I was so winded during playgroup today, and worried about it, that I called my oncologist's office and reported it. They immediately told me to go check into the emergency room. Turned out to be a good move. I have a pulmonary embolism (blood clot) on the right side of my lung and pulmonary effusion (fluid buildup between the lung and the outer wall of my body) on both lungs. So they've admitted me to the hospital. They've got me on a heparin drip (a blood thinner) to address the clot, and tomorrow they'll apparently drain my lungs. Yuck. The fluid is something that sometimes omes back with cancer patients, so I've got that to look forward to. I'm still a little winded, and my heartrate has been so high (140s and 150s) that they gave me a shot of something to calm it down. It went down for a few minutes, but as soon as I got up and sat down at this computer (which is at the end of my bed), it started jumping up again. I think I'll go to bed.
I've cancelled the Cyberknife appointment for now. Please keep my in your prayers.
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54 comments:
Oh Emilie that sucks! I'm so glad you went with your gut and reported it. Try and rest and I hope all these things get handled with ease. You are in my thoughts and prayers as I'm sure you know.
I'm so glad that you called your Dr and that they listened to what you said to them. You of course are in my thoughts and prayers.
So sorry- this stinks! Hopefully the procedure will go quickly and you'll be weaned off the heparin drip (and maybe be sent home on coumadin to manage that PE?) You'll be in my thoughts...
Thank goodness you decided to call. You're in my thoughts, Emilie.
Emilie, I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for keeping us all updated on your blog!
Molly
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this, Emilie. It must be so hard not knowing if this is a small bump or a big one, and where you are exactly on the road. I really like to know "where I stand" at any given time. For some reason I think I can handle things better if I KNOW more, but that doesn't have to be true at all. You can handle this, and you will handle it!
Not having that appointment for treatment in the near future must be really difficult. I hope you'll be able to talk about what this means to you with the people you love, and I am wishing you many peaceful, blessed moments even during all of this. And I hope the draining goes fast! HUGS.
I continue to pray for your healing and for your strength to deal with all that you have on your plate. I pray for you family that they may understand what is happening to you. I pray for a cure soon for you, for you are too wonderful of a lady to have to deal with this. Please take care of yourself.
Oh Emilie... I'm thinking of you and praying for you. I hope this stay goes smoothly and you feel better soon.
Emilie, how scary for you. I am glad that you are so in-tune with your body. I read you everyday, I so enjoy your words and love the pictures of your beautiful boys. I will continue to keep you and your family in my prayers.
Oh Emilie - I'm so glad you called and got in to be seen. Of course, we will continue to pray for you.
Emilie, thank you so much for posting and keeping us informed. You will be front and centre in my prayers tonight. Please God you will be comfortable again shortly and I am so glad you went with your instincts and got checked up. You and your family are surrounded by love and prayers and will continue to be.
You are in my prayers.
Thank God you trusted your instincts and called. I think of you everyday and will continue to do so.
Hugs and prayers, sweetie. So glad you followed your instincts.
Emilie,
Glad you are in the hospital getting good care. You will get through this...
-Megan
Oh, dear! I'm so glad you put that call in.
Hope your time in the hospital is as comfortable as can be. Thinking of you!!!
You are absolutely in my thoughts and prayers.
It sounds like you are in wonderful, capable hands -- my hope for you, perhaps a silly one, is that someone finds a beautiful poem, a lovely piece of prose that they can read aloud to you -- I know I always love that.
Warmly,
Pam
So glad you called the doctor - how scary. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Emily, I'm thinking of you and hoping this is just a small bump in the road. Feel better soon!
I'm so sorry you've had these horrible side effects. I hope they take good care of you in the hospital and can get you back home soon.
Thinking of you.
Emilie, you are an amazing woman of strength and are such a positive example to all women. You are in my thoughts and I am praying for you.
- Lynn in New Hampshire
Oh, honey, I'm sorry you've ended up in the hospital, but you know they'll take good care of you there. I hope you had a good rest last night. I'll bet you feel better when they get this handled! My prayers keep on ...
Emilie:
My thoughts are with you. Like others expressed, I'm glad you trusted your instincts and went in. May you be graced with much strength and courage to get through this rough patch and back to feeling well soon.
in my constant thoughts,
jill
Emilie,
I'm so glad you called the doctor and were treated immediately.
I will keep you in my prayers.
I'm so glad that you called your Doctor.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Emilie, I have not written recently, but I still check your blog daily (my sister Lynn just wrote a note as well). I know two other people who had pulmonary embolisms during chemo. It was very scary at the time, but they both are fine now. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Emily (spelled the other way)
Oh, MAN, I don't think I have another St. Francis quote for you. You'll have to go back to the last post and read it again, and again, and again. And again. Take today as it comes, Emilie, and tomorrow will take care of itself. You're in good hands. Rest up, relax. The pulmonary nurses there are fantastic.
