hella emotional day

i've had a slew of doctor appointments lately. the last appointment with my gyn, the last with my dermatologist... and yesterday was the last (though only the 2nd) appointment with my stroke specialist.

remember that TIA thing i had last november?? yeah, i barely do, either. but at my appointment yesterday my doctor gave me the test results from the 19 vials of blood he drew last time (the first time) i saw him.

**drum roll, please!**

i have an elevated anticardiolipin level, and an elevated beta 2 glycoprotein level. the other 17 vials of blood resulted in relatively average readings. those two abnormal readings, though, indicate that i'm at a somewhat higher risk for blood clots than the general population.

the funny thing is that he STILL can't say that my episode of aphasia in november was a TIA (perhaps the result of a clot) or simply just a "complicated migraine". he's leaning towards a diagnosis of migraine, though i have to be honest... putting a label on what happened concerns me less than just making sure it doesn't happen again.

so to ensure i stay in good health, he says there are things i need to do:

- no smoking
- no hormone replacement therapy @ menopause
- no birth control pills or any form of hormonal birth control
- stay hydrated
- take an aspirin a day
- when on long flights, get up and walk around. i'm at a slightly higher risk for blood clots in the legs.

and that's it. he says there's really no need for me to seek out a stroke doctor in portland. having my primary care doctor aware of the problem will be fine, unless i have another episode.

so, that was a stressful way to start the day. then i went to work and wrote out a script announcing my departure. i hadn't said anything on-air to this point, and i knew that i needed to start doing that. after i told the listeners i'd be leaving (i almost cried), i got a whole slew of emails and phone calls telling me how much i'd be missed. that was an emotional roller coaster, those three hours on-air yesterday. and i have to do it again today, and every day through the end of the week.