7.27.2011

Curveball

Reality sure seems to have a way of putting you in your place. I've got an agenda book that has everything this summer planned out till August 8th, which was (well, still technically is) the first day of no school for this summer for me. This summer I registered for 14 credit hours to do the final push of school, and be done with my degree by this fall. My schoolwork has affected EVERYONE in my family, from Cody having to work double duty to let me do all my homework and assignments, the kids having to stay out of our room while I'm on the computer doing work, and me being CONSTANTLY busy. If I wasn't at work, I was at school, if I wasn't at school, I was at home doing schoolwork, and the little bit of time I found leftover I managed to split between sleep and family time. To say our family has been running on empty waiting for this semester to be over would be an understatement.
Then, enters reality. On Saturday morning, July 23rd, I woke up my entire left lung having piercing sharp pains. Leading up to this I've had a bad cough, though, so I thought nothing of it, and figured I'd make an appointment Monday morning to get some medicine. We went on with life, because we had a busy weekend planned, and I wasn't going to let a little lung pain stand in the way. Saturday we went to Savannah's 4th Birthday party, visited with friends, had an amazing crawdad boil, and went to sleep. Sunday morning we wake up, and my lung still hurts, but we had 9am Church, and there are too many precious 3 and 4 year old Sunbeams waiting for us at Church not to go. So off to Church we went as a family, and normal life continued. Sunday afternoon I laid down for a nap while the children were napping, and the pain began to get worse and spread. I had a few homework assignments due that night, so I woke up and finished those assignments while Cody took the kiddos to his parents to give me some quiet time. That's when I started to realize I probably needed to get to the doctor that evening to get some pain medicine, because I wasn't going to be able to sleep that night with the pain getting worse.
So, the adventure begins! I walked up to my mom's apartment (Cody had taken the car to his parents with the kiddos) and ask her to take me to an Insta-Care just up the street. When we got there, they had closed early that night in observance of Pioneer Day (a state holiday for Utah). The sign said there was another Insta-Care in Murray open till 10pm, so we traveled there, arriving at 9:10pm, to discover that location actually closed at 9pm. That's when my mom told me we should go to an emergency room, which is the last thing I wanted to deal with. Luckily I caved to my mom and we went to Jordan Valley Hospital's ER. I was checked in with chest pain, so I was moved up on the list and didn't have to wait long at all (SCORE!) Soon they were drawing blood and X-Raying my chest, finding no cause to my pain. My blood levels did come back a little high for a value that indicated I possibly could have had some clotting, so the doctor ordered a CTScan, even though he didn't believe I had any clotting. To EVERYONE'S surprise the CTScan came back that I indeed did have clotting- quite a few clots- in my lungs- both lungs. I was immediately checked into the hospital at 2am Monday July 25, and am still waiting for a discharge date. Monday evening my pulmonologist came in to talk to me, and that's when the news really sunk in for me. Luckily Cody was in the room, and was able to take in everything, because my mind couldn't even wrap around the first sentence he said- that if I hadn't been here in the hospital, I very likely could have been dead. He later told us that cases like my are rarely diagnosed, but rather usually discovered in autopsies.
So, here I sit, in a hospital bed- which was NOT anywhere in my planner. But, as much as this has thrown everything in the air as far as plans, I feel more blessed than anything. I am blessed that I get to sit in the hospital and recover. I am blessed that I am planning family activities once I get out, instead of my family planning a funeral for me. I am blessed that my Heavenly Father is giving me time to appreciate the many blessings and miracles he has put in my life lately. I am blessed that I will get to tuck my two precious kiddos into their beds then go to bed and snuggle up with my husband, even if it may not be tonight. I'm blessed that I will get to go to Church, and enjoy our precious little Sunbeams, and give thanks to my Heavenly Father for the miracle he has given me, which is one more breath.

2 comments:

Jenny said...

Oh Meg...this post made me cry! I'm SOO glad you went to the hospital! You are too young to check outta here! Love you and hope you get out of there soon and that you don't ever have an experience like that again!

Amber Ada Reimann Burns said...

That was a nice sentiment Meg, and I loved reading it! It was good to get your perspective on such a scary event. For me, I'm just grateful that things worked out.