Back in the hospital deja vu

I am back at Mt. Nittany hospital. :( On Monday my heart rate was over 100 at rest so I went to the ER to get checked out. They thought it might be dehydration, pumped me with fluids, and sent me home. However, on Monday and Tuesday I also needed more oxygen while I was walking and took my last dose of Prednisone on Saturday, which I thought could be a factor. I called my oncologist yesterday to see what I should do, and she wanted me to get a CT scan within the next few days. The quickest way to do this is to go the ER. Otherwise it could have been days or weeks to get insurance authorization, schedule it, etc. 

The CT scan shows less lung inflammation, which is good. But it also shows that the clot on my right lung has gotten slightly larger, whereas the clots on the left are gone or nearly gone. So the doctor ordered an ultrasound to check for clots in my legs. Sure enough, the clot on my right leg is not going away (it seems to have migrated from my calf to behind my knee). The clot on my left leg has dissolved. So something weird is going on with the right side of my body and the blood thinners I'm taking (Eliquis--and recall that the previous one, Lovenox, didn't prevent a new clot from forming). So after seeing the ultrasound results, the doctor said I should spend the night and they will have to come up with a new anti-coagulation medication plan for me. 

It took 2.5 hours to get a hospital room, so by the time the nurse left it was 12:20am. I didn't get much sleep. Also, why do nurses decide that certain things must be done at a certain time--like the CNA who came in at 5am to say they hadn't gotten my weight and had me get out of bed to stand on the scale. 

I'm also back to needing oxygen when I'm just sitting here. :( Until yesterday I was off of oxygen while at rest. I had made so much progress and now it seems like I'm back to where I was a month ago in terms of oxygen needs.

It's hard not to feel discouraged. I was not expecting to be admitted to the hospital. I thought I would get my CT scan and go home. It feels like one setback after another with the bleeping blood clots.  

Visitors are welcome from 11-8. During my previous visit the nurses were generous about getting drinks and ice cream cups or popsicles for me and guests.

views from my room

A highlight of the week, before my hospital admission, was a visit from my college friend Jen, who drove up from her parents' house in New Jersey. We had a great dinner at the Tavern, bought 3 half-gallons of Creamery ice cream, had a video chat from the ER with another of our college roommates (Ami), and wandered around the Arboretum.