14 Weeks and Feeling Hopeful

It is hard to believe that I am 14 weeks post-surgery, but yet, here we are.

I am feeling really good right now. I don't even want to write this, because the last time I wrote that I was feeling great and speculated that I had finally turned the corner, my pain returned with a vengeance. However, I'm not actually that superstitious, so I'll just say it: I'm feeling really good right now! And even if my pain returns an hour after I write this, I'm still feeling good right now!

I mentioned that when I met with my orthopedist on Friday, he wrote orders for me to have a follow-up ultrasound for my DVT. I called right away to schedule it, because I am anxious about this, and I knew it might take a while to get an appointment given my fairly tight schedule. The imaging place had not received my orders yet, but since I had a copy of the orders, I was able to schedule an appointment anyway. I noticed as I was reading the orders that they just called for imaging of my calf and 'popliteal' (back of the knee), even though my original blood clot was also in my thigh. I immediately shot off an e-mail to my surgeon to make sure I could also get an ultrasound of my femoral vein and to make sure he had changed the orders (if necessary) before Friday.

Today, when I got out of class, I had a message on my cell phone (plus two messages on my home answering machine, which I discovered when I got home - WTF?). It was the imaging place, telling me to call them back immediately. Of course when I did, they asked how they could help me, and I was like... I don't know, YOU called ME. LOL. It turns out the orders were 'stat,' which apparently means my doctor wants the ultrasound ASAP. Honestly, I was fine doing it on Friday, which I tried to tell the woman on the phone, but apparently she was afraid I would die before Friday and they would get sued, so I agreed to go in tomorrow. Ha. I had to actually tell her that no, I could NOT go in today, and I was certain I'd be fine for a few more days. This is in stark contrast to when I called on Friday and basically had to fight to get an appointment for the following Friday. But really... what is a few more days in the large scheme of things? I mean, I'm sort of anxious about this, but it's not as I'm dyyyyyyiiiiiiiing.

At any rate, I am feeling hopeful. Although I know I still have swelling in my leg, it feels so much better than it did at the beginning of this ordeal. And unlike my hip pain, which comes and goes, my leg pain is consistently non-existent, except for when I squat down. I would love to be able to put this hiccup behind me. I realize that a clear ultrasound doesn't guarantee anything, but at the same time, it is a baby step, which seems to be what I'm resigned to these days. :)

It doesn't help that I was watching TV last night and an ad came on from one of those ambulance-chasing personal injury law firms. It started off: 'HAVE YOU OR A LOVED ONE TAKEN THE DRUG XARELTO AND SUFFERED FROM ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?' It then went on to explain all the horrible things that had happened to people taking Xarelto and urged us to contact them if we were interested in receiving compensation for our suffering. Needless to say, that didn't exactly inspire confidence, especially knowing that Xarelto is a relatively new drug and there aren't many (any?) data on its long-term safety.

Personally, aside from my initial bleeding, which could have happened on any anti-coagulant, I seem to have tolerated Xarelto fairly well. Nonetheless, I am anxious to be off of it, or to at least know I won't have to be a life-long taker of anticoagulants. Of course, almost every source I've read suggests being on an anticoagulant for a minimum of three months, and probably closer to six months considering the extent of my DVT. Regardless, having a clear ultrasound, or at least one showing improvement, would still give me a tremendous peace of mind.

Here's to hoping!