Post Surgery: 5 Weeks / 2 Weeks UIRTW

I wrote this entry yesterday, but I didn't get to finish it or post it because of a rather ironic twist in my situation, which I will write about soon. Since I can't remember what else I was going to write, I'll just post what I have.

I had an appointment with my husband's primary care doc today. I've seen the guy once before and he just didn't work for me. I don't know what my husband sees in him, lol. But at least my husband came with me, so I didn't have to say much. Aaaannnyway, he confirmed a lot of what Dr. Google told me, including the following:

• I will need to be on Xarelto for six months. Six freaking months! After six months, I'll have a follow-up ultrasound to see if the clotting has resolved. If it has not, I am looking at a lifetime of anticoagulants. (My husband better keep his job, because that could be extremely expensive!)
• The doctor did give us some Xarelto samples, though, recognizing that, 'That stuff ain't cheap.'
• In the meantime, I should elevate my leg when I'm sitting, and 'moist heat' is also recommended. (WTF is 'moist' heat? A bath? Or a dog licking you?)
• I should try to walk and get 'light' exercise when I can. 
• However, I need to avoid contact sports and things that might make me bruise and bleed, given that, hello, I am on medication designed to make me a hemophiliac. 
• I wonder if skiing is considered a contact sport considering the risk of hitting a tree or another person.
• Speaking of bleeding, I'm a little nervous about being on an anticoagulant. For one, my blood is already 'thin,' for lack of a better term. Perhaps this is due to my abnormal hemoglobin, which I wrote about yesterday. (The doctor today confirmed that this would make my blood 'thinner.') I feel like, if anything, I'm a 'bleeder' versus a 'clotter.' For example, my whole life, I've been very susceptible to nose bleeds; in fact, once time when I was in first grade I had to have my nose cauterized after a nose bleed that lasted all day long. And one time in high school, I had a massive nose bleed in the middle of a math exam. I remember sniffing, and thinking I had a runny nose, then I put my hand up to my nose and the floodgates just opened up. My math teacher was actually a real jerk, so I was freaked out about what might happen, especially considering we were in the middle of an exam. I put both my hands up to my nose and ran up to the front of the room, and I remember him saying, 'Oh my God, go! Go!' I ran to the bathroom and didn't even bother trying to use paper towels because sooo much blood was coming out. I just stood over the sink and let the blood pour out until the bleeding stopped, which was about the time the bell rang. (I'm not sure what ever happened with the test; I can't actually remember that part.)
• So I have to say I'm pretty nervous about the effect Xarelto is going to have on me. At the same time, it is also somewhat alarming I managed to develop such a massive blood clot despite being a 'bleeder.'
• The doctor did not see the need for me to wear the lovely compression stockings that Dr. Google recommended for the treatment of DVT. Thank God. Because I have a secret: there's no way I would have worn those to teach in unless someone told me there was a 100% chance of me having a PE if I didn't. Sorry, but I have to look cute when I go to class.
• The doctor agreed that it might be a good idea for me to ditch the birth control, and furthermore, that it might be a good idea for us to consider, ahem, more permanent options. So if something good comes of this, perhaps it will be that my husband will finally get that little sniparoo I've been wanting him to get.
• On a funny side note, the doctor is very into martial arts and said that he once did a vasectomy on one of his martial arts buddies, who was a stereotypical big, huge, muscle laden 'tough guy.' As a joke, he laid out a bunch of his rusty tools in the room before the guy came in, ha ha ha.

In other news:

• My hip (oh yeah, this is a blog about my hip) is holding its own, although I have noticed it is a little sore. Then again, at times I have so much pain that I don't even know where it's coming from anymore.
• I am trying to walk as much as I can because I feel like this is good for my DVT, but I am limping a lot. I don't know if this is okay or not. I know my PT thinks limping from hip pain is a sign I need to stop, but does it matter if I am limping because of leg pain?
• According to Dr. Google, there is no agreed upon protocol for DVT with respect to the question of whether or not it is better to rest or to be active. There are no definitive conclusions that I can find. Granted, I have not searched the literature high and low, but still.
• I have an appointment with my orthopedist tomorrow. I am okay with my husband's doctor managing my blood clot long-term, but I do want the orthopedist's input on how I should go about rehabbing my hip given this recent complication. Plus, I think he should be aware of this recent development given that he was certain it was not a blood clot at my two week post-op appointment.
• After my doctor's appointment, I went up to work to meet with the instructor who is taking over my course. Reconnecting with colleagues after almost the entire summer was good. I normally go up to work a lot more during the summer, when I'm not recovering from surgery. 
• I decided that I'm going to go up to work for the next two weeks rather than trying to work from home. It is an atmosphere much more conducive to getting work done.
• However, I realized I will need to rearrange the furniture in my office so that I can sit and work at my computer with my leg elevated. I have to keep reminding myself this is a long-term thing.