I can’t believe its been three months since that fateful day that brought me to wood winds health campus one early Thursday morning. Changed my life forever. I’ll never be the same again and the word birth control will make me cringe until the day I die. If I had only known the dangers.

Any way live, learn and get even ladies. Thats what I do!

A lot of people ask me what is a Pulmonary Embolisim, Aren’t you a little young for that and how did it happen.

Yes I am very young to be going through this. It doesn’t happen in a lot of young women. at the moment I am the youngest patient at the INR clinic in Woodbury.

The followng is from www.mayoclinic.com my go to site for all things health.

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a condition that occurs when one or more arteries in your lungs become blocked. In most cases, pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots that travel to your lungs from another part of your body — most commonly, your legs.

Pulmonary embolism can occur in otherwise healthy people. Signs and symptoms can vary from person to person, but commonly include sudden and unexplained shortness of breath, chest pain and a cough that may bring up blood-tinged sputum.

Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening, but prompt treatment with anti-clotting medications can greatly reduce the risk of death. Taking measures to prevent blood clots in your legs also can help protect you against pulmonary embolism.

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Pulmonary embolism symptoms can vary greatly, depending on how much of your lung is involved, the size of the clot and your overall health — especially the presence or absence of underlying lung disease or heart disease.

Common signs and symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath. This symptom typically appears suddenly, and occurs whether you’re active or at rest.
• Chest pain. You may feel like you’re having a heart attack. The pain may become worse when you breathe deeply, cough, eat, bend or stoop. The pain will get worse with exertion but won’t go away when you rest.
• Cough. The cough may produce bloody or blood-streaked sputum.

Other signs and symptoms that can occur with pulmonary embolism include:

• Wheezing
• Leg swelling
• Clammy or bluish-colored skin
• Excessive sweating
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Weak pulse
• Lightheadedness or fainting

When to see a doctor
Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience unexplained shortness of breath, chest pain or a cough that produces bloody sputum.

Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. About one-third of people with undiagnosed and untreated pulmonary embolism don’t survive. When the condition is diagnosed and treated promptly, however, that number drops dramatically.

Pulmonary embolism can also lead to pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which the blood pressure in your lungs is too high. When you have obstructions in the arteries inside your lungs, your heart must work harder to push blood through those vessels. This increases the blood pressure within these vessels and can wear out a section of your heart.

Treatments and drugs

By Mayo Clinic staff

Prompt treatment of pulmonary embolism is essential to prevent serious complications or death.

Medications

• Anticoagulants. Heparin works quickly and is usually delivered with a needle. Warfarin (Coumadin) comes in pill form. Both prevent new clots from forming, but it takes a few days before warfarin begins to work. Risks include bleeding gums and easy bruising.
• Clot dissolvers (thrombolytics). While clots usually dissolve on their own, there are medications that can dissolve clots quickly. Because these clot-busting drugs can cause sudden and severe bleeding, they usually are reserved for life-threatening situations.

Surgical and other procedures

• Clot removal. If you have a very large clot in your lung, your doctor may suggest removing it via a thin flexible tube (catheter) threaded through your blood vessels.
• Vein filter. A catheter can also be used to position a filter in the main vein — called the inferior vena cava — that leads from your legs to the right side of your heart. This filter can block clots from being carried into your lungs. This procedure is typically reserved for people who can’t take anticoagulant drugs or when anticoagulant drugs don’t work well enough.

Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Compression stockings

Preventing clots in the deep veins in your legs (deep vein thrombosis) will help prevent pulmonary embolism. Some prevention measures are used in hospitals. Others are precautions you can take yourself.

