November 19, 2011

A trip to the ER

Thank you for all the kind things you had to say about the show yesterday! I am so glad that I can finally talk about it now... not that there is anything left to say, with my four blog posts yesterday!

Last night I noticed that my left hip was hurting a little bit more than usual. There is a drain there that hasn't had any drainage since the day after my surgery. I poked around a little, and felt a hard lump. I immediately started thinking of all the bad things it could be-- hematoma, seroma. I was very careful with how I slept last night to avoid any trauma to it.

This morning, when I was taking a shower, I noticed that it's definitely a noticeable lump. I pressed on it and it felt really hard, so I didn't think it was just normal swelling. I showed my mom, and she was worried that the drain tube was blocked, and all the fluid was just collecting in there. I called my doctor (who is away) and one of the residents who works with her called me back. She asked me about all the usual signs of infection, and I had no other symptoms. She said for peace of mind (if nothing else), I could go to the nearest emergency room and have it looked at.

I debated whether to go, and finally decided I would rather be safe than sorry. So my mom drove me to the ER, and I was seen right away. The first person to check it out (a nurse practitioner) seemed completely undisturbed, but he got a doctor to come look. The doctor was pressing around, and I pointed out the spot. I said, "It's a hard lump right here. It's hard enough that it feels like my hip bone."

The doctor said, "Katie, that IS your hip bone."

Cue stupidity.  It gave me deja vu from when I went to my gynecologist and during the breast exam, I told her I had a lump--she felt it and laughed and said it was my rib!  I just didn't know what a rib felt like, because I was always fat.

Now, I've certainly gotten used to my hip bones since losing the weight, but only by feel--when I looked in the mirror, I just saw skin hanging over them. So my seroma or hemotoma--whatever--just turned out to be my hip bone. It's slightly more swollen on one side than the other, but nothing unusual.

That was a waste of time. Thankfully I have a lot of time on my hands right now (four posts yesterday, Katie? Really?)

When the mail came today, I was SO shocked and excited and touched--I got an amazing care package from Stacey at Runs for Red Velvet.  She had asked me for my mailing address because she was addressing Christmas cards--very sneaky! There were all kinds of goodies in there:

gift box

Sorry for the really bad picture--I still can't stand up straight and I was hunched over trying to arrange everything.  There were lots of high protein snacks, tea, super soft socks, emery boards, a running book, Hershey's kisses, word puzzles, all kinds of good stuff! The neck pillow was perfect, because I've been sleeping in the recliner with a towel rolled up and wrapped around my neck.

I originally met Stacey on Sparkpeople, and she is one of the first people I started conversing with. Hopefully we'll meet in real life someday, too!

21 comments:

  1. LMBO! That is hilarious!!! Nice to receive a care package!!! Glad you got a good laugh today!

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  2. Aww yay!! I'm so glad you like everything!! :) The pillow was the first thing I grabbed, I'm so glad I did! You def deserve it all!!! I totally laughed out loud when the doctor told you it was your hip bone - too cute! And I guess I am a bit sneaky, just didn't want to send it and knowing my luck you recently moved & didn't mention it on the blog & someone else would have had a nice package! haha

    I really hope we can meet in real life someday too!! :)

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  3. LOL, Well I am glad you have discovered your hip bone and the Dr could confirm that for you. More glad that nothing is wrong. Hope the healing is going well.

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  4. That is SO sweet of Stacey! I was scared to read the blog after that title, though. Thank God it was just a hip bone! Ray Romano has that same situation in his act. If he feels a lump or something strange, he immediately checks to see if the same thing is on the other side of his body! When he realizes it's on both sides, he says "Phew!" Did the dr. tell you how much fluid you should expect to see in the drains? It would have been helpful to know that there could be little to no drainage! (I just looked it up and drainage can be uneven, where one drain fills up more than the other.)

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  5. I loved the four posts yesterday! And hey - it has been a pretty big week for you. Newspaper, surgery, Dr. Oz...

    Love the hip bone story. :)

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  6. LOL, well I'm glad it didn't turn out to be something serious! :D

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  7. LOL Katie! Glad you're Ok, tho.

    I loved the posts, too.

    Dede

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  8. I still haven't gotten to see you on the Dr. Oz show. =( I had clinical 7a-7p in Detroit yesterday and then had to drive 2 hours north. BUT, my mom saved it on the DVR for me! I can't wait to see it! I've been telling her about your story since I first had you as a friend on Spark. She said your part was short, but she really wants me to see the whole show; she said it could transform my life.

