acute thrombosis?

[NHdisneylover]

I am looking for some information here that I do not want to GOOGLE for because I do not want to get scared by all the bad information out there while I search for legitimate answers. Besides which I am a little too freaked out right this second to deal with it.

I just got an email from my Dad (Mom and Dad are divorced but get along okay and both live in the same area in Mexico). My mom went to the doctor yesterday because she ahd a swollen ankle which was bothering her more than usual (her ankles ahve ALWAYS swollen and bothered her in the heat, when walking a lo, etc.--no doctor ever thought it was a big deal). She is now hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute thrombosis.

She called my dad last night to tell him but did not want him to come to the hospital (her boyfriend is with her). She said she would be in the hospital at least 5 days and was on blood thinners with the ankle elevated. She did not at that time have a phone number or room number for hte hospital. Her cell is not able to be used there. So, we have not been able to get more information yet. Dad is working on finding the main number for the hopsital and trying to track her down now.

Anyway, do any of you know anything about this or how dangerous it is (obviously you do not have much information to go on because I don't) and experience with it? It is in her ankle/legs NOT in her heart, etc.

Thanks for any help you can offer

 

[jfranklyn]

Don't want to freak you out, but....

This is very serious - she has a blood clot in her ankle. With good fortune, it will be treated with blood thinners (for at least 6 months) and cause her no further problems as the clot dissolves or is absorbed into the vein.

This happened to my husband 3 months ago and the clot broke off and went into his lung, thankfully without us knowing. But that breakoff clot could easily have killed him. It's called a pulmonary embolus.

I would recommend getting on the internet, get yourself educated, and help your mother handle this the best she can. For right now, it's blood thinners and rest. When she's back on her feet, it's exercise, exercise, exercise. Inactivity helps them to form.

 

[monkey68]

It could be dangerous, it could not be dangerous. Generally, if it's below the knee, there is less chance of it breaking off and going to the lung. Last year, my dad had multiple clots in his leg, including one in his femoral vein, which has something like a 50% chance of going to the lung. Fortunately, it didn't, but they put in a filter just to be safe. He was only in the hospital for 2 or 3 days, but if your mother is older, they could be keeping her for longer to be sure she gets the heparin administered on time. Since it's injectable, they may not trust that an older person can do it, when my grandma had a DVT, they kept her in the hospital until she didn't need heparin anymore.

Hopefully all will be well with your mom.

 

[SingingMUA]

I am looking for some information here that I do not want to GOOGLE for because I do not want to get scared by all the bad information out there while I search for legitimate answers. Besides which I am a little too freaked out right this second to deal with it.

I just got an email from my Dad (Mom and Dad are divorced but get along okay and both live in the same area in Mexico). My mom went to the doctor yesterday because she ahd a swollen ankle which was bothering her more than usual (her ankles ahve ALWAYS swollen and bothered her in the heat, when walking a lo, etc.--no doctor ever thought it was a big deal). She is now hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute thrombosis.

She called my dad last night to tell him but did not want him to come to the hospital (her boyfriend is with her). She said she would be in the hospital at least 5 days and was on blood thinners with the ankle elevated. She did not at that time have a phone number or room number for hte hospital. Her cell is not able to be used there. So, we have not been able to get more information yet. Dad is working on finding the main number for the hopsital and trying to track her down now.

Anyway, do any of you know anything about this or how dangerous it is (obviously you do not have much information to go on because I don't) and experience with it? It is in her ankle/legs NOT in her heart, etc.

Thanks for any help you can offer

Unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge of this subject....


Late November 2007, I had some slight pain behind my knee and down into my calf, but it felt like it was just a pulled muscle. It progressed and eventually I was unable to walk and had searing pain whenever I would stand from a seated position or from laying down.

I was still convinced it was a pulled muscle, so I just broke out my crutches and hobbled around using ice and ace bandages and Motrin. After a bout a week of this, my partner convinced me to go to the ER to get it checked out. It ended up being a DVT (deep vein thrombosis = blood clot). I was admitted to the hospital and started on blood thinners. After a day or two in the hospital, I noticed some heaviness in my chest, so they immediately took me down for a chest x-ray. Turned out a part of the clot broke off and travelled to my lung (pulmonary embolism).

Pulmonary embolism is the life-threatening complication of a DVT. Thankfully, the piece that travelled to my lung was relatively small (though it did cause me to have severe shortness of breath which was very scary). I stayed in the hospital for a week, and was on bed rest at home for about two and a half weeks.

I guess I should be thankful for that DVT because, in my case, it was what caused the doctors to be able to diagnose my Lupus. Had I not had that DVT, it could have take several more years for me to be diagnosed. I am now on blood thinners for the rest of my life, as well as other medication for the Lupus.

