Blood clots, anyone?

[Sarah_Rose]

It turns out that my giant Shrek foot that showed up last week is not just a normal part of being 37 weeks pregnant during a hot summer, and I was referred for a vascular ultrasound to check for blood clots. My appointment is this afternoon.

Anyone have any experience with heparin shots/IV for blood clots? It appears that the normal oral medication for breaking up blood clots can't be used while pregnant, so (if I did have a clot) I would be put on blood thinners to break up the clot... however, apparently this can be risky in late pregnancy because of the risk of heavy bleeding during labor.

Anyone have any experience? There seems to be very little information online about this, which surprises me considering blood clots seem to be a fairly common problem during pregnancy.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Blood clots are quite serious. But on a positive note, at 37 weeks I believe you are considered full term and the baby could be delivered early if they deem it necessary.

My DM had a blood clot in each lung and was hospitalized for 10 days. My aunt just recently got out of the hospital for blood clots. The drug they put both my DM and aunt on was called coumadin (spelling?). My DM, an RN, always refers to it as rat poison. So there is probably something in there that would definitely be toxic to the baby. And yes, I can see why they wouldn't want you on blood thinnners right before you deliver.

Good luck with everything and please follow your doctor's advice.

 

[LaurenLC]

I don't have a ton to share because our situations are a little different, but I ended up in the hospital for a week two weeks after giving birth because I ended up with a blood clot in my lung. I received heparin while in the hospital, but I will now be on Coumadin for 6-9 months.
I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Why don't they just deliver the baby and then take care of you? Blood clots are usually resolved easily but can be very dangerous. I wouldn't take chances that the clot could get jogged loose and that they couldn't treat me properly due to the pregnancy.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Honestly, I don't know how I would be treated if I did have a blood clot - at this point, they might just induce labor and then do the treatment. As I said, I couldn't find much information at all on the internet, and so was wondering if anyone had any experience.

At this point, it would be a bit of a relief to be induced, but I also know that it is in the baby's best interests to stay put for as long as possible, as long as the risks are low. I've always had the feeling that this baby was going to be early.... but I never thought it would be this way!

I have no idea - I'm mostly just killing time by soliciting medical opinions on a Disney forum while waiting to actually speak to a professional. Because we all know how well that usually turns out.

 

[Zeldy2]

Usually, they can treat blood clots pretty easily when they're not in lungs or some important organs. But for the pregnancy i'm not sure about that Depends on the medication they'Re giving to you, Heparin prevents the blood from coagulate so it could make you bleed more during labors, but some other, designed to break de clot don't have these side effect. But as you said, this is not an uncommon problem and doctors know what to do in these situation Thrust them and don't hesitate to ask any questions if you feel insecure, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to answer your questions

Good luck for the reste of your preagnancy for you and your family

 

[Desiree]

I have a predisposition to clotting (only discovered after I had DVT's in both legs) so I'm on Coumadin forever. I don't know much about it if I happened to get pregnant (but that's not gonna happen); but I do know they will probably give the heprin shots in the belly at first. Then maybe after you deliver you'll be on coumadin.

 

[Aristomommy]

I had DVTs while 36 weeks along. I was on IV heparin for 5 days while on strict bedrest at the hospital and then transitioned into heparin injections (Lovenox). You are right that oral coumadin is not safe while pregnant.

DS was born at 37 weeks. After the bedrest I went into labor pretty quickly. I was on blood thinners for about 10 months after he was born.

Please PM me if you have any questions. I happened to come across an awesome hematologist who helped me make sense of it all and educated me on the subject matter.

Being pregnant and with blood clot is a unique situation and you cannot compare it to another non-pregnant person with DVTs.

 

[Aristomommy]

Why don't they just deliver the baby and then take care of you? Blood clots are usually resolved easily but can be very dangerous. I wouldn't take chances that the clot could get jogged loose and that they couldn't treat me properly due to the pregnancy.

