OHAngel2006

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Still taking the coumadin, but finally healed, I am now regularly playing tennis, doing cardio tennis , swimming, walking, working out in the gym and just staying as active as I can this summer.

Turns out it was NOT a virus... it was MRSA. I had to go back in on 3/22 for emergency surgery. Met Dr Wilson my surgeon at his office and he could not aspirate anything on the right side. He said he needed to open me back up immediately and clean everything out. He called in an OR team on a Sunday and I had 1.5 hours to prepare. After surgery I was feeling good, sitting up talking. However once we learned on Monday it was MRSA I spent the next 4 days in isolation. They started me on IV Vancomycin. First dose is extremely painful and felt like my whole body was shutting down. It blew my vein. They had to move the IV. At the same time the anesthesia they used was wearing off and I had severe body aches. They told me it was from using an anesthesia like they use on trauma patients. By Tues night I felt like I was dying. I was totally lethargic and could not move any part of my body... too exhausted to talk. Every time I stood up to go to the bathroom on Wed, blood ran down my legs from the drains. I walked hunched over and in a tremendous amount of pain.
I got out of the hospital on Wed at 2pm. I made a miraculous recovery between Tues night and Wed morning. Even Dr Wilson said if he was a betting man he would not have guessed I would have been going home at that time. I begged to go back to work. By Thurs I was back at work for part of the day. I would later learn this was a big mistake. I tried to do too much too fast.
By the next Sunday I awoke with severe chest pain and back pain and shortness of breath. I walked around like this for 24 hours before I got medical treatment. After spending 2 hours at one hospital ER waiting for help and listening to people complain of waiting for 5 hours and not being seen, I left and went to my hospital. The doctor diagnosed me with atelectasis and gave me  a breathing treatment and sent me home. The xray showed ALOT of air in my chest.
When I went to my surgeon the next day for my drain removal and told him of my ER visit, he didnt play around. He called a pulmonary specialist and consulted him. They decided I needed an immediate lab test called  a "D- dimer" test. The next day I received a call at work telling me the test was abnormal and I needed to leave work IMMEDIATELY for a STAT CT ...that was a life changing moment.
Turns out I had multiple blood clots in my right lung and they immediately put me in the Trauma center of the ER. That night I realized how close to death I was. If one clot moved to my heart I would die immediately. Apparently God has other plans for me. I spent the next 5 days in the hospital.

I finally has plastic surgery on 3/9/09. The doctor removed 11lbs of skin from my abdomen. He was going to lipo some too but said there was very little, it was all skin! I have been out of work two weeks and it has been a rough road. THe pain was more than I imagined. I went into the hospital on 3/9 @ 1030am and my surgery was promptly @ 1230. It took 3 hours. I spent the next hour in recovery where I was not breathing well due to all the anesthesia and pain medication. They placed me on oxygen. They also drew blood and determined there had been a 3% blood loss. I was originally precertified for a 23 hour observation stay but did not go home until Tuesday evening around 630pm. I came home with one JP drain. I was showering daily and dropped the drain in the shower on Thursday and pulled a stitch. This caused the area to become highly inflamed. The doc had put me on Percocet but I was feeling very loopy and wanted off. They had given me Demerol in the hospital with phenergan but I still got sick. WE finally decided to give Darvocet a try and it worked. I went in to the doc Monday for my checkup and he decided the drain was doing more harm than good and needed to come out so he pulled it. I thought I was going to pass out. Tuesday I thought I was doing better and would try reducing or even coming off the Darvocet and that was a big mistake. I ended up being totally lethargic and unable to move. Tues evening I went back on the Darvocet and began to improve. Wed morning the doc called in more and I was moving around the house doing well. Then Wed afternoon all hell broke loose. I suddenly woke up with 102.6 temp , there was no redness at the incision site but there had begun to be some drainage coming out of the JP hole... it was watery red tinged. I called the doc and they first said I probably had a virus but to be on the safe side he called in some Cipro. I started taking it Wed night, along with 1/2 Darvocet every 4 hours, 1 Tbsp of Tylenol liquid (for fever) and using some muscle rub   ( my entire body hurt!) and finally that evening I was completely relieved of pain for the first time since before surgery!!!! I slept well Wed night . The doc recommended putting a sanitary napkin (of all things) over the JP hole to help absorb the drainage and hold it in with my binder. Today is Thursday and so far things are going much better. I have been able to sit and fold laundry, wash some dishes, do a few other things around the house, walk to the mailbox and felt almost human again! LOL

I will be turning 40 this  year! Come celebrate with me!

I would not change a things. I've lost over 165lbs in 2 years and regained my health. Today I do my best to live my life true to who I am and to the fullest it can be. I've gone through alot of heartache and struggles along this journey but I have learned so much!