this is what 30 looks like.

nothing like spending your 30th birthday in the hospital to REALLY make you feel over the hill. 🙂
but i guess it has been quite a birthday to remember. last week, my leg was about twice it’s normally large size. 😉  we suspected something was going wrong with my clot. i called a couple of doctors and they advised us to head to the ER. not a fun thought. so, reluctantly i went with jeff by my side. and that’s when all the fun began.

the entire hospital was full and the ER as well with patients waiting for beds upstairs to open up. they kept me in a supply room with 2 other people. and that was half the fun. the old guy next to me had been in a car accident. poor guy was pretty beat up. he kept trying to get up, get dressed and get out. the nurses kept coming in only to find his bed was empty and they ended up chasing him down the hall. the other little lady was so sweet. cute little grandma. although her darn machine kept beeping and beeping and BEEPING at all hours of the night. not like i could sleep anyhow because people were in and out all night getting supplies, turning on the lights, and leaving the door open so we could hear the excitment out in the hall.

it really was a great hospital though. one of the main reasons why they
are so busy is because they are ranked one of the top 50 in the U.S.
hence, everyone comes there knowing they will get good care.
the next morning, jeff brought me a few goodies to celebrate 30. yippee! so we had a rockin’ party with us and the little old man next door that told me i had ants crawling all over my sheets. i asked him what color they were. but he didn’t seem to know. 🙂

luckily, the nurses decided to give me a birthday present too and bumped me up on the list to get a bed upstairs. talk about being grateful for the little things. it was miraculous to be in a quiet room all to ourselves. again, another fun birthday treat.

the vascular surgeon came by a little later and gave us his thoughts on what was happening. he was extremely thorough and knowledgeable. he felt that this was most likely the old clot causing trouble with my circulation. he ordered some testing to be done on my blood and told us we could go home. hallelujah! so we frantically got stuff together so we could spend the last few hours of my birthday somewhere other than the hospital bed.

so, here i am today. at home. leg up. taking it ee-cee (said nacho style). still in pain. but hopefully on the road to getting more answers regarding my health. once we get results back, we’ll think about next steps. and just keep on keeping on.

one thing i do know…i am overwhelmed with gratitude and humility with the outpouring of concern, love, service, and prayers on our behalf. so thank you. thank you ALL so much. truly, thank you.

i think we go through life not really knowing the full effect of our existence. i am thankful that through this trial, i am feeling the love of the Lord through all those around me. if only i could wrap it all up and stock pile it for the times when i forget. too easily, i forget. and then once again, i am reminded. and i make a new resolve to love more completely. serve more selflessly. and receive service more willingly.
and so these experiences will keep coming around until i figure it all out. which could be a while. but for now, i’m here. and that’s good.