I returned home from GW Hospital on Saturday afternoon. It’s great to be home.

I’m a little weaker than I was going in, as my lungs took a beating from the embolisms. Yawns and sneezes are still works-in-progress: they are not as full-bodied as they should be. I’m on an anti-coagulant (Xarelto) and two powerful antibiotics (thankfully, not for too long, as they are beating up my GI tract, killing both the beneficial flora as well as the nasty stuff).

My PT is a little behind schedule now, which is to be expected – plenty of time to make up for the lost days. My right foot and ankle are still prone to swelling, though that’s improving little-by-little every day (I think some T.E.D. Hose are in order to try and keep the swelling at bay). The flexibility in my right leg is improving as the swelling subsides.

So all-in-all, I’m getting better.

I was released from National Rehabilitation Hospital on Tuesday, Feb 4. All good.

Then early Tuesday morning, I had a bilateral pulmonary embolism. What I initially thought was muscle cramping rapidly developed into crushing pain on my right side and the inability to take a deep breath. By 4:30am, I could barely breathe.

sprite rushed me to the GW Hospital ER, where my guess at diagnosis was confirmed, and I was admitted. I ended up being in the ER for 14.5 hours (no beds), had a litany of tests (CT scan, X-ray, ultrasounds of legs, lungs and heart), was put on big doses of Lovenox (a blood anti-coagulant), and tried to keep the pain in check (morphine was gooood). My pulmonologist told me I had PEs in both lungs, and that I was lucky I caught ‘em when I did.

I eventually got a room, and after eating my dinner (a sandwich provided by my friend, Greg), the pain presented with a bang on my left side. I couldn’t breathe, and I was in extreme pain, even with oxycodone in my system.

Overnight, I was put on Dilaudid (worked great) and later Tramadol (useless), and I got some sleep (sitting up – reclining hurts). Today, my pulmonologist has me on a PCA Dilaudid drip (i.e. the “happy button,” where I have some control over the dosing), as well as antibiotics as I seem to be battling pneumonia. It was a better day.

And today, I’ve made the transition from the IV Dilaudid to a Dilaudid pill – all good. I also got to take a sponge bath – ahhhh….

I’ll be here for a few more days. Once out, I’ll be on an oral anti-coagulant for a while.

Lessons learned:

1. My apartment is bad for ambulation, which likely caused the PE (not enough walking/standing activity). Once I get home, I’ll need to stand and boogie a lot, and get outside when I can. The recent snow in DC doesn’t help, but it’ll get warm soon enough..

2. My physical therapy has given me great strength in my legs, arms, and core (about 3 weeks ahead of an average person with the same injury, per my PT evaluation here at GW).

3. My endurance and overall conditioning likely saved my life. Even with the PE, I still had a pulse-ox of 96, normal blood pressure, and full heart function. Even when I had my issues late last night, I only dropped to 93 (still within the “normal” range).

So that’s where I am. NRH got me working on strength and crutching skills, and I did really well. My hemoglobin levels are good again. But the mistake was my not being active enough at home: the PT alone didn’t cut it.

So… there ‘ya go! Just a speed bump – albeit one that could’ve been lethal. I’m glad I knew of the risk and was familiar with the symptoms.

Many things have happened since my last update, so I’ll give a quick summary:

I can now walk (tripod-style) with both a walker and crutches. The latter will be my go-to for most things, but the walker will be more useful in the house and for some other endeavors.

My hemoglobin level is back to normal, which means I have a lot more energy when doing things, with more endurance. As a result, I’ve been doing really, really well in physical and occupational therapy, exceeding my therapists’ (and my own) expectations. I do well on stairs, can get into and out of a car without assistance, can navigate a kitchen, work my way around a bathroom, and make my way into and out of bed.

My upper body and core strength, in particular, has made great progress from all of the PT and OT. My left leg is also getting stronger, especially in terms of lateral stability. And my ability to balance on my left leg has improved a lot as my right leg improves.

My right leg is getting stronger and more flexible every day. It still isn’t lifting as a whole, but that’s coming along well, and should happen sometime fairly soon. As muscles re-awaken, the leg gets more stable and mobile – all good.

I still can’t bear weight on the repaired leg, which is typical for my kind of repair (a rod running the length of the femur, with screws and pins at both ends holding things together). The break is starting to calcify, which is a big plus. My orthopedist is happy with my progress, and he removed the staples from my incisions yesterday (lemme tell ‘ya – it felt great to have the staples out).

I’m being released from the rehab facility next Tuesday, heading home from there. I can’t wait to get home to my sprite, my cats, and my kitchen. Yes, The Burrow will be a new challenge, but I’m up to it. I ordered some equipment to help me function during my recovery, which is a tangible sign of going home – significant, for sure.

Thanks to everybody for the emails, tweets, cards, visits, and other messages of support. They make a real difference, and I’m grateful.

Days since surgery: 18

Heya!

I’ve been at a rehab facility since last Thursday night. The ambulance transfer from GW Hospital was bumpy and most uncomfortable (even when hopped up on potent painkillers), but the new facility is perfect for getting me back on my feet, with excellent medical and therapy staff, a nice building, decent food, and good wi-fi.

Since arriving here, I’ve undergone physical and occupational therapy evaluations – a three-day process that was slowed by the holiday weekend – which have brought forth aggressive, three-hours-per-day PT and OT sessions. It’s taxing on me, but that’s a good thing.

One thing I’ve been overcoming is a low hemoglobin count, due to both the transfusion-free nature of my surgery and the internal blood loss from the crash. It bottomed out just after my arrival at the rehab facility, but has been on the rise since. It makes a huge difference! Standing initially made me winded and woozy. Now I can stand (with a walker, as I can’t bear weight on the repaired leg just yet), and I’m not on the verge of passing out.

So I’m still here, getting better every day, still smiling. I even got to go outside yesterday (before the snow and cold moved back in), and the sun felt nice on my skin – natural vitamin D production, can’t beat it!