Almost done!

I went to the doctor yesterday to figure out what to do with my trusty blood clot.

I wasn't sure how it would all go,

but...

My doctor was confident that we could take me off of the rat poison and that everything would be fine.

It is kind of nerve racking to just stop taking the medicine that saved my life almost a year and a half ago, especially if we aren't going to do an ultrasound to see what my veins are doing. But I have decided it is time to start trusting the doctor, something I haven't done for quite a while (evident in the post after my visit in July).

My left leg still fluctuates from being 1 to 2 centimeters bigger than my right leg, but I have been told from the beginning that my leg would probably be like that for the rest of my life. He didn't want to do an ultrasound on my leg because he said some doctors do them and some doctors don't and he is one of the doctors that doesn't (last July I got an ultrasound because I told him I wanted it). He also told me that usually people that have blood clots are only on anti-coagulants for six months and then they are fine. I have been on the medicine since October of 2008, and I am really ready to be done. We also discussed the "high risk" situations that I will have to be careful of in the future, so I think I am feeling good about all this.

Last night I figured out that if I stop taking rat poison that I will be saving over $30 a month in medical costs- pills and monthly blood work can really add up. It will be nice to have some extra money... maybe we can call it "Katie's Shopping Budget." I like the sound of that!

my pill taking days will soon be over! WOOHOO! I can't wait! There will have to be some sort of celebration for sure. I better start planning one...

Where this whole fiasco started:

me in the Bucharest, Romania hospital- 10.2008
wow... there were some tough days