What do I have to be grateful for?

I have had a few weeks of happiness, sadness, fear, and true Joy.  I haven't had good health the last little while, while struggling to stay awake each day, and total body pain I started to bruise all over my body and my normal cuts would not heal.  I kept telling my husband I was not going to the doctor because we were waiting for our insurance to become active.

Four days before it kicked in, I was lying in bed with severe chest pain.  Not where my heart was but I was certain I was dying.  I begged my husband to wake up and give me a priesthood blessing because I was afraid my children would wake up to me dead.  After giving me a blessing that all would be well, I laid there praying to my Heavenly Father to be pain free.  Within 10 minutes the severe pain ended and I was able to sleep.  The next morning my husband went to work then left on the truck to work for the weekend.

After feeling completely sluggish all weekend I decided to attend an exercise class in hopes of more energy.  I was wrong.  As I came home, I could barely get out of the car.  I had the kids help me get to the bath so I could relax.   I was getting out of the tub as my husband got home from work.  He asked in a concerned voice, "what happened to you?" Thinking I looked worse than I felt, "I said I know I look like crap but I am so physically tired I can barely stand."  It was then that he had me lean my head down.  He noticed I had a bruise starting at my hairline going down my neck.  He thought I had been strangled.  I of course thought it was a joke but he took pictures and told me I was going to the doctor the next day.

Thinking the bruise was nothing I posted one of my pictures, probably not the best photo we had taken and asked if people would go to the doctor.  Of course all the horror came out.  Everyone felt I should so I called and told the doctor what was going on and they immediately had me go in.  I had an EKG, chest x-Ray, and blood tests done.  I had all the signs of Leukemia and Lymphoma except extreme weight loss.  The doctor was extremely worried.  The EKG was fine, my chest x-Ray showed a small lump, and I had to patiently wait for the blood tests.

The next morning I received a call that my D-Dimer level was extremely high so they were afraid I had a blood clot in my lung.  I did a CT Scan and was told there was no blood clot in my lung, and that the lump was a very enlarged lymph node.  Which causes more sign of cancers.  I waits until the following Monday to get a call to let me know I was having a reaction to my birth control, causing blood clots.  I was at a hyper-coagulate state, it is something that happens when the body is under stress, and the both control had triggered it.  When we talked about it I was told I was lucky because I had a blood clot dissolve at the base of my skull.

I knew then that because of the blessing my husband gave me my life was spared.  I could have had a stroke, heart attack, or something else happen had I not gone in and found out the birth control was causing an adverse affect.  With medication the blood clot symptoms have started to change, although my energy level is still low.

Although my health isn't perfect I have a lot to be grateful for.  I am alive, I didn't have a stroke from a blood clot that quickly dissolved at the base of my neck, I am here to raise my children, I have a loving family and awesome friends who would have been there had I had a life threatening illness, and I have a Heavenly Father who blessed me with a miracle when I needed it most.  The spirit of gratitude can bring each of us true Joy and happiness, and I am ever grateful to be me.afriad