Most would not be alive...

The header/title words were similar to those I heard this past weekend—not from one physician but two physicians and several nurses.

For years, I have been feeling fatigued, having trouble sleeping, and having many other health issues. Yet I delayed any hospital or Doctor check-ups. I reduced the fatigue and other issues to 70 hours per week and high stress with less exercise.

Last Friday, I reached a point where I could no longer ignore the signs. I was in significant pain, and walking upstairs made my muscles sting and my heart race. Often, I had to take a break with little activity as I was totally out of breath. If I tried to continue, extreme dizziness resulted. Therefore, being the procrastinating male, I decided to stop by urgent care after work.

I checked into urgent care, and they asked me a few questions. I responded that about 17 months ago, I had an extreme pain in my right calf that was unexpected. I massaged, took Advil, and used the Ice Heat technique, which was better. Then, a few months later, it was the other leg. This pattern kept going to the point now that the pain was in the left calf, and it was very intense. I had just returned from a long vacation and explained I had spent a great deal of time in a car on several occasions, including the first pain I had over a year ago. I thought I might have bronchitis, pneumonia, or a bad cold. They refused to treat me and ordered me to the Emergency Room. They even refunded my co-pay and stated there would be no change for the visit.

Off I go to the emergency room. I started telling them the whole story; according to them, I was rather pale. Then, all hell seemed to break loose. I was surrounded by several people and was in a barrage of tests from Doctors and Nurses. The way they acted, I thought I would die, and they needed to act fast.

After three hours, they had me on an IV of Heparin. The Doctor came in and said they found the following:

• Pulmonary Embolism (significant - they used that word that said they do not recall seeing that bad - blood clots in each lung)
• Deep Vein Thrombosis – Ultrasound found several areas in the left leg and one large clot in the right.
• Anemia - A normal red blood cell in men. It’s 15g/DL; I have 6.1g/DL, and they are trying to find out why. The remaining possibility is cancer if they can’t find internal bleeding. They have sent the biopsies to U of M, and the results should be ready in the next few days. 

This is when I heard the first person say most people would not be alive. I spent the next four days being prodded and poked in more ways than possible. Upper Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, a few biopsies, and more vials of blood than I ever imagined. Still, no answer for the anemia.

I was released late yesterday, yet I am very fatigued and unwilling to work full days. I take two shots a day and take three different pills until they identify the issue. Until then, I must stay strong and do my best to survive. That is hard to accomplish, yet it is better than the alternative.

Carry on, my friends, carry on...