Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Pericarditis

As a mother I am happy to post what is happening in my boys lives. But not too much about myself. This post is for my posterity. Over the last week I have felt that I needed to leave a record about what has happened. I hope that it might help them later on. So this is for them.

Last Tuesday, I ended up in the ER room after being sick for over a week. We flew down to Anaheim for Landon's Baseball Tournament on Saturday, March 31st. I started having flu like symptoms and trouble breathing on Monday by the time we got home Wednesday I was still feeling awful. I have been have trouble with the nodules on my Thyroid pressing on my esophagus and trouble swallowing. So I thought that I was just having more symptoms and so we decide to move up the surgery (which would have been today). And with that you have to go off all ibuprofen which I had been taking on and off for the body aches.

After taking Nathan to school and work I started having more chest pains and I couldn't take a deep breath and when I tried to lay down I couldn't stand the pain. I was freezing and aching. I finally called Jeff and talked to him. I just didn't want to go to the ER. I was leaning forward with my hands in my head which helped alleviate some of the pain and pressure in my chest. I was praying to the Lord to just give me the strength to make it till next Tuesday. Well some of us need a to be hit on the head with a bat I guess. I heard the still small voice in my head say, "go the hospital and now". I guess we need to listen and not pray for what we want.

We arrived at the ER about six. They took chest and neck x-rays and my Thyroid tests said the levels were still  normal. But, the chest x-ray showed a cloud around my heart. They ordered an echo on my heart and a CT scan to check for a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung) While the echo was being done he ER doc came in and asked if she could see any thing. She said, oh yes, she has about an inch of fluid between her heart and the lining of her heart. With that they knew what it was...Pericarditis. I have inflammation around the heart with a Pericadial effusion which is the fluid. They admitted me to the hospital around two in the morning.

I spent the next two days in the hospital while they put me on an anti-inflammatory and a Lasix to take off the fluid. Luckily no damage to my heart. I went to my internist yesterday and he said it would be about 2-3 weeks before I will be a 100%. I go to the Cardiologist on Friday and hopefully all the fluid will be gone so I don't have to have it drained off (that certainly doesn't sound fun). There are two kinds of Pericaditis, acute or chronic. Mine is acute caused by a virus I picked up probably on the plane. They will watch me real close for the next three months so that is does not go chronic.

I am not sure why we are given some of the trials and mountains we all have to climb. But, I do know that the Lord watches over us even when we think he has forgotten us. He knows better than we do what we need.  We just need to stop and listened to what he is trying to tell us. I am so grateful to my family and for everyone that has helped us over this last week. Our Bishop has been in for three and half years and has had 39  Funerals. I told him when he came to the hospital that I didn't like the number 40. So I will stay around and cause just a little more trouble.