A Funny Thing Happened To Me On A Walk In April

I think I remember the title of a book or article that was popular when I was a child. It went something like this “A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way To The Park”. I remember thinking about the fact that I always wanted adventure and new and unusual experiences.

I had been accustomed to walking between three and five miles a day for about six months or so; a good daily exercise walk had become quite routine. On Sunday April 11, I walked five miles non-stop with no effort. The very next day, Monday April 12, I started out for a walk and was amazed by the muscle fatigue that I experienced in my right leg. I was not able to walk more than a city block without stopping. The experience of fatigue was exactly as if I had walked fifty miles and my leg muscles were totally tired out. I was struck at the time by the sense that I am experiencing something that I have never experienced before… There is something new here and very mysterious!

I spent the next day wondering if I had a virus that had imbedded itself in the muscles of my leg, etc. I am not accustomed to calling the Doctor very often so at first the thought that I should pick up the phone was totally at the back of my mind.

By Wednesday, I had had enough and I set up an appointment with the only available Doctor at 4:00 P.M. As soon as I describe what was happening to the Doctor it was like someone pushed a switch and we want into warp speed. By 5:15 I was at the hospital having an ultra sound scan of my right leg. The tech doing the scan was very experienced and she was instructed by the order to scan all the veins. Finding nothing after scanning the veins the tech took initiative and scanned the artery. Almost immediately a clot was identified.

At the same time the tech used a Doppler device to check for circulation and found very little in the right leg. By 7:00 P.M. I was on a table experiencing a CT scan with all kinds of warm dye being pumped through my body. By Thursday morning, I was in surgery where several clots were removed from the artery and veins.

Since that time, I have had a surgery where three stints were placed in my Aorta to prevent any more clots from being thrown from there. The source of the clots was found after doing a CT scan of the Aorta. All the medical technology the blood thinners the Doctors, the nurses, the hospital stays are a totally new experience for me.

I am so grateful to the Doctors, nurses, and health technicians that utilized their professional experience to enhance my life.

The most important thing that I have learned is that nothing in the world is sacred, nothing is for sure, and there is an aspect of health that really teaches one about priorities and the importance of always keeping relationships current and at the center of our life experience.

Have you ever had a life changing experience that transformed your life?