Two years on and another DVT !

[fossyant]

Hope you are OK OP.

 

[AlanW]

Hope you are OK OP.

Seen a doctor, but still waiting for the scan

 

[ColinJ]

I hope that you don't have to hang around too much longer waiting for that scan!

This thread and the recurrent problem in my leg have reminded me to use a timer on my phone to get me to my feet and moving around. Every hour now I am told to MOVE!!! I easily slip into the habit of spending 4 or 5 hours staring at my laptop screen and not moving from the sofa - a very good way of encouraging clots to form.

 

[AlanW]

Well after many hours waiting the CT scan was cancelled? I assumed that I would have been contacted over the weekend but sadly not

Meanwhile the GP has rung me this morning, I have blood tests arranged for Wednesday and a ECG on Thursday and she has now requested an urgent x-ray, so no idea what happened about the CT scan??

But despite being on double dose of blood thinners for a week now, the aching in my right calf persists. Which when I mentioned this to the GP she didn't seem overly concerned?

 

[ColinJ]

Well after many hours waiting the CT scan was cancelled? I assumed that I would have been contacted over the weekend but sadly not

I was worried that you were still there!

I know the NHS is under pressure, but sometimes they could make more effort to keep patients informed!

Meanwhile the GP has rung me this morning, I have blood tests arranged for Wednesday and a ECG on Thursday and she has now requested an urgent x-ray, so no idea what happened about the CT scan??

I would guess that the CT scanner is a more critical resource than the x-ray unit! The thing is, CT scans are much better for spotting clots than x-rays are...

But despite being on double dose of blood thinners for a week now, the aching in my right calf persists. Which when I mentioned this to the GP she didn't seem overly concerned?

I have been explaining all week to my friends and family that the treatment for blood clots is anticoagulants. Once you are on them, then not much else will be done in most cases. There isn't much point in me using up vital NHS resources only for them to eventually tell me what I already know - I am prone to clotting, I probably have another one, and yes - I DO need to keep taking the tablets!

You are not yet in that situation. It may be that you can come back off the anticoagulants eventually but first they will probably be checking to see if you have extra risk factors. My mother suffered similar problems to me so maybe I was always at increased risk due to some genetic issues? (That might be what your coming blood tests are for?)

I reckon your GP is not concerned because you are receiving the treatment and your leg is not going to heal overnight. Mine never did heal completely, but the pain did go away after a month or so. Again back to keeping patients informed though... A better explanation of what is going on would help to put your mind at rest.

I think that you will just have to ask lots of questions if the doctors don't tell you enough otherwise.

 

[tinywheels]

I was worried that you were still there!

I know the NHS is under pressure, but sometimes they could make more effort to keep patients informed!

I would guess that the CT scanner is a more critical resource than the x-ray unit! The thing is, CT scans are much better for spotting clots than x-rays are...


I have been explaining all week to my friends and family that the treatment for blood clots is anticoagulants. Once you are on them, then not much else will be done in most cases. There isn't much point in me using up vital NHS resources only for them to eventually tell me what I already know - I am prone to clotting, I probably have another one, and yes - I DO need to keep taking the tablets!

You are not yet in that situation. It may be that you can come back off the anticoagulants eventually but first they will probably be checking to see if you have extra risk factors. My mother suffered similar problems to me so maybe I was always at increased risk due to some genetic issues? (That might be what your coming blood tests are for?)

I reckon your GP is not concerned because you are receiving the treatment and your leg is not going to heal overnight. Mine never did heal completely, but the pain did go away after a month or so. Again back to keeping patients informed though... A better explanation of what is going on would help to put your mind at rest.

I think that you will just have to ask lots of questions if the doctors don't tell you enough otherwise.

Interesting the op is still here asking for advice etc.
as per my original post. I reccomend talking to your gp.why did you leave the hospital without an explanation of what's happening, and what if any ,your treatment is now.
if you do not ask the medical staff about your condition and treatment then you will end up in this situation.
I am not a doctor therefore I am not qualified to give advice. I am however a radiographer who works in a large hospital. mainly in A +E .
your story is not exceptional. without fail patients inability to ask simple questions results in situations like this.
if you are concerned about your condition, GP or 111 if your condition permits, otherwise A+E. not random strangers on an Internet forum.
I wish you well, and remember the medical staff involved your care, are the people who can answer your questions.

 

[AlanW]

Interesting the op is still here asking for advice etc.
as per my original post. I reccomend talking to your gp.why did you leave the hospital without an explanation of what's happening, and what if any ,your treatment is now.
if you do not ask the medical staff about your condition and treatment then you will end up in this situation.
I am not a doctor therefore I am not qualified to give advice. I am however a radiographer who works in a large hospital. mainly in A +E .
your story is not exceptional. without fail patients inability to ask simple questions results in situations like this.
if you are concerned about your condition, GP or 111 if your condition permits, otherwise A+E. not random strangers on an Internet forum.
I wish you well, and remember the medical staff involved your care, are the people who can answer your questions.

