- Mar 25, 2010
- 1,823
- 1,407
hey ya'll. I know, I am an athlete and still a kid, but I would like to have a mini mom moment, since I know my mom doesn't really venture on here much anymore. and king, I just put this here because I knew people would see it more than the less loved forums.
so for those of you who know me, I am a little ball of energy. I'm naturally really healthy, exercise, eat right, so on so forth. well, up until I went to college and was getting colds all the time, but we just assumed it was a combination of college stress and what not. it was always the same, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, and ended with a really bad cough. didn't really think much of it, just a cold right? When I went to college I also started oral contraceptives for other personal health reasons. So that brings me to this past week.
I had a really bad cough again, and my mom had said that if it didn't get better by the end of the week, I'd go see the doctor. Well then I woke up friday night with really bad pain in my side and shoulder and it was hard to breathe. I woke her up crying, and she knew that if I was crying there was something wrong because I never do. So we went to the ER with a cough and ended up finding out I have blood clots in my lungs. I don't know how much any of you know about blood clots, but its a VERY rare thing to see in people under the age of like 65, and especially in an otherwise healthy teenage girl. We don't know how long they were there, but we know that if we waited any longer it would have been bad news bears. That being said, we also don't know if the colds were related, but they said it's a possibility with the coughs i've had. They have no way to prove it for sure, but they said it was the oral contraceptives that caused them to form (I'll be able to take some blood tests down the road to see if its actually a genetic disorder) I have to stay on blood thinners for at least 3-6 months, possibly the rest of my life. Because of the nature of blood thinners, I am not allowed to cheer while on them, which means there's a chance my cheer career has prematurely ended. which, as upsetting as it can be, my health is obviously far more important.
so now to the point I was going to make. sorry guys, if you haven't caught on I'm not good at keeping the stories brief...
but:
1. Obviously I know alot of you cheer parents personally, and I know you are all amazing parents. but I just want to emphasize, if something doesnt seem right, it probably isn't. give it the attention it deserves. it's best to catch things early. I know unfortunately in this sport there's a lot of wanting to push push push, and alot of athletes, including myself, that like to hide things. don't let it happen. You're a parent, of course you know your kid best, so just make sure to always keep an eye out for even the small things. not that i'm sure ya'll don't already (and, i dont want you to think I am saying my mom didn't, she did, and it just happened to be right in time.)
2. Side effects/risk factors on things are listed for a reason. even things that seem good, have the potential to be bad. prime example, oral contraceptives is a responsible thing to do, but carrying risks like that kind of put it in the lose lose catagory. or even things like vitamins. i know the "thing" at school this year was girls taking biotin to make their hair and nails grow. even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, don't take it with a grain of salt.
okay, i think that's all i really wanted to get off my chest... when you stay cooped up in a hospital bed for a week, you tend to get a mild case of word vomit. even though ya'll should feel special, i didn't really want people to know... but then mom kicked in and made me realize this one would be a little hard to keep a secret.
stay healthy fellow fierceboarders
peace, love, and happy cheering
showstopper
so for those of you who know me, I am a little ball of energy. I'm naturally really healthy, exercise, eat right, so on so forth. well, up until I went to college and was getting colds all the time, but we just assumed it was a combination of college stress and what not. it was always the same, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, and ended with a really bad cough. didn't really think much of it, just a cold right? When I went to college I also started oral contraceptives for other personal health reasons. So that brings me to this past week.
I had a really bad cough again, and my mom had said that if it didn't get better by the end of the week, I'd go see the doctor. Well then I woke up friday night with really bad pain in my side and shoulder and it was hard to breathe. I woke her up crying, and she knew that if I was crying there was something wrong because I never do. So we went to the ER with a cough and ended up finding out I have blood clots in my lungs. I don't know how much any of you know about blood clots, but its a VERY rare thing to see in people under the age of like 65, and especially in an otherwise healthy teenage girl. We don't know how long they were there, but we know that if we waited any longer it would have been bad news bears. That being said, we also don't know if the colds were related, but they said it's a possibility with the coughs i've had. They have no way to prove it for sure, but they said it was the oral contraceptives that caused them to form (I'll be able to take some blood tests down the road to see if its actually a genetic disorder) I have to stay on blood thinners for at least 3-6 months, possibly the rest of my life. Because of the nature of blood thinners, I am not allowed to cheer while on them, which means there's a chance my cheer career has prematurely ended. which, as upsetting as it can be, my health is obviously far more important.
so now to the point I was going to make. sorry guys, if you haven't caught on I'm not good at keeping the stories brief...
but:
1. Obviously I know alot of you cheer parents personally, and I know you are all amazing parents. but I just want to emphasize, if something doesnt seem right, it probably isn't. give it the attention it deserves. it's best to catch things early. I know unfortunately in this sport there's a lot of wanting to push push push, and alot of athletes, including myself, that like to hide things. don't let it happen. You're a parent, of course you know your kid best, so just make sure to always keep an eye out for even the small things. not that i'm sure ya'll don't already (and, i dont want you to think I am saying my mom didn't, she did, and it just happened to be right in time.)
2. Side effects/risk factors on things are listed for a reason. even things that seem good, have the potential to be bad. prime example, oral contraceptives is a responsible thing to do, but carrying risks like that kind of put it in the lose lose catagory. or even things like vitamins. i know the "thing" at school this year was girls taking biotin to make their hair and nails grow. even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, don't take it with a grain of salt.
okay, i think that's all i really wanted to get off my chest... when you stay cooped up in a hospital bed for a week, you tend to get a mild case of word vomit. even though ya'll should feel special, i didn't really want people to know... but then mom kicked in and made me realize this one would be a little hard to keep a secret.
stay healthy fellow fierceboarders
peace, love, and happy cheering
showstopper