Three on Thursday

Joining Carole and friends for Three on Thursday, today with Three Ways That A Pulmonary Embolism Changes Your Life. I made a deal with myself not to focus too intently on this, but it happened, so I also can't deny it. Here are a few things I've been thinking about recently. 

1.  No flights for six months. This isn't a huge deal, but we've always gone to visit Ryan during the summer. I can't fly until the end of September, but John is talking about visiting Ryan by himself before that since he hasn't seen him since last summer. Of course, Ryan can come east and visit all of us, but there isn't quite as much to do in Flemington as Fort Collins. Actually, there is almost nothing to do in Flemington, and Ryan would have to sleep in his childhood single bed instead of his comfortable king size, so Fort Collins does have big advantages. We'll see ...

2.  Bleeding. After you have a pulmonary embolism, you are usually placed on an anticoagulant to prevent future clots. The doctor prescribed Eliquis for me, and it's wonderful because I take a small pill twice a day but don't have to have any special monitoring with blood work or follow a restricted diet. It is very expensive, but that's what our Health Savings Account is for. 

Because Eliquis is meant to prevent clotting, that means bleeding can be a concern. I shave my legs with an electric razor and am very careful with kitchen knives now. I pinched my index finger trying to open a stuck window in MD and it started to bleed. Forty minutes and half a roll of paper towels later it was still bleeding. It finally stopped after almost an hour, so I took that as a reminder that it is worth paying serious attention to the risk of bleeding.

3.  Anxiety. When I was first discharged, I paid attention to every little physical twinge I felt and started to drive myself crazy. After a couple of weeks when I began to feel well enough to exercise and mow, my anxiety really ramped up. The doctor reassured me that I was doing well, so I've tried to take a more reasonable approach. Meditation has helped, and so has telling my family members how I feel. I wrote letters to my children after I realized that any pre-PE sense of immortality was false and tomorrow was never guaranteed. Post-PE recognition of mortality is hard to accept, but it's honest and has helped me to live in the present, express my feelings, and appreciate what I have today. Now it's time to go mow and appreciate that I can get out in the sun and fresh air, move my muscles, and sweat a bit!

Head on over to Carole's for more Three on Thursday thoughts.