I've got it

Monday was my appointment at the Indian Clinic to find out the results of my Factor V Leiden test. (You can read all the background on it in this post because I don't want to go into the whole thing again. It hurts my brain.)

I love my doctor at the clinic. She's an older woman, either Latino or Native American or possibly both, and I love her. She's very non-exciteable, very down to earth and she'll just tell it like it is. Plus, she and I had a pretty cool discussion about Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blue Man Group and how fun the Brad Paisley concert was (She didn't go, but we discussed my fun.) and if you can talk like that to your doctor then you have great healthcare, indeed. Plus, she didn't bust my balls over my weight or smoking, so she's the shit in my book.

She looked over my chart and started reading a blue sheet of paper with lots of words. Turns out those words were telling her that I do have Factor V Leiden.

Yep. I've got it. I'm potentially thick-blooded.

She ran some labwork, checking my clotting times, etc. and the results will decide which direction we go right now. If I need it, I will start taking an aspirin a day, which will not only thin my blood, but can save my life during a heart attack. Good ol' baby aspirin. Who knew. If I don't need it then we do nothing but make me an appointment for 2 months. She wants to check my protyme every two months for awhile and then if things continue to look good we'll space the checkups out to no more than 6 months. For the rest of my life. She said it's nothing to freak out over, but something I should never forget I have.

I asked her about travelling next month and she wants me to carry a copy of the test results with me on the plane and into Disney World. She said it's such an obscure, little-known disorder that if I'd walked into an ER that she was working in and had told her I had Factor V Leiden she'd have been clueless and might've offered me a tissue or an emesis basin. She wants me to always have the information on me in case of an emergency. She's a wise, cool doctor.

So now I'm waiting on more lab results. But I'm totally okay with it all. Mom and Tater kind of flipped their wigs, especially Mom because she's prone to wig-flipping, God love her. But they discussed my results with Coumadin Man and he said aspirin therapy was the right way to go. I have the approval of the Almighty Coumadin Man. Shalom.

And I haven't had a cigarette in two days.