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  9. What an angel Stacy is.

    Ok, that is the most hilarious story ever. I'm glad the trip a non-emergency. ;)

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  10. I just tried this recipe in an effort to reproduce Mrs. Field's Peanut Butter Dream Bars!

    http://cakecrazed.blogspot.com/2007/06/fathers-day-dessertoh-my.html

    I just ate a piece and it was yummy. I am blaming the calories on you Katie since you were the one who caused my craving by posting them on your blog. :)

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  11. I hope they have some kind of co-pay forgiveness program for mistaking real body parts for horrific medical conditions!

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  12. I'm just glad it was nothing serious. Last spring, I noticed a lump in my abdomen, which turned out to be a hernia. The horror stories I heard about the possibility of it becoming strangulated (twisted--shutting off the oxygen to your stomach or something) scared me, so I had surgery even though it didn't really bother me. Then I developed a seroma, that looks exactly like the hernia! It's almost like, "Why bother, if I've still got a lump there!" And I still have it. I did notice just recently that it seems to be going down some finally. But my gosh, I had hernia surgery in April! What is that--7 months ago! Good Grief! I guess your body will slowly absorb that excess fluid build up, but my body is sure taking its sweet time.

    Like you I am amazed at feeling and seeing my rib cage, my hip bones, the bone in my wrist, and all kinds of veins, not only in my hands, but up my arms! However, I am NOT thrilled at all the (varicose) veins in my legs which have appeared. It's another sign of how hard being so obese was on my poor old body. It's amazing what all that fat was hiding!

    Take care! I bet that trip to the ER was excruciating on those sore muscles. Stacey was so nice to send that care package. You have met and are inspiring so many people with your blog and now your appearance on Dr. Oz and the newspaper article. You're definitely a STAR, Katie!!

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  13. P.S. I watched the whole Dr. Oz show today. I just grinned crazily during your segment. I saw your segment yesterday, but it was so fun to see you on TV. I saved it cause I may just watch it again! I felt like a proud mom or something. You looked and sounded so great! I'm so glad you made your wishes known and didn't have to wear either of those very unflattering red dresses. Your own dress was much prettier and made you look super skinny, which YOU ARE! I noticed that mother-daughter who had the make-overs, both were wearing tights, and I didn't think they looked good in those tights at all.

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  14. Haha! That's so funny. I'm glad it turned out to be nothing.

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  15. Katie,
    That had to have been scarey until you were told it was just your body you were feeling. Glad it wasn't anything else.
    I'm tucking all this information you share so candidly in the back of my mind so I will be prepared for the changes as I lose this extra weight.
    Hope each day finds you stronger.
    Pat

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  16. I am SO glad you went to the emergency room. I know if sucks to have gone for "nothing" but it was better to be safe than sorry. That type of thing happened to me once. My neck (lymphnode) was so swollen on the left side for over a week, and I'm talking huge! I finally went in to the ER afraid it was cancer or something and when the intake nurse saw me, she freaked out and took me back right away. Even the Dr. looked freaked out! By then I was sick to my stomache and terrified. They took me back for a Catscan and everything....but turned out to be nothing. I just had a remarkably swollen lymphnode. WEIRD! Anywho, I'm so happy it was just your skinny little hipbone sticking out! Care packages are the best! That was really cool of Stacey! Feel better : )

    -Jen (jennygump21)

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  17. Your so sweet,, Glad things are going well for you. Sounds like you got this under control,, keep up the good work. I have a neck polliow I use all the time I love it . You are going to be so surprised when all the swelling is gone,, and you put on your jeans,,, you may have to buy smaller sizes,, your pics look great,, LOl, I cnat wait to see your butt,, ;-) LOL

    Tammy/Texzan

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  18. That is so funny! I'm glad it was only the hip bone. I'm sure the whole thing was pretty scary.

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  19. Katie-- this is bella luce. from open diary. just wanted to tell you I still check in from time to time to see how you are doing. It is amazing that I started reading you years and years ago when your journey first began. I know I say that a lot, but I'm still so proud of how far you have come. Stick with it girl. Come back to read now and then, :)

    XO

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  20. This very thing happened to me after my surgery. I felt some hard objects in my abdomen and thought the doc had left something behind. Of course it was my hip bones, but I had always been fat and never really knew they were there.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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