Preventive steps in the hospital

• Heparin or warfarin (Coumadin) therapy. Anticoagulants such as heparin and warfarin are given to people at risk of clots before and after an operation — as well as to people admitted to the hospital with a heart attack, stroke or complications of cancer.
• Graduated compression stockings. Compression stockings steadily squeeze your legs, helping your veins and leg muscles move blood more efficiently. They offer a safe, simple and inexpensive way to keep blood from stagnating after general surgery.
• Use of pneumatic compression. This treatment uses thigh-high or calf-high cuffs that automatically inflate with air every few minutes to massage and squeeze the veins in your legs and improve blood flow.
• Physical activity. Moving as soon as possible after surgery can help prevent pulmonary embolism and hasten recovery overall. This is one of the main reasons your nurse may push you to get up and walk despite pain at the site of your surgical incision.

Preventive steps while traveling
Sitting during a long flight or automobile ride increases your risk of developing blood clots in the veins of your legs. To help prevent a blood clot from forming:

• Take a walk. Move around the airplane cabin once an hour or so. If you’re driving, stop every hour and walk around the car a couple of times. Do a few deep knee bends.
• Exercise while you sit. Flex, extend and rotate your ankles or press your feet against the seat in front of you, or try rising up and down on your toes. And don’t sit with your legs crossed for long periods of time.
• Wear support stockings. These help promote circulation and fluid movement. What’s more, compression stockings no longer look like something your grandmother would wear — they’re available in a range of stylish colors and textures. There are even devices, called stocking butlers, to help you put on the stockings.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Water is the best liquid for preventing dehydration, which can contribute to the development of blood clots. Avoid alcohol, which contributes to fluid loss

My INR has been at 1.6 for the second week  in a row. Which is not good, the lower the number the higher the chance that another clot could form in my body. Trust me I don’t wanna go down that road again. One pulmonary embolism is enough for me.

But this bear isn’t 100% yet, we still have things to figure out. I told the dr how I was having chest pain, shortness of breath, tingling in my limbs and rapid heart beat at least once a week. He starts asking me these questions and says do you know what you just described. No I said, he said you just described a panic attack. Whaaaat I said, I’m not a panicky person or crazy.  Larson said I know your not, thats why it’s so weird. He check out my thyroid, came back normal, potassium came back normal too. So it is something with my adrenal gland after all there is a mass on it chillin like a villain. So I have another CT scan coming up to get a better look at it.

Hopefully we figure this out soon, because I am getting a little tired of all of this and making sure I don’t eat vitamin k, caffeine and liquor. I miss my coffee and margaritas, green peppers and other green foods too.

Any ways the DR called on friday and said he has some good news. Thanks for calling at 4pm when you leave for the day and making me wait til monday to find out what it is. Oh well at least I have a surprise to look forward too!

Psycho Suzie’s Motor Lounge in Minneapolis is another restaurant that we saw on the Food networks show Triple D. They claimed to have crazy drinks, great pizza and the best darn cheese curds around.

This place does not disappoint, it is the place where everything tiki goes to die. Yes its like being in a giant tiki hut with thousands of tiki glasses on the walls. I love their white sauce pizza. I always get ham on my half and the husband gets pepperoni on his. Triple D did not disappoint the cheese curds are the size of golf balls and are so yummy.  The drinks are even crazier.

It use to be an old A & W stand before she turned it into tiki sheek.

All of the bathroom walls and stalls are covered with chalk board paint, so this is one place its ok to leave your number or a message!

Back to those crazy drinks. I bet you have never drank the Elusive Yumm Yumm Fish. It was delish I would totally get it again and of course it came in a fish mug!

I would recommend this place to anyone. Just keep in mind that it is 21 plus after 9pm and I wouldn’t recommend this joint for families with small children.

We went to the nook, a restaurant I’ve wanted to go to since the day I saw it on Dinners, Drive Ins, and Dives on the Food Network. They promised  that the burgers are out of  this world. They weren’t wrong. It was I must say one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. The cheese curds were yummy in my tummy as well. Even Nans liked it he noshed on a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries.

If you wanna go to The Nook its on Hamlin Ave in Saint Paul

It is your typical Minnesota cozy neighborhood bar. The place was packed for a Monday night, the service was fast and the food out of this world.

