Pulmonary Emboli - Bilateral DVTs - Kidney Stone - Dr. Wong - Building 203 Pod 2

5.  On 05.12.2010 I went in at nine a.m. and Cindy, the lead nurse in the infection disease center said I needed another urine test and blood draw.  I then went to the Scanning Unit and they put an IV in my left arm and put in a drip of Saline Solution for my kidneys and after two hours, put me in the CT Scan and fed me the dye in the IV. 

After the scan they kept me in the scanner and gave me the rest of the Saline Solution.   Then they sent me back to the Scanning Center and back to a blood draw and urine sample.  I went back they said I was through, I said are you sure, I thought I was to talk to the nurse, Cindy.  No they said and took out the IV and sent me home.  I got home at five p.m. and after about five minutes the phone rand and Cindy asked why I was home. 

They had a hospital bed ready for me and were waiting for me so I caught a bus and got there by seven p.m. and they hooked my IV up to Saline Solution and a Heparin - (Blood Thinner) due to the multiple clots in my chest plus they gave me medication for my prostrate to hopefully help me pass the kidney stone.  Plus they put me on oxygen!

They said I must have a strong constitution as most people would have gone under six months to year before I did.   They think the exercises I do every day at the YMCA, five miles on the bike, half an hour of yoga and weight lifting, helped me a great deal.

14. Well it is 05.21.2010 and I will be leaving this afternoon but the nurse said in the morning I had to give myself the Heparin injection or else.  

Well I did it, pinched the fat on my stomach and rubbed with alcohol and jammed in the needle.  No pain! 

My friend Patti said she would pick me up and around 2:30 p.m. they took off the IV and Patti picked me up and was nice enough to drive me to the Safeway where I bought enough food for a few weeks.  She said if I needed moral support to call her, she would love to give me a hypodermic needle in the stomach!

So this evening I did the pinch on the other side of my stomach and did the deed!   No pain, no gain.

Well I got to the Blood Lab at eight a.m. and proceeded to get the blood draw.  Ben, a lab technician was there and had a good laugh as he took many blood draws during my stay in the hospital and also enjoyed seeing my huge kidney stone.     I went to the Medical Practice Unit to meet with the nurse practitioner Linda Fong.  Well she said I shouldn't get too excited as there was good news and bad news.   Excuse me.   She said I had a blood clot in my left leg, right leg and upper left chest and multiple ones in the right chest area. 

Then she said my blood count as far as clotting was concerned on the Coumadin and the Heparin shots in the stomach, did match to the needed quota of between 1 and 3.   My level today was a 3.    She said I should cut down the Coumadin but to cut down the second pill in half (7.5 milligrams instead of 10 milligrams) and do the Heparin shot in my stomach to only tonight, not tomorrow morning.   Linda said she wanted me to follow a strict diet as to what I have been eating and I told her my diet and she said that was fine.   Not too many drinks she said. 

She wants me to come in again tomorrow for a blood draw and to meet her and then decide if I need to continue the Heparin shots in my stomach.   In the afternoon I meet with my General Practitioner (Dr. Vallabhaneni) to see how I am doing.

I also asked about my vacation and Linda said as far as my blood level, if in the 2 to 3 level, no problem.   She does want to see me twice the week before I leave to Yellowstone.   She also checked out my support hose and said they were not strong enough and ordered new ones and will have them mailed to me.  She said wearing them on a flight would be the best thing and also maybe in the future on long flights across either ocean, to wear the support hose to help eliminate problems with blood pooling after sitting too long.

 This afternoon l went to see my General Practitioner - Dr. Vallabhaneni.   She said she was amazed at my status and I should keep up the good work!   She is only there on Tuesday but she visited me twice in the hospital and that is unusual.   She really has concern for her patients!    And that was my Tuesday, next stop is Friday!   They said I could do some exercises but not to over do anything.   I should be fine by the time I go on the trip with Gail on June 14th!

She also sent me to get my pressure stockings as they were not mailed to me.  They said they were four weeks behind in mailings and I went directly to the clinic where they measured my legs and gave me four pair of light and two pair of heavy pressure stockings. 

Linda was also nice and wrote out a letter for my friend Gail, whom I will be traveling with to Yellowstone and the Tetons in two weeks.

My blood level was 3.4 so still high but getting where she wants it.   She wants it in the 2.0 to the 3.0 range before I go on my trip.

I met with the neurologist and she said I was doing fine.   She said my muscle strength was fine and she had talked to the top specialist in Ocular Myasthenia.  He said usually if one doesn't lose strength in their body muscles and if they can swallow without problems within two years of detecting Ocular Myasthenia, they probably will not have the type that will further deteriorate the body functions.    He also told her that in some cases after a few years, it is possible that the Myasthenia suddenly burns itself out and the persons eye site is back to normal.   So she said lets hope for the best and it seems I am doing great and should just keep up taking the current drug and doing exercises and so on. 

I had the blood draw and the results were a 2.2 for the blood coagulation and NP Linda Fong said I was exactly on target and there shouldn't be any problems taking the trip to Yellowstone.  She said a few things to do, no liquor on the plane flights, wear the pressure stockings and walk a lot on the trip.   Champagne was just fine at night!  And just keep taking my Coumadin pills!

I also met with my primary doctor - Dr. Vallabhaneni this afternoon and she said I was amazing and was sorry as she was going back to the San Francisco General Hospital and this was the last time she would meet with me.  She is so nice and even came to the patient ward to see me on Thursday and Friday, her days off from the V.A. - so nice of her. 

Today my blood level was 2.4 - Linda said I was the perfect patient and to keep up the good work!

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Date Updated

2011.03.21