We'll keep up the prayers and you keep up the healing.
--Laura S.
Emilie,
I have had fluid build ups in my lungs, on a number of occasions. And yes, I would get winded just from literally standing up. At one point, I literally couldn't take three steps without literally feeling like I just sprinted 20 meters.
And yet, I've had my lungs drained before. It lasts a few minutes, and is uncomfortable but not painful. And I always felt better afterward. I now take a medication to prevent fluid build-up.
And I've been on Heperin before. I take coumadin for life, which is a blood thinner, but I've also had doses of Heperin in the hospital, when my heart, too, would beat at 130 or 140.
Hang in there.
I am sorry you are dealing with another bump. Please let us know if you need anything extra this week--food, visits, childcare, etc. Sending prayers your way.
Like everyone else, I'm so glad you listened to your instincts and called your doctor, Emilie. I'm really sorry to hear about this scary setback, but I believe that you'll be through it soon and back at home before you know it. I hope you get a lot of good rest while you're at the hospital.
Thinking of you,
Shannon
Emilie~
I'm so glad that you called your doctor! I'm so sorry that you're in the hospital dealing with this. May God wrap you in His loving embrace and heal your latest afflictions! I will hold you especially close in prayer.
"Thy Will be Done"
Emilie - you and your family are absolutely in our prayers!
Oh, no, Emelie. I'm so sorry to hear that you're in the hospital, but I'm glad that you are getting the clot treated.
I'm so sorry. I hope your hospital stay is short and relatively uneventful. Thinking of you and your family.
In my prayers, you are! :)
Hoping and wishing all goes well & this is a small 'bump in the road' that you get over gracefully!
so glad to hear you took your symptoms seriously and were diagnosed so quickly. thinking about you and sending good thoughts your way, emilie. much love!
Lots of prayers for you, Emilie.
You have been and will continue to be in my prayers and thoughts.
Good for following your gut! You are in our prayers!
I'm so glad you called your oncologist. Which hospital are you in? What a nightmare.
You are always in my prayers but even more so today. George and I both send lots of {{HUGS}} and are thinking of you. Please keep us posted, and remember how much we love you.
Over here from LCFA.
Emilie, what a road you have travelled! It is so good that you followed your instincts and called your doctor.
I, too, have had a pulmonary embolism (twice). It is frightening (at least, it frightened me), but you will get through it.
Wishing nothing but the best as you continue this journey.
So sorry that you are in hospital but glad that you are being treated. Keeping you very much in my thoughts.
You are definitely in my prayers. Hope all goes well for you!
Hi Comment Readers,
I just spoke to Steve who said Emilie is happy that she'll be able to get the fluid taken off here pretty soon (it's about 5:15). There was a delay due to how many people needed the treatment today. He said she's resting pretty comfortably, but it's hard for her to breathe.
Most likely she'll be in the hospital until Friday to make sure everything is okay. She's had a visit from Daniel, but toddlers and hospitals aren't great mixes. It sounded like it might have been a little stressful to have him there.
Steve says he's being fed and hasn't resorted to fast food yet. Also, his family is nearby to watch the boys if needed.
So, that's the latest news. Let's keep the prayers going while she's having her procedure this afternoon.
--Laura S.
consider your sweet self prayed for.
Sending many prayers for you!
Absolutely in my prayers Emilie - so many hard times for you of late.
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about this bump in the road. My grandfather has cancer and has been having the same complications with the fluid and the breathing, so I know how hard it's been watching him go through the same procedures. I hope you are feeling better when you see this comment. I'm thinking of you.
Emilie,
I tried posting earlier, right after you wrote from the hospital, but it didn't go through. For the record, I'm thinking of you often and hoping you're feeling the loving embrace of God during your hospital time. Glad you got to see Daniel for a little while today!
Roxane
Emilie, I have been thinking of you a lot lately and I will continue to pray for you. I hope that this can be cleared up for you quickly and as easily as possible.
Emilie,
I am so glad you called the doctor and went in. I am sorry to hear this is happening, but I hope it will be resolved quickly and efficiently. You are in my thoughts and prayers, as usual....
Emilie,
I'm here from L&F. Glad to have found your site - but am so sorry you're going through this. My brother was diagnosed with a soft-tissue sarcoma three years ago (and is doing fine) and I'm 9 years out now from a lymphoma diagnosis - now trying to conceive via IVF. point being, i feel a special connection to you. I'll be checking back on you. I hope you're feelig better soon.
Mo
www.lifeandloveinthepetridish.blogspot.com
oh Emilie - I'm sooo glad you called the doc and reported immediately to the ER!
Sending thoughts and prayers your way!!
xoxo - darcie
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