Hello Old Friend

A little before I had my stroke, I started collecting quarters and putting my separate change in a tin at the bottom of the kitchen pantry. I wasn't saving up for anything in particular, just putting my change away for a rainy day....or a trip to the casino :) The tin in the back of the pantry was from some cookies I had bought in elementary school. As soon as the cookies were done, I started to put change in it. I'm not sure why, but that's what I have been doing for 20 years. Every time it fills up, I wrap it and take it to the bank to my savings or cash it and buy nail polish or something small just for me. I figured quarters should have their own special home at this point so I bought a ceramic owl to house my 25 cents.

My quarter owl became kind of a bribery tactic for my Mother to get me to take my Lovenox. If I shot myself up on the first try, I got a dollar in quarters, second try, 50 cents and so on. Shooting myself in the stomach with the drug was never something I was comfortable with doing and it often ended with me in tears and having to have a pep talk with my stomach and said needle for 5 minutes in order to take the medicine. After I finished my five days of Lovenox, I started to just add quarters to the owl everyday. This came from change after I got a morning bagel when I would go to get my blood checked or after I would go for my block walk to the bakery. The quarter owl slowly filled up and got heavier and heavier but I didn't empty it.

Last night, I decided to empty the owl, who doesn't have a name. He needs a name btw. Any suggestions? I wrapped all my quarters last night laughing to myself. I'm going to start filling him up again but it won't feel like the first time. Can anyone guess how much came out of him? When I told my mother, she couldn't believe it! I almost can't bring myself to cash it. I'm connected to these quarters. Never thought that would come out of my mouth...

Setback?

I recently went the lady parts doctor to make sure the plumbing was working as one should do once a year and started to talk to my doc (who is FIERCE btw, her name is Dr. Audrey Buxbaum NYC) about whether or not I would have difficulty conceiving because of my stroke.

She told me I didn't have a lot of options in terms of birth control, because of hormones, I can never take anything with estrogen ever again...everrrr. She did offer me several options without estrogen including something called Para Gard. This is an IUD free of any hormones, zippo 0% hormones, nada nothing. Sounds cool right? I don't know. While I am not a fan of IUDs at all, this seems to be my only option. It pretty much looks like a T wrapped in copper...ew. Copper s actually naturally found in the body which is an interesting fact. I'm just not sure I want additional copper in my body from something in the shape of a T!

I was talking to a friend yesterday about IUDs and she said that in Canada, you can't even get one unless you're 35. This definitely does not point me in the direction of getting one of these. What more is out there for stroke vics who want BC and can't take anything with hormones?

We also spoke about family planning. Now, because of clots, I may not be able to house mini-mes. Pregnancy is a natural coagulant so you can only guess why this would be an ish for me. We all know how I feel about Lovenox, the shot I had to take twice a day. I can't do that again. I'm far too big of a wuss to stab myself in the stomach twice a day again and certainly not for 9 months!

The good doc provided me with the number of a center in midtown. Wait time for an appointment is a month because apparently they sift through cases and see who is a good match for the patient. I don't want a family right now but I'd like to think that children are down the line at some point. You can never be too early in getting all your information, right?

Evil Lovenox

When I got home, all I wanted to do was sleep and forget that I had to give myself injections twice a day.  I was terrified of having to stab myself in the stomach, I mean wouldn't you? Many talk the talk and say oh yeah, I could do this but when it comes down to it, would you really be able to?  It's a BIG needle!  Again, serious salutes to diabetics who have to do this all the time, I am amazed.

The first time I gave myself the injection at home, I sat for a long time just looking at the needle and trying to reason with it.  It always won in the end though.  I unwrapped the package and tried, TRIED sticking myself in one shot...epic fail, the needle only went half way in and I had to pick a different spot to stick myself.  Success!  Down went the meds into my tummy ending with a slight stinging and the dreaded needle was tossed safely into an empty milk carton that I would bring to my doctor once everything was finished.

My mom definitely saw my hard time and decided to bribe me with quarters in order to take the meds in one shot.  Yes, I'm that chicken scared.  She said I would get $1.25 in quarters (for my quarter owl, like a piggy bank but well...an owl) if I could stick myself in one shot and .75 if in two.  If I did it in 3 shots I didn't get jack.  I have to laugh at my mom for thinking of this but really it is a genius idea!  For 5 days I tried to get this thing in with one shot and I think I managed to do it twice.  I ended up with a red spotted stomach for about the next two weeks and $4.00 in quarters.  I'm pretty sure mom felt bad and snuck me some quarters here and there.  But at least I would never ever (fingers crossed) have to give myself injections again.

Now it was on to straight Warfarin aka Coumadin.