The Husband tried their famous Juicy Lucy Burger. If you are not familiar it is a burger with cheese inside.

I had the brown sugared bacon burban burger. It was yummy and messy. Mmmm I could go for one of those right now!

This week was a little bitter-sweet. It marked the end of the road for my very first car. Back in 2001 I had saved up my money to buy my first car and in August I bought a 1992 Ford Escort from a lady named Susan for $750.00. I was proud of my car and it got me where I needed to go. It saw many miles and years of use.

However this pat week we learned it would need $793.00 worth of work, I didn’t feel like putting $793.00 into a car I only paid $750.00 for. So it had to be done, I sent her off  to join the big scrap heap in the sky.

Since I had to send her to the big scrap heap in the sky this left the Husband without a winter car. SO to Craigslist I went and I found a new winter beater for $600.00 not to shabby for a Saturn I must say. The man seemed honest so I said you’ve got yourself a deal.

Say Hello to the new beater

You maybe wondering why did I stop driving my Escort. Well it’s because I gave her up for this baby …………………

My 2002 Prius! I love this Car

For the past week I have been craving red meat like crazy. Even when I am sleeping I am dreaming of sinking my teeth into red meat. I do not normally eat red meat, I perfer chicken and pork. So this new craving is very strange to me.

Who knows maybe it is a sign of something big! We are after all trying to make a little bear.

So one night last week I decied to make my own burger at home with sweet potato fries.

I had tried making cheese curds earlier in the week but they were a big flop. The Husband thought he would take a wack at it. I was scared to see him cooking in my kitchen…………..

I must admit that thou my kitchen was a greasy mess by the time he was done they were pretty darn tasty.

We decided to Nans to the Rain Forest Cafe for dinner on New Years Eve. Knowing it would be crazy packed, I called in our reservation at 9am. However will still had to wait for ever in a day to get a table. So the reservation wasn’t really worth it.

They didn’t even seat us in the cool part of the cafe. We sat across from the bar next to a fish tank. Nans was upset that he didn’t get to be under the rainy jungle.

After dinner we headed over to Nickeloden Universe at MOA for Sponge Bobs New Years Bash. We missed the 10pm ball drop so we rode the rides until 10:30ish.

He even went on the big coaster the Pepsi Orange Streak

And some how he ended up in jail!

I can’t believe Nylan is turning 6. It seems just like yesterday when he drove up with his dad to UW-Superior to meet me. I’ll never forget the day I laid eyes on my wide eyed chubby cheeked boy.

This was Taken during the summer of 2005 during our first visit to Como Zoo.

Its now 2006. Thats you Nans on your second birthday. This was taken a few days before your Nannie left for Egypt. You sure liked pizza back then, now you won”t even touch it.

Wow look at you in 2007! You are three years old! You are getting so big and are learning so much

Something very special happened in 2008. You turned 4 years old and this is the year your Daddy married the Bear. Nans was the ring bear in our wedding and looked handsome in his Tux. Saddly your big girl Princess left us and joined the other doggies in the sky. This is also the year we moved into the red house.

In 2009 you turned 5. You had a great summer in Minnesota and started school at mommys house in Texas. This was your first christmas in MN since 2004.

An on Jan 6th you will be 6 years old. Yes my boy it will mark your golden birthday. My the years have flown by. Its hard for me to think that not so long ago I was shopping in the toddler dept and now I’m buying your clothes & shoes in the big boy dept. You have replaced Blues clues and elmo with a love for video games, Transformers and Star Wars. You use to eat pizza and drank apple juice like no tomorrow, but today you won’t go near them. Your tastes have changed. You are getting so big and smart. I believe it was fate that brought us together, as not every boy in this world has a Nannie like you.

Always know you are my first born, the pleasure of my life. No matter where you go in life know that i believe in you and that my love will never die. I love you today tomorrow and always.