I also now have Post Thrombotic Syndrome (PTS). PTS is basically chronic pain and swelling of the affected limb. Tell your mom to wear compression stockings as soon as the doctor says it's ok and to wear them as much as possible (except while sleeping), and to get as much exercise as she can. Both of these things will decrease her risk of developing PTS.

I was 29 years old when all of this happened (was one week shy of my 30th b-day when I got out of the hospital), and I'm 31 now. It is no fun having to use a cane (not constantly, but I need it when my leg is really acting up) or having to rent an ECV due to not being able to tolerate a lot of walking (causes the swelling and pain to be a lot worse). But, even after all that, I'm thankful everyday that I'm alive to tell the story.

If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to PM me. for you and your family.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Thank you both. Information is good. I am sorry you both have had reason to know about thisbut I am grateful for your information.

My dad did manage to talk to Mom and she sounds good and happy. He got the hospital name and phone number. I keep trying to call but the phone just rings and rings and rings. I'll just keep trying

She is not very old at all--only 55. She is quite active: yoga class, dancing several nights a week, lots of her own maintance on her house and boat, etc. She is thin (almost too thin), does not smoke, etc. So this just seems out of the blue to me.

I want to talk with her and hear what they are telling her and how she feels so I can decide if I should book a quick flight down. I wish I could just not care and go no matter what--but the reality of a $2000 ticket from Frankfort to Puerto Vallarta in this economy (which has hit us like it is hitting everyone else) and a husband who is working abroad at the moment meaning I would have to figure out what to do with the kids (aged 10 and 12) when we haven't been here long enough to know someone quite that well. . .Well, it is just overwhelming right now. If I can talk to her and get a feeling for the direness (or not) of the situation I can make a much better decision about going NOW or wating a month or two and going when she and I can spend more good time together.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge of this subject....
:

You posted while I was typing. I should have said thank you to ALL THREE OF YOU. So sorry you had to go through this. Thanks for the information. I may PM you after I talk with my mom (if I ever get through).

 

[ols386]

Best Wishes to your Mom for a speedy recovery.

Sounds like she's in the right place and they will take care of her.

 

[Desiree]

Unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge of this subject....


Late November 2007, I had some slight pain behind my knee and down into my calf, but it felt like it was just a pulled muscle. It progressed and eventually I was unable to walk and had searing pain whenever I would stand from a seated position or from laying down.

I was still convinced it was a pulled muscle, so I just broke out my crutches and hobbled around using ice and ace bandages and Motrin. After a bout a week of this, my partner convinced me to go to the ER to get it checked out. It ended up being a DVT (deep vein thrombosis = blood clot). I was admitted to the hospital and started on blood thinners. After a day or two in the hospital, I noticed some heaviness in my chest, so they immediately took me down for a chest x-ray. Turned out a part of the clot broke off and travelled to my lung (pulmonary embolism).

Pulmonary embolism is the life-threatening complication of a DVT. Thankfully, the piece that travelled to my lung was relatively small (though it did cause me to have severe shortness of breath which was very scary). I stayed in the hospital for a week, and was on bed rest at home for about two and a half weeks.

I guess I should be thankful for that DVT because, in my case, it was what caused the doctors to be able to diagnose my Lupus. Had I not had that DVT, it could have take several more years for me to be diagnosed. I am now on blood thinners for the rest of my life, as well as other medication for the Lupus.

I also now have Post Thrombotic Syndrome (PTS). PTS is basically chronic pain and swelling of the affected limb. Tell your mom to wear compression stockings as soon as the doctor says it's ok and to wear them as much as possible (except while sleeping), and to get as much exercise as she can. Both of these things will decrease her risk of developing PTS.

I was 29 years old when all of this happened (was one week shy of my 30th b-day when I got out of the hospital), and I'm 31 now. It is no fun having to use a cane (not constantly, but I need it when my leg is really acting up) or having to rent an ECV due to not being able to tolerate a lot of walking (causes the swelling and pain to be a lot worse). But, even after all that, I'm thankful everyday that I'm alive to tell the story.

If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to PM me. for you and your family.

You're story is almost identical to mine! I had the exact same thing happen last July (with the exception of the P.E.). I was in severe leg pain for almost 2 months before I had found a doctor knowledgable enough to find a diagnosis for me of DVT. (By the time I got around to going to her, I actually developed ANOTHER DVT in the other leg). She immediately hospitialized me for 4 days (Right during hurricane Gustav) and I had to endure heprin shots. After time, the DVTs and subsequent clots have all dissolved but I'll never be the same again. I wear compression stockings daily and still can't walk long distances but I'm just so very thankful that I am mobile again. And of course, I'm on Coumadin/Warfin for the rest of my life too. While in the hospital they discovered that I am actually prone to clotting and that I have something called Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome so the coumadin will be with me forever.

