How God Works

This blog is for my benefit since I don't have my diary here in the hospital. On May 10th I had surgery on my foot to remove bunions and do some bone repair. That meant a cast for weeks. They were always too tight so I had it changed about 4 times.
On June 11, while sitting with my step-mom, Estel, at the Medical Center, we were waiting for Don to get the car to come pick us up. While just sitting there I suddently felt a strange flutter in my heart - not unfamiliar to me, but something I had not had for a long time. Then we went to China Star for supper,took Estel back to Buhler, and went home. When I went to get into bed I was short of breath and had to take about 3 real deep breaths. In my mind I wondered if I had a pulmonary embolism. My left leg had hurt bad behind my knee and upward for weeks. My right leg hurt also. I chalked the pain up to using a knee walker, and unteady way I was getting around. Then that same evening I had a fever of 101, coughing, stuffy sinuses. So I thought I had bronchitis, yet again. For the whole week-end my temp. was down in the daytime but 101 each night. My bed was drenched from sweating. Finally on Monday I decided to to go the Dr. She suspected pneumonia, but also wanted to do a doppler on my leg to look for blood clots. That was scheduled at 4:30 that day, so while we waited for that appointment I went to the chiropractor because I had so much pain. I had no idea of a blood clot in my leg. Then I had the doppler and found the clot in my leg. I was put on Arixtra injections plus 5 mg. of Coumadin daily - return on Friday. I went back on Friday and my blood was way too thin. So stop the Arixtra injections, hold the coumadin l day and resume on Saturday at 2.5 mg. So now I was allowed to walk with a walking boot since I had been on blood thinner. On Father's Day I went to church a.m. and p.m. ate out etc. Karen and Teresa were staying at our house. On 21st I felt really bad so stayed in bed most of the day. I felt so cold, had pain in upper rt. adbomen and still had nightly 101 fever. On Tues. June 21 I called to see if I could back in to see Dr. Edwards. I went and they checked my blood - way too thin, did a cat scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis. Oops, they found a large pulmonary embolism occluded the pulmonary artery.
We were called back to the clinic just as we had arrived home for lunch. Go right to the ICU at the hospital. My INR was up to 10 at which point they can no longer even do that test. PTT was extremely high also. By June 23rd I had an inferior vena cava filter placed by Dr. Brachfeld. While on the cold, hard table in the cath lab I was trying to pray, but couldn't really focus too well. The words of a meaningful to me hymn instantly went through my mind " The Lord will fight for you, You need only to be still." That was so reassuring - I quite trying to pray and just was still.
So far God had protected me from death when the clot brok off from my leg, going through my heart and lodging in my pulmonary artery. Most would not have survived a large clot like that traveling through the heart to the lung.
Then my blood was dangerously thin. Next procedure planned was PTA - a risky procedure to do away with the clot in my leg. It ran from the back of my knee extending upward for many inches. That vein had no blood blow.
On Thursday my blood levels were o.k. for the procedure. They held my breakfast. Two doctors the day before had expressed concern about having this done, but they refused to advise me what to do, but Dr. Crater said the risk was not small - it was severe. So here I am in ICU about 7:00 a.m. with a decision soon to be made if we should proceed. I called Roger to ask for prayer - as he was praying I inserted to please pray that the decision would be off my shoulders. Within a few minutes they came and said I could have breakfast. Later they said they would not do the procedure since my popliteal vein was still clogged, and that is where they needed access to do it. SO the decision was taken right off of my shoulders. Praise the Lord. Dr.Trang visited me the next morning and said he was so glad I had decided not to have it. He even talked to a colleague of his in Wichita whom he completely trusts, and that cardiologist said they do not do this procedure in a vein, rather in arteries. SO the Lord protected me from may have been disasterous for me.
I am now in an room on 5th floor, out of ICU after 4 days there.
I was bleeding from nose, bladder, etc. Now I have a urinary tract infection, readjust me to Synthroid off of my usual thyroid regimen. Still running a fever. A real blessing for me this morning was when I read Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. I was dreading a bad candida flare-up after heavy antibiotics I am on, without any of the prevention or remedies I take at home. Candida has been a real problem for me, but I know I can do little about it while hospitalized. So it was good to read that the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. What a reassurance.