Okay, yesterday was kinda self-indulgent, but today we’re back to our story.
Just in case anyone missed any details, I’ll tell ya what went down. If you don’t want to know (because, “Bleaaah” feel free not to read any farther. Take a walk outdoors. That’s my advice.)
Thursday morning, I run the dog and do a little workout. Taking a shower afterward, I realize that my ankle and knee are kinda swollen. Weird. Later that night, I ask my wife (a nurse) to have a look. She says it’s not her usual area and kinda jokes that the only thing she knows that makes your leg swell up is a blood clot. (It was a joke because she assumed there were lots of other things that would, too. Ha. Ha.) End of prologue.
Friday morning, when I assumed I’d wake to a normal leg, I woke to an even more swollen leg. So I called the doctor’s office. I went in, they had a look, and said they were going to send me in for an ultrasound to see anyone could spot a clot or anything wrong with my leg. I ran home, did a couple of hours more work on a comic book I’m desperately trying to finish, and then ran off to the ultrasound appointment.
The ultrasound tech got really quiet and polite and asked me how I felt as she led me to a chair to await what the doctors decided.
The doctors decided to have her tell me to go straight to the emergency room without stopping anywhere. She then scared the begeezums outta me by looking earnestly into my face and saying, “But really… How ARE you?” before letting me go out the door.
I got to the emergency room, explained why I was there, and in a very short span of time, I was in an exam room. Many people asked me if I’d made any long trips or had a fall. My butt went numb from sitting on the gurney-style bed.
Someone eventually got some CT work back that showed that the blood clots had already gotten to my lungs. I was sent to ICU. Things slammed into motion then.
A hell of a lot of blood was taken, an ultrasound of my heart was performed at some point, I was asked many more times about pain, about long trips and about falls.
Eventually, they knocked me out, ran a tube up the inside of my leg, placed a filter just south of my lungs and started pumping me with some high-quality clot-busting drugs that work in tandem with a radio transmitter. I staying fixated in that rig for the next 39 or so hours.
There were tubes and catheters and tests and more blood taken and more CT scans of contrast chemistry…
…and a bleed.
Apparently, that would be the worst? The bleed in my right hip. I felt weird, put my hand under my covers and said, “I think this is a problem.” The problem was an enlarging lump forming where my right leg met the rest of me. Now, this was the few minutes of total overdrive. Lots of nurses and shouting (shouting and cursing on my part) my wife offering at least twice to hit the ‘code blue’ button on the wall, and all the while the nurse Noel’s fist socked down on that bleed trying to hold pressure on a rupture no one could see but only guess at. My blood pressure and heart rate tanked bad, but came back after they had the bleed under control. My right leg (and other bits) were now filled with darkening blood that would pool in some pretty unfortunate ways for days and even now still make me look like I bathed with some leaky Sharpie markers. My thigh is pretty much a rich red-purple trending finally this morning toward the yellow/green bruise color people have been gleefully predicting for a week now.
After the aforementioned thirty-odd hours on the clot-busting system, I had another procedure to remove all of that except the filter, and had two stents added to two veins in my leg.
By Monday night, I was moved from ICU to Stepdown. I was already a day late on my Hubris cartoons, but I’m ashamed to admit I was finding it hard to care at that point. Something to do with answering basic questions about who and what I was in order to rule out brain bleeds and other near-death fears left me ambivalent about drawing in a way that I haven’t otherwise ever felt. Low point.
Step-down is nice. There was a couch for my wife or my mom to sleep on. I improved in stages and was working on yesterday’s Hubris cartoon by the time anyone mentioned going home in a way I believed and that finally made me realize that the entire ordeal would end up taking slightly more than a complete week of my life.
Also, there was an esophageal endoscopy that was re-scheduled to fit in with my stay in the hospital… y’know, so I wouldn’t have to have it done in two weeks when it was originally on the calendar. I dunno. Complicated. I will tell you guys, though (and some of you know this much better than I do, after hearing the merest details of your stories) it’s awfully nice to walk yourself to the bathroom without a robot attached to any veins.
Glad you’re back home and up to doing a few things! Bravo.
Mal learned something from Mrs. Nutley… he’s going to be in for a loooong learning curve for this event…
I won’t try comparing notes. Enjoy the technocolor and I really hope it doesn’t itch. Really. You take care of what you need to and we can wait longer for some more doodles.
So… Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how’d you like the play..?
Really glad you’re doin’ good, Greg. Pretty sure we can cut you some slack on the postings, okay? And no more non-stops to Singapore…
Welcome back, Greg! Sounds like quite a scare, especially with the thigh bulge thing. But, now you got stories to tell the grandkids when they refuse to eat their veggies. Plus photos!
That’s just horrible, Greg. We are all so relieved that you’re okay!!!! Sorry it was such an awful week.
Yes, we wuz worried. Or at least I was, for at least a few minutes a day. Thanks for letting us know what was going on, and thanks lots more for having a recoverable condition and, y’know, recovering and stuff. Keep getting better!
A suggestion, show your wife or someone how to log in and say “Greg’s been hospitalized but is now recovering” or some such. It’d be nice, anyway.
I had a blood clot 20+ years ago, but it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as yours. It’s a good thing you got medical attention as quickly as you did. Glad you’re doing better and back to your now-slightly-more-mechanical self.
Hey guys? Consider hitting the Paypal button. A week in the hospital, in America? Ouch..
Yeah. Definitely hit up the PayPal or Patreon if you can because Greg is awesome and damn. (Worst I had was a kidney stone and even with “good” insurance that set me back over a $1,000)
I’m really glad you’re out of the hospital and on the mend! Blood clots are serious busines.
at least someone has a brain in the new group.
also I am glad you are back with us Greg. I have been a lot of times at Clinics so I understand.
Holy crap, Greg! That’s a helluva week you had.
We’re all glad you’re all right Greg.
DO NOT strain yourself with getting this out, and you tell the task master (NOT Paula, but the one who’s deadline you were hurtling towards) that you’re ordered by the Doctors, and your wife to TAKE IT EASY.
We out here are still prayin’ for ya and wishing you well.
Folks if you can afford it … go to Patreon and send Greg some extra money.
I’m a teacher. If I get time off for medical problems so can you. Don’t worry, we will be panting for comics until you return. When you come back, we will be here happy like puppy dogs wagging our tails.
stay, rest, sleep, have fun, then worry about this.
Glad you’re feeling better. It’s terrible when ones own body begins to rebel.
I figured when you were still in the hospital that long it was far worse than a routine blood clot. Like everyone else on here, I’m thankful you’re recovering.