Day 13: A Christmas Memory (30 Days of Days)

Day 13: A Christmas Day Memory

Christmas Time 1998

I had been released from the hospital not too long ago. 

All right—I know you are wondering, “How did I get in the hospital?”

Well, it was close to finals time at college.  I had been experiencing some pain, primarily in the right side of my leg.  I had talked to Grandma about it, and she said to rub something on it, like Bengay.  Perhaps it was just my muscle aching.  I didn’t drive at the time; I walked everywhere.  Some distances to get to class were longer than others.

However, I noticed that my right leg was getting significantly bigger, and it was becoming harder and harder for me to walk.  One of my male friends that I had classes with was concerned.  He told me there was something deeper going on and I should go to see the campus doctor.  I tried to put up a fuss, but he looked so worried that I decided to go ahead and go.

The campus doctor said it was way bigger than he could handle—that it appeared that I had lots of blood clots in my leg and I would have to go to the hospital right away.

The doctor called my grandma, and Grandma said she would prefer it if I would come to the hospital closer to home so she’d be able to check on me.  I wondered about my finals because I hadn’t quite finished.  The doctor said he would explain everything to my teachers and give me an excuse for the time I was out.

Usually, Grandpa would make the drive up to Alcorn by himself.  This time around, Grandma was with him as well.  Grandma took one look at my leg and started getting teary eyed.  She asked me why I didn’t tell her it was so bad, and why I took so long to go to the campus doctor.  I told her I just wanted to get finished with finals, and I hadn’t realized it was so serious.

The emergency room doctor confirmed what the campus doctor had said.  They had machines to do ultra sound, which the campus doctor did not have.  The machine found lots of clots, primarily in the right leg, but also in my left leg.  I was told the clots were caught just in time because they were making their way into my lungs.  The doctor asked me if I had a bit of trouble breathing the past couple of days; I told him a little bit but I thought it was because I had overexerted myself when walking.

The doctor concluded that my being on the birth control pills was the cause of my getting the blood clots.   I was on the pills primarily to start my period back up again so I could once again get back on the Depo (since I had missed one of my shots).  Now I’m not able to be on any type of birth control pill, and it’s too risky for me to even be on Depo.

My boyfriend at the time (FloridaGuy) discovered I was in the hospital.  He had made plans to come and visit me while I was out at college, but since I had left from college early, I told him he could wait until I was better if he wanted to.

However, he decided to make the drive to Mississippi anyway and spend time with me, even though I still had to keep my leg propped up and I couldn't move around.  He bought me a Playstation and some games to keep me entertained since I wasn't able to go out much.  It felt really good to be around my family and to be around him during such a rough time for me.

Day 13, that's a wrap!