@DavidS - I've just found this thread after taking part in the one about quiet roads/tracks round Keighley. I didn't notice this thread at the time, probably because it started off about back pain rather than a DVT.
I had a very similar experience to you in 2012 and a relapse in 2013, both before you joined the forum so you
may (somehow!
) have missed my posts on the subject ...
I thought that I had flu but in fact I had developed a PE (pulmonary embolism) after an undiagnosed DVT broke up. Some clots wedged in my lungs and gave me major coughing fits which led to the back pain. I initially got treated for the pain because the clotting had not been suspected at that point. Then, like you, I collapsed in the bathroom, sweating, delirious and extremely short of breath.
My leg by then had started hurting, got very swollen and purple. I ended up in hospital for 9 days and on warfarin for about 8 months. They tried taking me off the pills but the same thing happened again so I am on them for life now.
I was told that once you have had a DVT you will always be at increased risk of having another one because scar tissue in the damaged vein can interfere with the blood flow. So, if/when you get taken off your medication, remain vigilant! If you are going to have a blood clot in your leg, you want to get it treated while it is still there, and not risk it breaking up and potentially killing or crippling you.
I have made a pretty good recovery but even 6 years on, my left leg still swells up. The left calf is 2.0-2.5 cm bigger than the right. The tiny non-return valves in the veins in your legs are very easily damaged and they can't be fixed once they are. The result is that blood can pool in your leg post-DVT. Like you, I found that compression socks help keep the swelling down. Watch out for special offers in Lidl and Aldi. I have been able to get them for about £5 a pair, which is a lot less than they normally cost. (Unless you can get them on prescription, of course.)
My leg is now fine when I am cycling or walking (the action of the muscles helps to keep the blood moving) but I can't sit comfortably in a conventional chair at a desk any more, and I don't like standing still. I now always have to stretch my bad leg out when travelling on trains, cars or buses. If I ever fly again I will have to book a seat with extra legroom - I would be in big trouble without it. I always use a foot stool now when sitting down at home.
It took me about a year of gradually increasing exercise to get most of my fitness back and I am being careful now not to lose it again.
So ... there is light at the end of the tunnel! If you work at it, I hope that you can get back to a good level of fitness too.
