all of your prayers are working miracles! Thank you all so much and please keep them coming!