You're So Vein, You Probably Think This Post Is About You...

I hate complaining about being tired. The entire world is busy, stressed and tired, so I have never felt a right to complain more than someone else. This morning, though, I really am tired.

I spent several hours in the emergency room last night with a potential blood clot - a complication that is possible following the vein procedures I had 3 weeks ago (yes, this endovenous journey has been documented ad nauseum).

Little and a dear high school friend and neighbor, who is a nurse, insisted that I go to the emergency room to determine why my leg had decided to grow an additional appendage (I hyperbolize, though the swelling was noticeable, my feet were numb and the pain less than tolerable). With Little as my escort, we bundled up and trudged to the ER. Luckily it was a slow night, and apparently hospitals don't take potential Deep Vein Thrombosis lightly (although I was met with skepticism and doubt every time I explained that I thought I might have a clot), so I was given a room quickly. That was the only thing that happened at a rapid pace last night.

My "doctor," who is a resident, and I believe it was his first day, pressed around a little bit and determined that he would need another doctor to take a look (later we heard him on the phone describing another patient and questioned whether the course of action he had taken was correct... very reassuring, Dr. Way-Too-Young-To-Be-A-Doctor-Because-Doogie Howser-Isn't-Real). At some point during the night I was taken to radiology where I received a very extensive ultrasound examination which consisted of lots of pressing and prodding on my absess. I would prefer to not have that happen again.

The results came back negative for DVT (praise the Lord), but Doogie-In-Real-Life decided that he couldn't formulate a diagnosis on my "quirky" problem. He informed me that 1) ER doctors don't really diagnose, they just tell you what your problem isn't (does that make sense to you? It didn't really to me either) and 2) As an ER doctor he doesn't have much knowledge on the particular surgery that I received or on veins in general. At least he was honest. I left with some instructions about leg swelling and a Loratab. He encouraged me to contact my surgeon when their offices opened.

I fell into bed at 2 this morning and woke up before 7 to get beautified for work (the Temp is here today, and Operation Go Away is still in full force regardless of vein clotting, natch). I called Dr. Vein, and he's going to see me at 2:15 today. I will be very peeved if I'm informed that my growth is part of the healing process because I know that's a crock of boohoo. I'm three weeks out of surgery and in the last 2 days my pain has increased somenumberfold and the side of my leg is suddenly large and in charge. I don't think that's how it's supposed to work. I'm tired of my body thinking that I'm a senior citizen. It makes me cranky and crotchety.