To My Friends and Family

To My Friends,

I love you all for sticking by me and supporting me when I didn't feel like I could make it. It's so crazy because I can now walk and sit up and pick up baby with very little pain compared to before. God is awesome! You guys are awesome!

I'm asking that you guys pray for me as another part of the saga unfolds; I am having surgery on Wednesday. I know I blogged about how big my spleen is (as big as a football when it should be about the size of a fist) and it has continued to grow despite the pregnancy, along with its increased blood flow, being over. 

It is causing me excruciating pain! Despite being on pain meds and resting when I can (and when baby lets me) I can't deal. I have been subject to quite a few tests and blood work lately to determine the size and damage that the spleen has caused. There is good news, cat scans show that there is no internal bleeding and that despite being at such a high altitude there is no infarction (parts of my spleen haven't died).

I don't complain a lot but I wonder why I keep having to deal with so much. Pain does something to you. And since I have sickle c disease, chronic pain is something I will have to battle the rest of my life. However, I don't have to live with my spleen being so large. It's quite dangerous to have it so big as any impact (car accident or being hit in the abdomen) can cause it to rupture and I would bleed to death. I have to have it removed.

So on Wednesday, Feburary 15, I will have it taken out. 

I appreciate every prayer and thought you all can spare. I'm hoping I will feel semi-normal again after the surgery. I hope I will have more energy, be on reduced medication, not be in as much pain after recovery and can sleep on my left side!

More Information

My condition is called Splenomegaly. This information is taken from the Mayo Clinic website.

 

How the spleen works
Your spleen is tucked under your rib cage next to your stomach on the left side of your abdomen. It's a soft, spongy organ that performs several critical jobs and can be easily damaged. Among other things, your spleen:

• Filters out and destroys old and damaged blood cells
• Plays a key role in preventing infection by producing white blood cells called lymphocytes and acting as a first line of defense against invading pathogens
• Stores red blood cells and platelets, the cells that help your blood clot
• May act as an intermediary between your immune system and your brain, leading researchers to speculate that they may one day be able to trigger the spleen's infection-fighting abilities by manipulating the nervous system

An enlarged spleen affects each of these vital functions. For instance, as your spleen grows larger, it begins to filter normal red blood cells as well as abnormal ones, reducing the number of healthy cells in your bloodstream. It also traps too many platelets. Eventually, excess red blood cells and platelets can clog your spleen, interfering with its normal functioning. An enlarged spleen may even outgrow its own blood supply, which can damage or destroy sections of the organ. 

If you want to know more Click Here.