OP, best of luck to your mom!

 

[NHdisneylover]

I just wanted to come back and thank you all for the information you gave me earlier. It REALLY helped me to feel better and like I had some idea of what was going on.

Reading your posts I think my mom was very lucky. She never had any pain in the ankle--just badly swollen. SHE didn't want to "hassle" with going to the doctor but her boyfriend pushed the issue (go boyfriend) so she went in. The doctor realized right away what it could be and had her seeing a specialist who diagnosed the thrombosis within two hours of her first doctor's visit. She was on coumadin via IV in the hospital and will be on it orally for at least the next three months (likely longer). She has to wear the compression stockings which she already hates (they are hot in Puerto Vallarta temps) and sleep with the foot of the bed elevated.

Best of luck to all of you dealing with this and many thanks again

 

[Disney Doll]

Sounds like she caught it early on in the process so that the Post Thrombotic Syndrome shouldn't be an issue unless she doesn't do what she's told.

Do they have any idea what caused the clot to form? Had she recently been on a long airplane trip? Does she take hormones?

Back about 20 years, I had a pulmonary embolism (clot in my lung). I was working as a nurse, on the BCP, had just gotten back from a vacation to the Bahamas and had been in a car accident a couple of weeks before the vacation. Anyhow, ended up with this lung clot, which they assumed started in my leg and travelled. No one ever could figure out whether it was from all the walking and standing one does as a nurse (DVT is very common in nurses and waiters/waitresses), whether it was because of the hormonal changes from the BCP, whether it was from the plane ride, or whether I had bumped something in the accident which caused it to flare up. In any event, I was on IV Heparin blood thinner for about a week in the hospital, then sent home on oral Coumadin, which I was on for about 6-9 months. Had to wear support stockings as much as possible during that time. I definitely always wore them to work and also wore them if I knew I was going to be doing a lot of sitting or standing in one place for a long period of time. They didn't have the leg filters then (a filter that is inserted into the blood vessels in the groin so that if a clot forms in the legs, it would not be able to travel to the heart, lungs or brain...it would be caught by the filter), but had they had them, I am pretty sure I would have gotten one.

Really, it sounds like their treatment of her is fine...blood thinners, rest, elevation, support stockings. About the only thing I might add to that is to question someone about the filters.

Google "dietary restrictions when taking blood thinners" or "foods high in Vitamin K" or something along those lines because there are some foods that affect the degree of blood thinning that will happen....green leafy vegetables is one of them, and that's not information that everyone knows. Basically foods that are high in Vitamin K, since Vitamin K is a blood coagulator and so the 2 would work against each other. Here's one site...there are others

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061104133126AA574no

Once she is out of the hospital, she will need to get bloodwork drawn periodically to monitor how thin her blood is so they can adjust the Coumadin dose if necessary. When I first got out of the hospital, it was once every 3-4 days, then it got to be once a week, then once every couple of weeks once they got the dosing right...it does take a little "playing with" so tell her to be patient with that part.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Disney Doll--thanks for that information. I will pass along the information about vitamin K to my Mom tonight (and tell her about the filters so she can ask about them).

I am not sure if they think they know the casuse or not--one of the things I want to talk to Mom about tonight as well. I know she has not been on an airplane in over a year. I do think she was on a long car trip (from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta area) shortly before this happened (the swelling may have started then--don't know) which, of course, would have required her to sit a lot. She is a realtor so there are days when she sits a lot in the office or car, but other days when she is out and walking around plenty.
She did wear an estrogen patch for many years and may still wear it; I will ask her. I take it there is a link between taking hormones and these clots?

 

[Desiree]

I know I can't take my birth control pills anymore. Which was likely a big factor in my clotting episodes.

 

[SingingMUA]

Disney Doll--thanks for that information. I will pass along the information about vitamin K to my Mom tonight (and tell her about the filters so she can ask about them).

I am not sure if they think they know the casuse or not--one of the things I want to talk to Mom about tonight as well. I know she has not been on an airplane in over a year. I do think she was on a long car trip (from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta area) shortly before this happened (the swelling may have started then--don't know) which, of course, would have required her to sit a lot. She is a realtor so there are days when she sits a lot in the office or car, but other days when she is out and walking around plenty.
She did wear an estrogen patch for many years and may still wear it; I will ask her. I take it there is a link between taking hormones and these clots?

