I Almost Died from Leg Obesity

By Amy

I have been a bum as of late.  Really.

But I have a darn good reason for my lack of blog posts, my 5 extra pounds, and my general hermit-ness.  And, as always, I can't just tell you the reason, I gotta tell you the WHOLE story. :)

First of all....Drumrolllllll....I am big with child!  Baby numero dos is on it's way, and we are so excited and grateful for another little babe to hold and love!  :)

So, my first tri definitely accounts for some of my extreme exhaustion, lack of energy, and general bum-ness.  (But, I am dang lucky cause I'm not a puker.)

But, it wasn't just pregnancy that caused me to spend the past week laying on the couch.

About a week ago, I woke up and my leg was feeling reallly weird.  And I kept getting lightheaded.  It was a Sunday morning, and my husband was off at a leadership meeting before church.  So, I went into survival mode...I'm laying on the floor of my toddler's room, with the door shut so he can't escape, and I feel like death.  Meanwhile, my son joyfully pelts me with toys, and I'm moaning, "Momma's SICK! NO THROWING BOOKS!"...and other pleasant things like that.  Well, after an hour of that, Patrick gets home, and opening the door to Hayden's bedroom, was a little concerned to see me, a pale-faced rag doll surrounded by toys, slabbed out on the floor.  Hayden was having a good old time, but I was a wreck.  So, I tell him, "I feel like crap.  Here's our son." or something like that.  I head into the bathroom, and I think, "Ok, I probably shouldn't stand up in the shower, so I'll take a nice bath so I'm clean for church."  (But, I did not end up going.)  I get in the tub, and see..

UM, OH MY GOSH MY LEG IS PURPLE.

And huge too.  Not both, just one...my left leg.

I wrapped in a towel and went to show Patrick.  He was worried and said, "Um, that's not good.  That could be a blood clot."  (Hooray for having a smartie husband who has some medical knowledge!)

So I went and took my bath, staring and laughing at the absurdity of my leg the whole time, and when I'm dry and dressed, we call our neighbor to come have a look (he's a physical therapist) and he and Patrick decide that I need to go to the Urgent Care.  We get there, (I'm still feeling woosy) and the doctor looks at my leg for like 2 seconds and says, "You need to go to the ER for an ultrasound of your leg."  So, then we're driving to the ER, and I'm begging Patrick to go to the house to get me some of the left-over Papa Murphy's Hawaiian pizza, which is calling to me from the fridge, cause I know that it could take a while at the ER.  (It was about noon by now and preg ladies get HUNGRY...and sure enough, I ended up only getting a couple of graham crackers till 6:00 pm)  But, he looked worried at me again and said, "No, we need to go to the ER right now."

So, we get there and they do an ultrasound and it turns out that I did indeed have a clot.  So I ask the doc, "Where's the clot?"  And he says, "It stretches from your mid-calf up to your inferior vena cava in your abdomen,"  Oh GREAT.  I have clotted, cottage cheese blood, going all the way up my leg.  I was picturing like this little clot somewhere, not veins that are all chunked up from calf to waist!  Sickkkkk, I wanted to vomit.

Well, long story short, I was put on blood thinner shots that I now have to take twice a day for the rest of my pregnancy, and every pregnancy after this.  Apparently, the increase of progesterone during pregnancy can cause blood clots, but it usually doesn't happen until the end of the pregnancy, and I was only 8 1/2 weeks.  But, it can also cause miscarriages if not found.  And obviously, I could have died, if a chunk of the clot had broken off and gone to my lungs.  So I feel extremely grateful and fortunate that

A. we still have a baby safe and growing inside me, and
B. I am still ALIVE!

So I got a 24 hour vacation in the hospital, where I got to order tons of food from the cafeteria (contributing to the 5 pounds gained...the strawberry shortcake was AMAZING) hang out with my hub, read books, and watch movies while my awesome parents played with Hayden at home.  (It's so nice to live only 45 minutes from parentals!)  Once I got home, the pain really set in, and my leg, which was a ginormous hard-as-a-rock sausage, stayed swollen.  I had a lot of pain in my groin and leg for almost a week, and standing on my feet would become unbearable.  So I was a bum on the couch and my mom, then my mother-in-law helped out a ton, along with kind friends that we know from church who sent dinners, texts, little gifts, and generally made me feel loved. :)

Chilling with my babe on the couch, my new favorite spot.  I prop up my leg and I'm good!

