After my first trimester, I was experiencing some pain where my left leg connects with my pelvis. Initially, I thought nothing of it because I taught fitness classes and aches and pains, plus some injuries were normal in my case. This particular pain felt like I had pulled a muscle, but one night as I studder stepped in the hallway, narrowly avoiding a collision with my husband, I felt the pain shoot through my entire leg. It felt unquestionably strange and within minutes, my leg was bright red like a sunburn and swelling.
I am not sure why "blood clot" skated into my brain immediately. It is not like I had any experience with this sort of thing before, but I calmly called for my hubby to come into our bedroom & told him that I was pretty sure I had a blood clot. I remember feeling faint and just not well in general. My poor husband was at a loss for a moment before he started scooping the children out of bed, but what stood out the most was an unrecognizable fear I saw in his eyes. I became fearful too, because the nearest hospital was about an hour and a half away. Lots of praying ensued that night and continues most readily.
We called my OBGYN before heading out and once on the road, Dr. K was on the phone talking us through things. It was decided (because of proximity) to head to our small town ER. Our doctor was concerned that we would need a larger hospital to accommodate my needs and he was right. We checked in, got into an exam room and then the on-call doctor indicated that they could not scan my leg because that particular machinery is only available during the day. We wasted a good hour, but headed towards downtown Austin, Texas (which took another hour and fifteen minutes) to meet my doctor at the hospital.
This was my first trip to the ER ever and that was interesting in itself. By the time I got myself situated in an exam bay, I could no longer stand on my leg & the pain had intensified immensely. The last thing I did was to stand on a scale, so they could get my weight for upcoming medication dosage purposes.
My husband and boys were allowed to stay with me until my monitor started beeping and five nurses rushed in to witness my blood pressure going way down. I started having a Vasovagal Response (kind of like a fainting spell) and managed to relay this information to the nurses before the room started spinning and I felt like I was in a tunnel. The staff seemed relieved and after 10 minutes, it was over.
Dr. K came in and we discussed safe treatments for myself and the baby. I was moved into ICU for a day and then into my own room on the maternity floor for several more days. It was determined that I had a full DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and the course of treatment would include two abdominal injections daily for the rest of my pregnancy.
So, the blood clot has been kept at bay and I am currently 32 weeks pregnant. Our baby boy is doing great and I have learned to adjust to a little pain every now and again, plus the injections. I still remember that scary night like it was yesterday and have flashes of my oldest son's tearful and scared face as we left the little town ER to make our way to the larger hospital. It is not a night I would ever like to repeat! However, I am grateful for that experience and not another.
Someone had asked if I regretted this pregnancy and the answer is NO! I can not wait to hold our new Baby T in my arms. We are readying our home and hearts for this new little miracle to enter our lives. My boys and husband are ecstatic and talk to my belly every chance they get and Baby T responds in kind with thumps, turns, and kicks.
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| Baby Reveal Day for the boys! |
Photos credit and courtesy of Jessica Reynolds of Portraitique Photography
