Oops!

So, a few days ago, 7:00 in the morning, I was dreading the injection.  My right leg was still throbbing from the night before and there was hardly any space left for stabbing.  I decided... since I have some "dead spots" scattered throughout my hypersensitive left leg, that I could find one, inject the Heparin there, and be perfectly happy.  

I iced the location, I alcohol swabbed it, and stuck myself.  I felt NOTHING.  Nothing, that is, until I removed the needle.  It stung BAD.  But, it didn't stop there.  

Within the hour, I had to leave and meet up with my new grade level for a meeting about our upcoming math curriculum.  I couldn't stay and ice or pamper...

During the entire meeting, my leg was on fire!  It burned, it throbbed, it caused a limp.

4 hours later, I returned home - and checked myself out.  

Shock.

I had a baseball sized bruise that contained a CORE.  It stuck out from my leg by over an INCH!  I panicked.  Called Matt.  He said to not call the doctor - but to just GO!  My main concern was that the Heparin hadn't dispersed, that my body hadn't gotten the medication  - and that I could be facing graver problems than an ugly, swollen throbbing leg. 

I postponed my tutoring session that was scheduled to begin in 20 minutes and drove myself to the doctor.  Upon arriving, I learned that my doctor was out of the office.  I begged the nurse to "check me out"  and give me her opinion.  She was adamant that she wasn't a doctor - and her diagnosis couldn't be taken as "truth."  I continued to beg.  Finally, I just pulled down my pants and MADE her look.  She said, "OH MY!  THAT'S NOT RIGHT!"  Confirming my suspicion.  

She paged the doctor.  He called the office promptly and we described the scenario.  Since there was no heat coming from the area, and no redness (nope! just a whole lot of purple) he deduced that I had to have hit a vein with the needle.  In doing so, the Heparin dispersed INSTANTLY, thinning my blood drastically in that area.  Once thinned, I wasn't able to clot the hole I created in the vein from the needle.  So, I was just bleeding internally.  

I was told to ice and elevate.  

By morning, "most" of the swelling had subsided.  

Now, three days passed - here's the leg.  Oops!