Because blood thinners are absolutely needed the first couple of days to dissolve the clots or help with calcification. If you deliver while on blood thinners you can loose a lot of blood. Once I went into labor, I stopped the heparin and I still lost a lot of blood. As long as baby is safe, it's more important to address the clots right away.

 

[escape]

Oh, Sarah! Sorry you're having to go through this. I'll keep you and the baby in my thoughts and prayers.

Keep us informed!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Because blood thinners are absolutely needed the first couple of days to dissolve the clots or help with calcification. If you deliver while on blood thinners you can loose a lot of blood. Once I went into labor, I stopped the heparin and I still lost a lot of blood. As long as baby is safe, it's more important to address the clots right away.

But that doesn't explain why the baby isn't delivered right now, before treatment. By right now I mean right now.

 

[mookie]

I was on Heparin with my last two kids for the entire pregnancy when they found out I was predispostioned to blood clots. It's injected subcutaneously. It is a bit nerve wracking to be on these when you are about to go into labor, but the alternative is also just as dangerous....you DON'T want a blood clot to develop during labor (or after) just as much as you don't want to overbleed. The Heparin only lasts in your system 12 hours, so usually, going into labor shouldn't be a problem, and you should have enough time from your last shot to deliver. If they see you are dilating atyour weekly checkups (as they did me) they will tell you to cut back on the shots, from twice a day to once. Then when labor starts, you should be okay. Once you give birth, you'll probably be on it for 6 mos or so after, as well. Good luck! I hated those shots....I couldn't do it and had to have DH give them to me the entire time. If it hurts too much, ice the area for about 10 minutes before you inject. It cuts down on the burn. Hope everything goes smoothly!

 

[WDWBarb]

It turns out that my giant Shrek foot that showed up last week is not just a normal part of being 37 weeks pregnant during a hot summer, and I was referred for a vascular ultrasound to check for blood clots. My appointment is this afternoon.

Anyone have any experience with heparin shots/IV for blood clots? It appears that the normal oral medication for breaking up blood clots can't be used while pregnant, so (if I did have a clot) I would be put on blood thinners to break up the clot... however, apparently this can be risky in late pregnancy because of the risk of heavy bleeding during labor.

Anyone have any experience? There seems to be very little information online about this, which surprises me considering blood clots seem to be a fairly common problem during pregnancy.

I had the giant Shrek foot, too, about a month before delivery. I woke up, felt a "squish" when I stepped out of bed and looked down to see a HUGE, swollen, squishy foot. I called the doctor's office later that day and my doctor insisted that I rush right to the hospital. I couldn't imagine why he thought it was such a big deal (even though I gained 9 lbs that day... something I should have thought more of) but went and got an ultrasound on my leg. Turned out there were no clots, only a baby lying on some nerve that she shouldn't have. When I gave birth the leg went down in a matter of minutes to normal size (all 9 lbs of fluid!).

How did your appointment go? Hopefully it was a false alarm like mine was.

 

[Aristomommy]

But that doesn't explain why the baby isn't delivered right now, before treatment. By right now I mean right now.

Because there is a blood clot just waiting to bust loose and float in the blood stream that can cause serious health issues. Non-pregnant people are usually on bed rest for 2-3 days while waiting for the Heparin to work. Delivery is anything but immobile. The baby is usually fine since the Heparin does not get to the baby, coumadin would.

In the end, it is a question of lesser of two evils. If baby is fine, focus on mom and get the clot to a safe stage before delivery.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I had the giant Shrek foot, too, about a month before delivery. I woke up, felt a "squish" when I stepped out of bed and looked down to see a HUGE, swollen, squishy foot. I called the doctor's office later that day and my doctor insisted that I rush right to the hospital. I couldn't imagine why he thought it was such a big deal (even though I gained 9 lbs that day... something I should have thought more of) but went and got an ultrasound on my leg. Turned out there were no clots, only a baby lying on some nerve that she shouldn't have. When I gave birth the leg went down in a matter of minutes to normal size (all 9 lbs of fluid!).

