Yup, I'm still alive. I'm still wrong, and still happy about. I'm still bleeding, but the good news is that if I am bleeding to death, it is very slowly. :)
And I have some sort of good news. It is mostly good news, I just have some mixed feelings about it. I've decided to drop to 1/2 time this semester. I e-mailed my Chair two nights ago in the midst of my hysteria, which was not the best idea, but I re-read the e-mail later and it wasn't too embarrassingly hysterical (although he did reply that we would deal with a certain issue in the future, but For now we need to manage your stress).
I've written more about this over here: http://dontcallmeprofessor.blogspot.com/2014/08/im-not-dead-yet.html.
On Wednesday, my PT asked me about the class I was teaching. I was surprised he remembered. When I told him I had to get someone else to teach it, he nodded knowingly, as if he had seen it coming. Then he asked about the rest of my classes, and he asked in such a way that suggested he didn't think it was the greatest idea for me to be teaching at all (granted, that was the day that I looked reeeeaaallly terrible). I said that I was trying to get a reduced teaching load and he said that was definitely a good idea. So, I have an endorsement from one medical professional.
I guess my biggest concern right now is over the possible long-term effects of this if I don't take care of it properly. For one, there is a realistic possibility the clot won't actually resolve, even with the medication. There's also a chance of it getting bigger, and if it spreads up to the iliac vein, it's really dangerous, even with the medication. It can also damage the veins, leading to recurrent episodes of DVT. I really don't want to have to take anticoagulants for my entire life. And besides, what if we ever need to change insurance? $400/month for life is way too much; my kids will never go to college. The saddest part of all this is that I had this hip surgery because I felt like 39 was too young to be having such terrible hip pain, yet now there is a possibility of me dealing with DVT for the rest of my life, and I feel like I'm definitely waaaaay too young for that. I feel like every time I talk to people about being on an anticoagulant, they are like, 'Yeah, my grandma has to take Coumadin and it sucks,' or, some of my colleagues who are, like, 60, tell me, 'Yeah, my dad has had to take blood thinners ever since he had his stroke; what a pain.' Seriously, this is medication that only grandparents and the parents of people who are my parents' age take!
Meanwhile, my hip is killing me.
Ahhhhh, I'm totally dying my hair tomorrow. I need a morale boost.
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