Update

Well, yesterday we went to the hematologist to find out what may be causing my anemia.

My hemoglobin reading went from a 6.7 to a 7.2. The doctor examined me a bit and asked me some questions and put me on straight iron tablets to have three times a day. He is also wanting me to be tested for von wellbrands disease. Apparently those who have it bruise easily and bleed more than they should after surgeries. It's something he said that wasn't really life threatening and that medicine will help if I have that condition. I see him again in October.

Sick and Tired

"Just when you hit rock bottom someone throws you a shovel."-Garfield.

I love this quote because it describes how I feel. You see, the ankle I broke just healed and I just got hit with something else. Anemia.

That explains why I have been feeling like a slug, it also explains the pale complexion, and the tired appearance, and the dizzyness. Last year, when I was tested for anemia my hemoglobin reading was an 8. It is now a 6.7, so I now have to see a hematologist and figure out what needs to be done.

How does it feel to be this low? Well, let's just say that snails have more pep than I do. I look like one of Caspers relatives and feel like I could easily sleep through the next decade or two. Just walking out to the mailbox makes me feel like I participated in every single Olympic game known to man in under 30 minutes. What's worse is the lack of sleep. Since the hemoglobin has something to do with oxygen to the blood, and since I am at such a low level, my body is missing that oxygen, making it nearly impossible to sleep. Sounds like fun, huh?

Here's hoping I can get through this quickly.

MRI...and more

Well, I had my MRI this past Monday. I did NOT like that monster! It was way too loud! My ears were ringing for about an hour after it was over despite the fact that they gave me earplugs! Anyhow, the results were not very pleasant. I have some how fractured the bone and it split enough to cut off the blood supply to the bone. (Who knew that was possible?) Anyhow, the doctor said that the blood supply is starting to come back and that I have to start taking a low dose aspirin to keep it from clotting. I also have to keep weight off my foot. I can use my heel to maintain balance, but that is it. I have a cast and am supposed to have that for about a month, possibly longer. I go back to the doctor in exactly one month to see if I still need the cast. I have asked my professors for permission to change to online classes, so I can work from home. Other than that, I will be bored out of my mind!

Repeat performance

If you have read my previous blog entry (the only other one this year) you will have read about the first time I hurt my ankle, back in December. Well, fast forward to February 12th, and repeat what happened the first time around. You see the doctor told me I could go off my brace after a month. So I did, and on my way out to go to Wal-Mart (why do I always seem to get hurt when I am going out?) So I step down and sure enough my ankle turns and I end up in the same situation all over again. Since i am incredibly stubborn it took Aaron about 1 whole day to convince me to go to the ER to get my ankle examined. So we went there and were out in less than two hours (and some people says miracles don't exist) I was x-rayed, poked and prodded and given a pain pill and anti-inflamitory. Yesterday, Aaron and I spent 2 hours at the bone doctors where I was again, poked and prodded and then I was told that my ankle was not broken. (Thank goodness!) However, I was told that I would have to have an MRI to see what kind of damage was done. (This time, my doctor thinks I could have some muscle damage, aside from my ligaments being torn again) If necessary, I will have to have surgery to repair the damage, if not I will have to have physical therapy to help strengthen my ankle muscles. Update to follow...

Ouch!

Okay. Aaron and I got home from South Carolina December 27. We had a lovely time spending time with the family. The next morning we got up and got ready to go to a doctor's office for an appointment. I stumble out the front door, and I hear the most disturbing popping noise and experience white searing pain. "Take two Tylenol and walk it off." says Aaron. (This explains why he's a web applications developer and not a doctor!) So I did just that. we run to Wal-Mart to grab a few things since we were early for the appointment. Well, about halfway through the Meat department, I am in so much pain, I want to start gnawing on the grocery cart. We go to the ER.
I go through x-ray (the discs I had to lay my ankle on came straight from the freezer, I swear they did!) It also didn't help that the x-ray tech's hands are just as cold. After some more time, the ER doc says that it's probably a bone spur break. He hands Aaron a prescription for pain pills, puts my ankle in a splint, fits me with crutches and releases me into the wild. The next morning I mistakenly took a pain pill on an empty stomach, so I get sick. Aaron calls the consult-a-nurse and asks what to do. "Have her eat more food." she tells him. So I took another pill and had a sandwich and pretzels. On the way to the doctor, I get sick again. It leaked through a plastic bag all over my skirt. We were pretty much around the corner from the bone doctor so Aaron covers me with a towel, and wheels me into the office. I felt awful and I'm pretty sure I looked the part. They wheel me into an exam room almost immediately so I wouldn't scare anyone off. They remove the splint, but as soon as the doctor touches the back of my leg, I almost scream in pain. They are cautious and send me over to radiology so they can check out my legs to make sure I didn't have a blood clot. Thankfully, I did not. They ship me back off to the bone doctor. Who fits me into this air cast boot that you can pump air into or remove air from. It's not too bad, but it weighs about 3 tons. I was then informed that it was not exactly a broken bone that I had, but that I had torn some ligament off of the bone. Next Tuesday I get to go back and see what happens next.