Hi LeslieG:
I too have had blood clots in my legs. I had my first ones in 1985 after a car accident. Then I had some in the other leg in December of 2006. Both of them broke off and travelled up to my abdomen but luckily none reached my lungs. My brother just had clots in his legs last Spring and ended up with 3 pulmonary embolisms. Both of us have been tested and we turned up negative for genetic clotting disorders but my doctor says that they just don't know what all to test yet and that there is defintely a predisposition to clotting in our family.
I would definitely get a new doctor. My doctor was great during my clots. I also had tremendous swelling and pain and ended up having to use crutches for a few weeks due to the pain. The ultrasound tech said he had never seen blood vessels that were so engorged.
I'm glad that you went to the ER. Please be careful and either call your doctor or go back to the ER if anything changes. Blood clots are life-threatening and need to be treated as such.
I also had post-thrombotic syndrome where I felt pain in my legs afterwards. My doctor prescribed Metanx and that has helped tremendously. If your doctor hasn't prescribed Jobst Support Hose, he/she probably should. I don't wear mine all the time but when my legs ache I wear them and they do help. My doctor also prescribed NAC ( a supplement but I couldn't find it and need to have the pharmacy order it).
The doctor was hoping that I would only be on coumadin for 6 months but it now looks like I will be on it for life, which means ongoing blood tests to monitor my clotting levels. Getting all the blood tests is a pain but the alternative of not dealing with the clots is worse!
I hope all is well for your
Disney cruise. Try keeping your leg elevated as high as it will comfortably go (including at night...I slept with my leg on 4-5 pillows and it really did help). This will help the swelling go down. Hopefully the blood thinners will work soon so your levels get into the therapeutic range and remain there. I went to Disney in February or March after my last clots and was fine but by the end of the trip, my leg really swelled up.
If you're flying to Florida for your cruise, here's some flying advice from my doctor and vascular surgeon:
1 - Drink LOTS of water
2 - Get up and walk to the restroom on the plane (multiple times on longer flights)
3 - Don't sit in the window seat, evidently the ventilation system blows more air on that seat than the others.
4 - My doctor had me take a single aspirin before the flight (in addition to the coumadin I was already on). Ask your doctor about this as aspirin and coumadin shouldn't normally be taken together.
5 - Do leg exercises while in your seat - there are sites out on the web that show various exercises that can be done easily while flying.
If you're driving to Florida - please take lots of breaks and get out of the car and walk around and also drink lots of water.
Sorry this is so long. Please take care of yourself. I'm sending some pixie dust to you and hoping that you have a great vacation!