The Iyer Family: Back home

We returned home from our Arizona trip to a very crazy week! Ben had an endocrinologist appointment and had to do a week of shots at home starting Tuesday. Then Wednesday Riley got a hearing aid. We learned at the end of last school year that she had unilateral hearing loss and she has had a sound system in her class since then but now also has a hearing aid. It is a big adjustment for her but she is doing great. And the kids got back to school and their activities. Then Friday, life stopped me in my tracks. See below.

4th grade concert

Riley and Simone through the years and at the 4th grade concert

Riley's hearing aid - in a few months she will get one with an ear mold. We love this strong and brave girl!

Ben bringing me breakfast in bed the day after my ER visit.

baller

Basketball and soccer games back to back for Benny

Riley and her bunny

Iyer trio and Bruno off to soccer

Then on Friday March 2nd I had the biggest scare of my life. While we were in Sedona I was falling asleep one night and I felt like my arm had a charlie horse. I had just been "glutened" earlier that day and was so sick I almost went to the ER for that, so I shrugged it off as if it were nothing, not wanting to be a hypochondriac when I was traveling alone w/ the kids. Over the next week or so, my arm continued to hurt, but I'm active and had done a lot of plank challenges lately with the kids so I figured I had pulled a muscle.

Then we got home and I noticed my arm was a little swollen. No big deal I thought. Well then on Friday March 2nd I woke up and I felt intense arm pain and couldn't lift my arm above my shoulder. So I thought-well this must be nerve pain. What did I do? I went to work!! At about 10 am I had the brilliant idea to call my doctor and schedule an appointment for after work. I got there at 3:30 and the doctor noticed my arm was swollen, hot to the touch and red. She said it might be an infection and she could give me antibiotics or it might be a blood clot but there ultrasound tech wasn't available that day. My heart started to race and I said I wouldn't be able to sleep without making sure it wasn't a blood clot. I drove myself over to urgent care and 20 minutes later was on the table crying as I learned I had a DVT extending from my elbow, up my arm and to my chest. It was terrifying, and I remember asking the technician if she could just cut off my arm because I didn't need it but I did need to get home to my children. I was then told to drive to the ER. They monitored me, put me on blood thinners and sent me home.

I woke up Monday covered in sweat and with difficulty breathing. I went to the ER and they discovered I had two small pulmonary emboli. The next day I saw a hematologist and pulmonologist and was referred to a vascular surgeon.

Wednesday I was admitted to the hospital and had a catheter in my arm for two days to surround the clot with medicine. When that didn't break up all of the clot, I had angioplasty and it was cleared...I was so happy the whole ordeal was over! I was put on different blood thinners because they suspected I was resistant to the first kind. This time I was on Coumadin and would have my levels checked by a nurse every few days. Little did I know that wasn't the end of the story...to be continued!