Yes, there is... hormones (for whatever reason) makes a person more prone to clots. I can never take BC again (I took it briefly in my early 20's to help with feminine irregularity), and I also cannot have children (due to my Lupus and also the clotting problems).

And yes, the PP who mentioned the Vit K... absolutely correct (forgot to mention that in my earlier post). She will have to be pretty strict with the amount of leafy green/dark green veggies she eats. And she will have to stick to whatever amount she wants to eat. For instance, if she eats a small green salad everyday, then she will need to be sure and do that EVERYDAY. Changing it up will affect the INR which will cause the Coumadin dosage to continually need to be adjusted. And yes, she will also have to go and have her INR checked every so often. When I first got out of the hospital, it was once every couple days, then once a week for a little while, and now it's once every 3-4 weeks. OP... for your and your family.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

PPs have covered it pretty well.

I'll add that investigating the cause (which often remains unknown) is a big part of the work up. Sometimes people have blood clotting disorders, ie hypercoagulable states, without knowing it. http://medinfo.ufl.edu/year2/coag/hypcoag.html

FYI we assess every patient who's admitted to the hospital for their risk of developing blood clots, and place them on preventative measures. In case anyone wondered why their loved ones were made to wear compression stockings or had injections into their bellies.

 

[SaraJayne]

I'm glad your Mom is going to be okay.

In the future, a great online resource is WebMD.com. It's a comphehensive site that has good, accurate info.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

PPs have covered it pretty well.

I'll add that investigating the cause (which often remains unknown) is a big part of the work up. Sometimes people have blood clotting disorders, ie hypercoagulable states, without knowing it. http://medinfo.ufl.edu/year2/coag/hypcoag.html

FYI we assess every patient who's admitted to the hospital for their risk of developing blood clots, and place them on preventative measures. In case anyone wondered why their loved ones were made to wear compression stockings or had injections into their bellies.

OP - I would urge you to get to a Hematologist and have yourself tested for any type of clotting disorder. My Mom, brother and I all have a genetic clotting disorder which wasn't discovered until my entire family was tested after my brother developed a DVT in his leg. I had to take heparin shots in my belly while pregnant with DS2 because of a suspected clot. NOT fun!

I can not take any type of hormonal treatment because of the clotting disorder and I have been advised to wear compression stockings when I fly long trips (over 2 hours) and get up and walk around as much as possible.

SingingMUA - So glad you came through ok and so sorry you are having lingering effects. One of my closest friends has lupus and she suffers terribly.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Don't want to freak you out, but....

This is very serious - she has a blood clot in her ankle. With good fortune, it will be treated with blood thinners (for at least 6 months) and cause her no further problems as the clot dissolves or is absorbed into the vein.

This happened to my husband 3 months ago and the clot broke off and went into his lung, thankfully without us knowing. But that breakoff clot could easily have killed him. It's called a pulmonary embolus.

I would recommend getting on the internet, get yourself educated, and help your mother handle this the best she can. For right now, it's blood thinners and rest. When she's back on her feet, it's exercise, exercise, exercise. Inactivity helps them to form.

Very serious condition....I was on blood thinners for 3+ years. I had clots in my legs & some made it into my lungs. By the time I was in the ER they gave me very serious possibilities & ended up on the cardiac floor for 10 days.
At this point I have to have injections before I fly long flights but at the peak I was going for my INR (blood tests) up to 5 times a week because the medication was so hard to regulate.
*I didn't have typical symptoms.....no swelling or redness. I had what I thought was a pulled muscle in my leg & then finally shortness of breath that made me go to the ER.

Sending good wishes to your Mom.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I'm glad your Mom is going to be okay.

In the future, a great online resource is WebMD.com. It's a comphehensive site that has good, accurate info.

Thanks. I actually use WebMD a lot--it is a great resource. I didn't know to put in Deep Vein Thrombosis that first night--just "acute thrombosis" and it came back with mostly articles about childhood cancers which didn't tell me much. I needed more info to even know where to start looking.

OP - I would urge you to get to a Hematologist and have yourself tested for any type of clotting disorder. My Mom, brother and I all have a genetic clotting disorder which wasn't discovered until my entire family was tested after my brother developed a DVT in his leg. I had to take heparin shots in my belly while pregnant with DS2 because of a suspected clot. NOT fun!

I can not take any type of hormonal treatment because of the clotting disorder and I have been advised to wear compression stockings when I fly long trips (over 2 hours) and get up and walk around as much as possible.

SingingMUA - So glad you came through ok and so sorry you are having lingering effects. One of my closest friends has lupus and she suffers terribly.

Thanks for that advice. I actaully have a doctor's appointment next week and am planning to ask if I should have any tests due to this.