Blood Clots

[Taylor]

Anyone have any experience with a blood clot in the leg? I was diagnosed early in December with a blood clot in my right leg. Could be due to my family history, or my recent flight to Germany. I doubt it was the flight, since I do this on a frequent basis.

This entire situation has turned into a royal pain in the butt. I was at the doctors 3 times last week, and 2 times this week. I have had CAT scans on my entire body looking for embulisions (spelling?) and have had about 3 gallons of blood taken (maybe not quite 3). I have to give myself an injection of lovenex daily in the stomach, and my whole stomach is black & blue (guess I could never be an intravenous drug user - I just don't have the skill).

My response to the medication (coumadin) has been slow, which is why I keep going back to the doctor.

Anyone have a similiar experience?

 

[ElizK]

Not me, but my dad has had several. It's scary and dangerous stuff. Take care of yourself!

 

[AmazingGrace]

Yeah, I had a large blood clot in my left leg two weeks post partum. I had to take coumadin for a year and get my blood drawn once a week. It's a really scary thing knowing that your body can just turn on you like that.

 

[Chattyaholic]

Two years ago I had a blood clot in my left leg, didn't know it. There was a tender spot on my leg that felt warm to the touch and was swollen a few days. Since I am not one to go to the doctor very often I didn't pay it much attention and I SHOULD HAVE!!! I ended up in the hospital later (after a week of severe shortness of breath, going to the doctor a couple of times and them finding nothing, then finally sending me for a CT scan and found it) with severe pulmonary embolism in my lungs. I was there four days, on a heparin drip and getting blood drawn every 6 hours (sometimes more). It was HORRIBLE!! When I finally got to come home I had to be on Coumadin for a year, so blood work each month to keep it regulated (I HATE having blood drawn!!). They had no idea why I had the blood clot as I'm really not "at risk" to get one. Hopefully it NEVER happens again! But if I ever DO have a tender "hot spot" on my leg I will go right away, as they can do an ultrasound to see if it's a clot and start medication right away and not have to be hospitalized. GOOD LUCK with your blood clot, they aren't fun, that's for sure!! Keep doing what your doctor tells you!

 

[Poohnatic]

I've got a clot right now, Vascular surgeon can't see me until the 4th. This is my fourth clot, I've gotten to the point where I can pinpoint them early on.

Coumadin can take a while to be at full efficacy. I was on it for a year after my DVT, and it probably took a month to get it regulated well. Vitamin K causes your blood to clot, so if you eat a lot of leafy greens (spinach, kale) or broccoli, you're counteracting it's ability to dissolve. Let your doctor know-most doctors would prefer to adjust meds than to have you remove these entirely from your diet.

I've never used Lovenox, but I was injecting myself with Heparin multiple (6) times daily when I was pregnant with my younger son. Pin cushion-I resembled that...a huge, bruised, painful belly. Since it's subcutaneous, you're fine. I found that a quick jab worked best.

You're probably getting prothrombin time tests. It's testing how long it's taking your blood to clot. I don't want to give numbers, because I've had two vascular surgeons and they each had a different standard to achieve!

A suggestion, if you can get a hot/cold pack, do it. I would warm one up in boiling water every night for about a month and place it on my clot site (wrapped in a towel) for a half hour. It definitely helped with pain and swelling.

If you fly a lot, try to get a bulkhead seat if at all possible. Notify the flight attendants that you have clotting issues, and try to stand up, stretch your legs and move during your flights. As a result of the vascular issues, I end up preboarding now. I've never had a problem with getting up and stretching the legs (flown twice with clots), the flight crews have always been accommodating.

Didn't mean to write a novel, but others with clots are far more common than you realize!

Suzanne