My Near Death Experience

So remember when I announced my pregnancy and I told you that I would be induced, but me telling you the reason would take an entire separate blog entry? Well, now is the time to tell you why I will be induced. It’s not some big secret or anything, I’ve just been struggling with how to write it because it’s a LOOONG story. I thought about breaking it up into separate posts, but once I get writing I just can’t stop.

Let’s rewind to May of 2003. I had just finished up my junior year at Rollins College and was heading home for a few weeks before starting summer session. I drove the long drive from Orlando, FL to my home in Northern Virginia. A few weeks later I drove back to school. Then, summer session ended in July and I drove back home…. why is that important? Well, I was in the car A LOT. Just sitting. Once I was home I started playing coed soccer. During one game I got elbowed in the chest by some douche and I had to leave the field.

Well, the next day I was having problems breathing. But I just kept on with my normal routine. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe… to the point that I would have to stop to catch my breath just after climbing the stairs. I thought, something is definitely wrong. So, I headed to the doctor where they did some blood tests but ultimately they just thought I tore a muscle in my chest from getting hit. So they put me on muscle relaxers and told me to take it easy for a few weeks.

Once those few weeks were over, and I felt better, I started working out again. I will never forget the moment — I was working out in my parent’s gym in our basement when, while doing lunges, I felt a pop in my chest and immediately I couldn’t breathe. I hit the floor and was trying to lie in a position to catch my breath. Luckily, my sister was home and I crawled up the stairs and yelled her name. “KORI!” She came downstairs and was like, “What?” Then I passed out and threw up. I then remember her telling me,  ”Mom is going to be so mad that you threw up on the carpet!” Hahaha. Well, she started getting worried because I was having such a hard time breathing so she called my mom.

My mom, of course, went into panic mode and told me she was calling the ambulance. I thought she was overreacting and that I just re-tore the muscle in my chest. Hah. Mother always knows best, right? The ambulance came and they put me on oxygen and my parents were both home in time to ride with me to the hospital. Oh, let me tell you that this was 2 days before my big 21st birthday… I had big plans and I was not going to miss out on celebrating.

We get to the hospital and it is all kind of a blur to me, but I can tell you that they pretty much suspected right away that I had something seriously wrong with me. After a bunch of tests they discovered that my lungs were completely filled with blood clots and that if nothing was done I would have permanent damage to my lungs and heart and wouldn’t be able to play sports. However, they could treat me with a potentially life threatening drug to zap the clots. They thought I was healthy enough that my body could handle the drug… and my parents made the decision to go ahead with it since I have been an athlete my whole life and not being able to be active was just not an option.

That drug was so powerful. I was bleeding from every needle hole and I will spare you the gory details of the amount of vomiting and :::ahem::: other things that happened to me.

To avoid making a long story even longer… I was in the ICU for a week. Yes, I missed my big birthday celebration, but I made up for that later. I was diagnosed with a massive pulmonary emboli (what David Bloom died from), was told that I would have died had I not gone to the hospital when I did and was put on blood thinners for 6 months. I was also told that I am never allowed to be on estrogen based birth control ever again… which is what they think caused the clots (that combined with all the sitting while driving I did).

So what does all this have to do with being pregnant? Well, when you’re pregnant your estrogen levels raise… much like they do on the birth control pill. So I have to give myself shots EVERY DAY when I’m pregnant. In my belly. It sucks, but having a blood clots sucks worse. However, if I go into labor within 12 hours of taking my blood thinner I won’t be allowed to have an epidural. BOOOOOO! Therefore, I am induced so I can stop my shots with plenty of time to get a wonderful epidural.

Whew. That was a long story. Any questions? Haha.

I don’t have any pics from the hospital on this computer, but I will show you how big my belly is!