I'm feeling much better; now I only have a slightly fatter leg and a limp.  Oh and a GLORIOUS cankle.  Hahaha....hahaha... I love looking at it--my foot is SO pudgy.  I took some pics, but they don't do justice.

This is a week later...I wish I had a good one from the day of!  It was much bigger.  My leg had no curves, it just looked like a cylinder!

hahahaha...I love the cankle!  

While I was in the hospital, I had some time that I was alone, while Patrick went to check on Hayden, put him to bed, and get some stuff for me. (Ha, including some of the Hawaiian pizza in the fridge...even a near-death experience didn't put that out of my mind!)  My Dad and hub had just given me a priesthood blessing (a special prayer given though the inspiration and direction of the Spirit by those who hold the priesthood authority)  The blessing was beautiful and comforting, but still, my mind was racing with the doctor's words.  I wondered, "Are we only going to get to have two kids?  Will I have to use blood thinners for the rest of my life?  Can I really give myself a shot twice a day for the next 7 months?" And, worst of all, I started imagining what would happen if I died.  I wasn't really scared of the idea that I could have died...honestly I feel like I've lived the best I could and I figure a blood clot to the lung would be a quick death (I'm morbid, I know)...but I didn't want Hayden to lose his momma or Patrick to lose his wife.  I know I'm not the perfect wife or mother, but dang it, I love them so much and I am theirs and they are mine.  And I am not ready to leave yet.  I want a full life with them and my unborn baby needs me to live so that he or she can be born and come into this messy, crazy, beautiful world.

All this was racing through my head, and I start really crying for the first time that day.  Fear and doubt threatened to overwhelm me.  Laying in my quiet hospital room, hooked up to IVs and monitors, I prayed for peace and guidance from the Lord, and tried to focus on the words of my blessing.  Soon, I was able to be calm and return to faith.  I knew that God still wanted me here.  And the rest, my hub and I would just take as it came.

Oh and another blessing: one of the nurses on the floor that night had also gone through blood clots while pregnant.  It happened with her third baby, who is now a happy little kid!  She was so kind and helped me laugh and relax about the stupid shots.  She doesn't work that often, so I was grateful for a loving Father who kindly made that happen.  Not a coincidence, peeps.  That's how He works: he doesn't stop bad things from happening, cause like any good parent, he knows that the trials of life are part of the learning experience.  They shape us and help us to become better, stronger, and more compassionate people.  But, He constantly sends us little tender mercies to help us find joy and hope, even when the going gets rough.  I thought it was extra sweet of Him to send me such a cool nurse who knew exactly what I was going through.  :)

So for about two months, until the clots can be absorbed by my body (gross, huh? Bodies are so weird...) I'll have some swelling and pain, and I can't do anything high impact, like running. (HA...yeah right, I hate running, even when I'm not an exhausted preggie.)

So, the shots suck.  I start and end everyday with dread, but luckily, Patrick usually does it for me, so I can look away.  I CAN do it though...I've poked myself three times now.  :)  And, I now have a belly covered in bruises and little poke holes, but heck I already had stretch marks, so it's not like I own a bunch of bikinis that I now need to throw out!  Ha!  It will all be worth it to get baby safely here.

Well, there's my goofy tale.  I'm grateful that I didn't die from my sudden leg obesity and I'm grateful for family and friends, including an amazing hub, who love and support me.

Ahhh, love him.  

And, I am grateful for the little babe with the steady swish-swish heartbeat growing inside of me. :)   Life is good! :)

So mommas...tell me what I can expect!  Was it hard going from one child to two?  And, anybody else experience blood clots in pregnancy?  If so, I need to hear from you! :)

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