My Broken Two ... Lungs

It would seem that the focus of the blog has changed. On Sunday, I had what we're calling an episode. I had heart palpitations, couldn't breathe, and blacked out. I headed to the hospital (Strong Memorial, y'all!) early Monday morning and was hooked to a LOT of machines. I went for a CAT scan and the doc came in with the *wonderful* phrase: "I have bad news."

Turns out I have a huge clot in my left knee (yes, the injured leg -- not uncommon), and large pieces broke off and got caught in my lungs (aka pulminary emboli), which paralyzed and damaged pieces of said organs. My heart is strained, and I'm sick (AND tired -- badumbum!) and on a lot of blood thinning drugs (IV, self-injections and oral - YATZHEE!!) to help me along. I'm in the hospital for a while -- about a week total, I think, maybe a little less -- and then I go home on thinners for a long, long time.

Today the doc told me that I look "remarkably well," and that other folks with the "amount of clot burden in their lungs" that I have are usually still on O2 and have fevers and infections. Or, you know, die.

I don't mind telling you that this has scared the ever-loving doody out of me.

James is suggesting that our sob story is a good match for "Extreme Home Makeover." Picture: James in tears, trying to be stoic. "Hi, ABC. We're the Barry Family. Colleen broke her left foot and sprained her right ankle and now she has pulminary emboli and her heart's strained and, and, all she wanted to do was make the Web a better place!" Cut to felines Bina and Ramad looking sad and mopey and VOILA! A new house. Or at least, a new workshed. Or something.

More later.