Clea Shearer Says L.A. Trip Took 'Scary Turn' After She Ended Up in the Emergency Room
Clea Shearer/instagram
Clea Shearer is keeping fans in the loop.
The star of Netflix's Get Organized revealed on Instagram Tuesday that her trip to Los Angeles "took a bit of a scary turn" after she wound up in the hospital the day before. Shearer, 40, is battling stage 2 breast cancer and was admitted to the emergency room after experiencing "an elevated heart rate, swollen legs and feet, and an inability to walk more than a few steps without feeling winded."
Shearer explained that she begged medical professionals to be discharged in order to head home to Nashville, and get tested there.
"But I was told if I had a clot, I would die and die quickly," she wrote alongside pictures of herself in the hospital bed, connected to multiple wires from the monitor. "Copy that - not going anywhere!"
"After 8 hours of chest X-rays, EKG, lab work, CT scan, ultrasound, and more labs later, I was cleared for a blood clot in my lung and legs, but discovered my red blood cell count was dangerously low and I needed a blood transfusion," she continued.
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However, The Home Edit co-founder noted that she was grateful to be able to connect with her doctor back home.
"Thank goodness I had my Vanderbilt doctor on speakerphone talking to the ER doctor at Cedars Sinai, because I was an hysterical and scared mess," she confessed. "She [the doctor] convinced him to let me fly home for the transfusion since my oncology team would want to administer at the cancer center."
"Finally, at 3am, I was free to leave," Shearer added.
"Very thankful for the ER nurses and doctors who endure SO MUCH," she wrote. "Being there all night, we saw and heard things I will never forget…. Screaming, fighting, police having to guard rooms - and the entire team is utterly unflappable while they do their jobs saving everyone's life."
"All that said, I walked out of there trembling like a leaf," she shared. "Not exactly the last day of vacation we had pictured! Heading back home today for my blood transfusion tomorrow, and starting my new chemo regiment the day after."
Clea Shearer/Instagram
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Concluding her post, the mom of two wrote, "My cancer journey is never ceases to provide excitement, that's for sure!"
"Grateful for the wonderful few days we spent in LA with family, because as I continue to learn, every single minute of happiness is well worth it," she added.
Reps for Shearer did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.
In March, Shearer was diagnosed with invasive mammary carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer. She had no history of breast cancer in her family.
Last month, the organizing expert launched the Clea Shearer Breast Cancer Research Fund to seize an opportunity to do something good.
"I've been very adamant that I want my cancer to feel purposeful, to have an impact," the professional organizer to the stars told PEOPLE exclusively. "I think that pushing through this moment and looking towards the future is the only way that I feel like I can truly make a difference. Research is such a critical component of breast cancer because it's how we know how it develops. It's how we find new diagnostic tools. It's how we discover groundbreaking new therapies."
Shearer's fund is part of the larger V Foundation (short for Victory Over Cancer), which was founded by legendary basketball coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano. One hundred percent of direct donations to the foundation benefit cancer research and programs thanks to an endowment that covers operating costs.
