Today is my lifeiversary!

Joan M said:

Happy Lifeiversary! Miracles happen!

Jan,

I am so happy to hear about your remarkable recovery!  We know miracles happen every day all over the world - you are living proof of that. 

For some reason, when I first read your story, I thought you had a stroke.  Does a pulmonary embolism cause stroke? 

So many families give up when the doctors say a person will not recover fully.  My sister was one that they gave up on too soon in my opinion.  I sure wish they had tried harder. That was 18 months ago, long before I found out I have cancer.  I told my family that I want them to keep trying to save me if I have a stroke, even though I have cancer.  People can survive with few long term health problems just as you have.  I know many that have survived strokes, they are very happy to be alive, even if it has taken them a year or more to regain function.   

May God Bless you with many more years of life!

Joan M

 

Joan, I did have a stroke as well. Several things were caused by the PE including a stroke, brain swelling, my kidneys shut down, I think that's it other than when I woke up from the coma I was paralyzed. Some other things happened like my heart raced at something like 170 beats per minute for two days or something like that then it went back to normal. My husband counted 17 IV lines. I think they all went into just a couple of lines in me.

The expert in the ICU on brain trauma told my husband and daughter that if I survived I'd likely never be normal. He told them I likely wouldn't remember them or be the same personality and I'd probably need to be in a home for the rest of my life. I'm so sorry if your sister could have been saved. I spent almost four months in the hospital and for most of it I didn't read or watch TV, and I LOVE reading. I just lay there thinking. One of the things I obsessed about was wondering how many people aren't given the chance to survive but could have been fine or close to it. They told my husband and daughter that with my cancer history 'it might be kinder to let me go'. They were wrong.

I thought a lot about being a patient advocate and wanted to find some meaning with my life after all of that but here I am, doing the same things I did before and not doing anything special. I'm kind of disappointed in myself. I feel like I was given a great gift but haven't used it for anything.

Thank you,

Jan

beaumontdave said:

Inspiring Jan, and taking

Inspiring Jan, and taking treats to the EMT's reinforces the message to keep trying, because you can make a beautiful comeback, and here you are..................Dave

Thanks Dave! Yes, I wanted them to know that sometimes going on when it seems like someone really isn't going to make it might be the right thing to do. I posted a thank you on our town's Facebook page and have had almost 100 likes. I'm glad. I want everyone to know how wonderful they are.

Jan

kmygil said:

Wonderful!

HAPPY LIFEVERSARY!  You truly are meant to be here to continue to inspire others.  Thank you for your story.

Kirsten

I don't know if I'm inspiring anyone but I hope so! Thank you! I love the dog in your picture! We have three dogs and they are my babies.

Jan

Joan M said:

Sharing your story is a great thing!

Jan,

Getting your story out IS doing something great with your life!  Your recovery truly is a miracle.  I told my family that I want them to do everything to save me if I have a stroke from the chemo meds I am on.  There was a 37 year old women in our community who died from a stroke a couple of weeks ago.  She thought she had beat the cancer and was enjoying life with her young children. She went to hospice after the stroke and died.  Telling your story can save people like her, and all the other cancer patients (like me) who have the increased risk of blood clots and strokes from giving up if or when the tragedy occurs. 

I have said so many times that doctors can't know if a person will be "brain dead".  Of course they have statistics, that show the probability.  But why not give everyone the chance to see if they are one of those that can recover?  I have heard many survival stories like yours where the family was told to let go and some were even asked to sign forms to donate organs of their loved ones.  I understand that not everyone makes it, but there could be so many more if the families understood that many people do survive against the odds.  

Keep telling your story.  It is a great one!

Joan

  

Thank you Joan. It's something that really bothers me. How many people have been given up on? The 'expert' in the ICU told my husband and daughter that I had a 3 in a thousand chance of surviving even somewhat mentall intact, he figured the odds of me being the same were non existent. My husband was upset because when we went back and showed him how well I was doing he was kind of dismissive. I guess I made him look bad. Well, that's too bad. It happened and it might happen to other people, too, if they're given the opportunity. I'm so grateful I didn't end up lying in some home being cared for by strangers and am exactly the same as I was before but maybe I'm not the only one who can do so.

At one point during my physio- I mentioned that I was fully paralyzed after it all, right?- one of the rehab nurses told me she'd watched a show the night before and they'd talked about the difference between very successful people and other people. They said it wasn't business smarts or anything like that, it was just grit. Then she told me I had grit. She said "Ive watched you struggle to stand again and to just pick up the cups (stacking cups was a dexterity activity) and I thought of you,you have what they were talking about, you have grit". It made me feel really good.

I had several experiences in the hospital that made me grateful to be cared for by the people who did care for me. Some of them I still can't think about without getting weepy even now.

Jan