How did your appointment go? Hopefully it was a false alarm like mine was.

I had my appointment this afternoon, and it looks like this is also the case for me! They didn't find any clots, but the baby is severely compressing the veins on the left side of my abdomen. Also, apparently I have a valve in my left calf that doesn't work at all, and so is not helping to move blood back out of my foot.

Anyway, I'm so relieved that it's not a blood clot! And I'm glad to hear that everything went back to normal for you, Barb, after your baby was born! I haven't spoke to my doctor about the results yet (she is out of the clinic on Tuesdays), but I'm just so relieved to hear that it isn't anything immediately dangerous!

Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts, everyone! It really did help to pass the time while I was going nuts waiting to go to my appointment!

 

[WDWBarb]

I had my appointment this afternoon, and it looks like this is also the case for me! They didn't find any clots, but the baby is severely compressing the veins on the left side of my abdomen. Also, apparently I have a valve in my left calf that doesn't work at all, and so is not helping to move blood back out of my foot.

Anyway, I'm so relieved that it's not a blood clot! And I'm glad to hear that everything went back to normal for you, Barb, after your baby was born! I haven't spoke to my doctor about the results yet (she is out of the clinic on Tuesdays), but I'm just so relieved to hear that it isn't anything immediately dangerous!

Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts, everyone! It really did help to pass the time while I was going nuts waiting to go to my appointment!

Great news!! I'm so happy to hear this. My doctor put me on crutches for the rest of my pregnancy (I felt like a bowling ball trying to balance on two toothpicks!!). I'm about as graceful as a buffalo and I was a danger to myself and others.

So here's hoping you don't have to navigate on crutches until the big day!

 

[Aristomommy]

I had my appointment this afternoon, and it looks like this is also the case for me! They didn't find any clots, but the baby is severely compressing the veins on the left side of my abdomen. Also, apparently I have a valve in my left calf that doesn't work at all, and so is not helping to move blood back out of my foot.

Anyway, I'm so relieved that it's not a blood clot! And I'm glad to hear that everything went back to normal for you, Barb, after your baby was born! I haven't spoke to my doctor about the results yet (she is out of the clinic on Tuesdays), but I'm just so relieved to hear that it isn't anything immediately dangerous!

Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts, everyone! It really did help to pass the time while I was going nuts waiting to go to my appointment!

I am so glad that there are no clots. Please be very careful, as I got my clots from the same situation (DS's big head compressing the groin area). Did they tell you to try to decompress by laying on a certain side? For left foot swelling it would be to lay on your right side. I also would recommend wearing a compression sock (knee high) to avoid too much fluid staying in the calf area.

Glad to hear good news!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Great news!! I'm so happy to hear this. My doctor put me on crutches for the rest of my pregnancy (I felt like a bowling ball trying to balance on two toothpicks!!). I'm about as graceful as a buffalo and I was a danger to myself and others.

So here's hoping you don't have to navigate on crutches until the big day!

I am so glad that there are no clots. Please be very careful, as I got my clots from the same situation (DS's big head compressing the groin area). Did they tell you to try to decompress by laying on a certain side? For left foot swelling it would be to lay on your right side. I also would recommend wearing a compression sock (knee high) to avoid too much fluid staying in the calf area.

Glad to hear good news!

I'm waiting to hear from my doctor to find out what her recommendations are... I was waiting for the phone to ring this afternoon, before remembering that I won't hear from her until she gets into the office tomorrow morning. Man, I hope I don't end up on crutches for the next three weeks! It wouldn't be a pretty sight!

Also, thank you for the compression sock advice; I actually have a pair of knee-high sports compression socks that I use for shin pain for running - I'm not sure if they're the same compression level as medical compression socks, but it's definitely worth putting them on until I talk to my doctor.

Thanks again for all the advice and happy thoughts!

 

[Disney Doll]

Lie on your right side and see if you can get some of the pressure off the left side.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Happy to hear your good news!