Vein Update

Tuesday was quite possibly the worst day of my life. I do not remember a time when I was in so much pain. Even the pain before receiving an epidural for Griffin's birth wasn't as bad as this. No joke.

As usual, the surgery was more complicated than the doctor thought it would be. When I was being wheeled away, the doctor told Brandon the procedure would take an hour. It ended up taking three. Par for the course. I swear I should just live in a lab and be researched. I could at least make some money off of all my weird medical issues.

The doctor described removing the clot using these words..."It was like scraping cement off of your leg with a crochet needle." Fun images, huh? After that was all said and done, they were surprised to discover that I have a duplicate greater saphenous vein. Basically that meant that after they took out the clot, they had to ablate two veins and not just one. Hence the three hour procedure. The worst part about all of this is that you are not put all the way under. I distinctly remember looking at the clock at two different times and thinking, "I should not still be in surgery," but I didn't have the mental capacity to say anything. (Thankfully they did inform Brandon halfway through that it would be a longer time frame than expected).

I don't remember much from Tuesday except for pain. In addition to the leg pain, I got sick from anaesthesia and ended up with a migraine as well. I was admitted overnight even though I was originally supposed to be able to walk out of the hospital a few hours after surgery. In hindsight, the doctor thinks that a nerve was nicked when he was scraping away the clot. Most of my upper leg is numb to the touch and bruised, and I have a tearing sensation every time my muscle is fully tightened. The doctor is unsure how long that will last.

We are still going ahead with the second surgery the week after Christmas. I just want everything to be over and done with. I also want to have a break from school because keeping my classroom up and running last week put me over the edge in terms of stress. I ended up going back to school before I should have, but to me that was easier than letting my classroom fall apart. If you aren't a teacher, it might be hard to understand that. But those of you who teach totally understand that it is sometimes easier to work when you are sick then prepare for a substitute. Thankfully, if something goes wrong during the second surgery, I will have some time to regroup before school starts again.

I am frustrated (I am sure that's obvious), but I am also thankful that the clot is gone, and I am not in any danger of other issues. I was also reminded that we truly have amazing friends. Holly O cancelled her own plans to watch my kids on Tuesday night; Auntie Kelsey took over so the kids could be put to bed at their own house. And Holly J was my personal driver this week, so that I could stay on pain meds.

I am in pain, but I can still honestly say that Life is Good.