These are my emails from last week...
Monday 9/12/11
Please pray for my dad...he is currently being admitted to the hospital because he has a blood clot in his leg. He went to the Dr last week for this because his leg was swelling and didn’t know why. The Dr he went to ran test and said No blood clot but YES Gout…apparently he was wrong. He is not in the best health (overweight, blood pressure issues, etc) so it worries me.
Tuesday 9/13/11
Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers. A little update…
I didn’t realize just how serious my dad was until I went to the hospital last night. When I walked in the room they were taking him to X-ray to get a baseline which I was told was “in case something did happen they would be able to compare scans as well as know where to go in (for surgery, etc)”. So that was a shock to my system. I stayed at the hospital until 11:30 last night to make sure my mom and dad were both settled.
Basically my dad went to the Dr a week ago for a swollen leg. They ran test and the Dr said my dad had Gout and he didn’t think it was a blood clot but to make sure he needed to make an appt with his shoulder surgeon in case it was related to that (but he could not get into him for a week (yesterday)). He went to the shoulder surgeon yesterday morning and he did an ultrasound (the only way to know for sure if you have a blood clot or not) and the ultrasound showed he did have a blood clot. They checked him into the Sports Medicine hospital in Fayetteville (where his shoulder surgeon is). After a few hours of monitoring they told him he needed to see another Dr (Dr Kendrick). So he went to Dr Kendrick and he gave my dad two options. #1 he could go home and have a nurse come to his house twice a day for the next week or #2 he could stay in the hospital with constant monitoring. My dad chose to go home but my sister (who lost her mom 5 months ago (we have the same dad but different moms)) pleaded with my dad and he changed his mind and decided to stay in the hospital (which I’m thankful for). The Dr said that it’s not a guarantee that being in the hospital could save my dad if something did go wrong, but at least he has a better shot! So yesterday he went to his Dr, his surgeon, a small hospital, another Dr and finally Washington Regional Medical Center where he will stay for a few days. I’m VERY thankful that nothing happened to him during the last week while he waited to see another Dr! Thank you Lord!
So my dad will be in the hospital for the next 5 days or so until the blood clot is gone. He is currently on blood thinners. He is not supposed to get out of his bed (even for the bathroom) in case that makes the blood clot move (which could cause a stroke or heart attack, etc). This is not easy for my dad who has worked all his life and can’t stand to sit still (and breaks that rule when he needs to go to the bathroom…he is stubborn!). The nurses and Dr’s at Washington Regional Medical Center have been very nice and honest. It’s scary to think that in a second or two I could lose my dad but it is reality.
With that said I will not be going to LA for work this week and will be working from the hospital today and back in the office tomorrow since hopefully by tomorrow his leg swelling will have gone down and he will not be as severe as he is today.
Thank you all for your prayers and understanding!
Wednesday 9/14/11
Thanks for your prayers everyone! My dad is doing ok. He had a setback last night where the Heparin IV (blood thinner) stopped working right so for an hour or so the meds were going into his skin vs. his blood. That basically made the meds stop working so his blood became too think again (20 when it should be 60-100 range) and right now they want his blood nice and thin for the clot. So they basically had to start over in the middle of the night. They moved his IV of Heparin and started the meds again. I don’t know the results of his current blood test but I do know they are now taking blood every 4 hours vs. every 6 to try and get the thickness correct sooner than later. I am at work today and plan to be her throughout the day unless my mom calls and needs me there. To be honest this is just more stressful than anything right now just waiting to see what will happen (if anything happens) and hoping that they fix it before the blood clot moves.
They did a 2nd x-ray yesterday to compare to Monday’s but we don’t know the results of that yet as the Dr has not been there yet.
Keep the prayers coming. Thank you!
Thursday 9/15/11
Well I feel MUCH better about everything today!
I went by the hospital this morning and the Dr. came in while I was there so I got to ask some questions. J My dad’s clot is about 6 inches long and runs down his left leg by his calf muscle. The swelling in his leg is starting to go down (it’s now just from his knee to his ankle vs. above his knee like it has been). If the swelling is better tomorrow they will do another ultrasound to see how the clot looks and if it has dissolved enough to be in the ‘safer’ zone then he might go home tomorrow…if not it will be a few more days, but at least he can see the light at the end of the tunnel! His PPT blood level is back to where they want it (60-100 range). He has never really felt much pain…he did say today that his legs have just felt fatigued a lot lately (before this) and if he walks long distances his legs hurt (but the long distance is much shorter than it used to be J). He is doing good with being on bed rest but will be happy when he is home!
Long term you ask?
I wanted to know what happens going forward…so I asked the Dr. He said that the blood clot will never completely go away that my dad will forever have a clot in his leg BUT with the meds he is on now it will make it smaller. He will be on blood thinning meds for the next 3 months to continue dissolving the clot and will have to have blood test each week for the next 3 months. After 3 months they will reevaluate and see if he needs to continue to take the meds. He will have to have blood test drawn I think every month after that just to make sure his blood levels are ok and/or see if he needs to be put back on thinning meds. The Dr said they don’t know what causes blood clots and that each person is different. Just because he has had a blood clot doesn’t mean his risk is higher for getting one again…he may never have one again but he could we just don’t know. Once they get everything where they want it the Dr said that he will be able to move around like he always has.
I still worry about my mom and dad’s overall health with weight, blood pressure, stress, etc but hey one step at a time right! J My mom did say that this has made her realize that they need to do more. The Dr told my dad that if he was a regular walker/exerciser the blood clot may have never happened or may have been smaller…so I think that made him think that maybe it is time to start exercising and eating better. So we shall see!
Love to all and thanks again for the prayers!
Monday 9/19/11
Thanks for the prayers everyone! My dad was able to go home Saturday afternoon! He will be on blood thinners for at least the next 3 months. At that time they will reevaluate whether or not he has to continue taking them. He will go in weekly for blood test to make sure his levels stay in the ‘safer’ zone. He is happy to be home and is already driving and doing his normal activities.
Thanks again to everyone for your care and concern!
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