Odd, but I'm not sure if you are reading the same thread as me, but I really don't recall asking anyone on here for any medical advice?

Why on earth do you think I (or anyone else for that matter) would ask on a cycling forum about a potentially serious medical issue rather than speaking to a medical professional?

With the greatest of respect, but please take some time to re read my post (s) again, and you will note that I have been in constant communication with my GP.

Yes, in my first post I made reference to a question being unanswered, and that was directed to the haematologist about if the recent blood clot was a result of the recent op. and that question remains unanswered until I have done the blood tests.

 

[PK99]

My hematologist was very clear: after an unprovoked DVT I was on Rivaroxaban for life.
Othe risk factors: Male, age over 60, height 6ft2

 

[AlanW]

My hematologist was very clear: after an unprovoked DVT I was on Rivaroxaban for life.
Othe risk factors: Male, age over 60, height 6ft2

Yes, I suspect that will be the message I will be given to. I asked the GP and she suspected that would be the case but it would be down to the haematologist for the final say

 

[ianbarton]

Yes, I suspect that will be the message I will be given to. I asked the GP and she suspected that would be the case but it would be down to the haematologist for the final say

It might be worth discussing which anti-coagulant you are being given. Warfarin can be neutralized with potassium. If you have any injury which involves heavy bleeding this might be important. My information about anti-coagulants is out of date, but a few years ago if you had a serious bleed other coagulants couldn't be neutralized.

 

[AlanW]

It might be worth discussing which anti-coagulant you are being given. Warfarin can be neutralized with potassium. If you have any injury which involves heavy bleeding this might be important. My information about anti-coagulants is out of date, but a few years ago if you had a serious bleed other coagulants couldn't be neutralized.

I'm on Apixaban this time round and Rivaroxaban last time

 

[ColinJ]

Othe risk factors: Male, age over 60, height 6ft2

And as for those all-knowing doctors...

I had to point out to my doctors the clotting risk due to my height (6' 1")! They had not seen the research... [For example - Taller height as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism - "Taller height is associated with an increased risk of VTE in adults of European ancestry. Possible explanations for this association, including that taller people may have greater venous surface area, greater number of venous valves, or greater hydrostatic pressure, need to be explored further."]

 

[Shortandcrisp]

Interesting the op is still here asking for advice etc.
as per my original post. I reccomend talking to your gp.why did you leave the hospital without an explanation of what's happening, and what if any ,your treatment is now.
if you do not ask the medical staff about your condition and treatment then you will end up in this situation.
I am not a doctor therefore I am not qualified to give advice. I am however a radiographer who works in a large hospital. mainly in A +E .
your story is not exceptional. without fail patients inability to ask simple questions results in situations like this.
if you are concerned about your condition, GP or 111 if your condition permits, otherwise A+E. not random strangers on an Internet forum.
I wish you well, and remember the medical staff involved your care, are the people who can answer your questions.

That’s all very well and good if you know what questions to ask, but it’s not always that simple. On a number of occasions I’ve arrived home from our local surgery only to think to myself - b*gger, if only I’d thought to ask that! Thats why most of us rely on professionals to give us the information we need and to explain why we’re being treated the way we are.

 

[ianbarton]

That’s all very well and good if you know what questions to ask, but it’s not always that simple. On a number of occasions I’ve arrived home from our local surgery only to think to myself - b*gger, if only I’d thought to ask that! Thats why most of us rely on professionals to give us the information we need and to explain why we’re being treated the way we are.

If it's something that requires a bit of explanation you can always ask if it's OK to record it. Most phones are capable of recording. When you get home you can listen to the recording and make sure you can understand everything in the consulatation.

 

[ColinJ]

That 'asking random strangers on the internet' thing really bugs me!

Yes, most of us are not doctors, and doctors ARE the people to ask about clinical matters, but when I spoke to my doctors about coping with the illness, I got 2 basic responses...

Dr. Pessimist: "This is a very serious illness. If you survive, you may suffer life-long pain and/or disability. Keep taking the tablets. Fingers crossed, eh!"

My half full glass was clearly soon going to be nearly empty... I felt like I might as well top myself there and then!

Dr. Optimist: "While this IS a very serious illness, as long as you keep taking the tablets you will probably survive, and probably will not suffer life-long pain and/or disability. Fingers crossed, eh!"

Very much a 'glass half full' doctor, but I was not entirely convinced!

Some 'random strangers on the internet' were much more comforting...

"I had the same problem and it took me a year to get over the worst of it, but I am back on my bike now and 90% recovered."

"I feel a lot better now, though my leg still swells up so I wear compression socks, which help."

"I have known lots of people with clotting problems. The ones who made lifestyle changes and took the illness seriously made good recoveries. Many others just took the pills, but carried on eating junk food, smoking, getting little exercise... they did NOT do well!"

etc.