DVT and you haven't flown anywhere

[Hugo Stiglitz]

It's also in my entire leg. So I guess the first week or two was hairy? Or could be classed as potentially life ending.

Anyone else been through this?

[spikeyhead]

Worked with a guy who got one from sitting in a traffic jam for a few hours. Took him a few months but made a decent recovery

[nekrum]

Hey, I’m about 18 months ahead of you. Only found out I have DVT when I got a pulmonary embolism, no symptoms until then. My clots became loose and travelled to my lungs.

Without wanting to scare you, it is a serious condition and could be life threatening.. have they got you on anticoagulants yet?.. most people are fine and fully recover.

I’ve developed more clots despite being on the anticoagulants, on further investigation I’ve got a genetic disposition to clots which wasn’t checked when I had the pulmonary embolism. Essentially I’ve been on the wrong dose of medication for 18 months and a ticking time bomb.

Make sure they screen you for any genetic issues especially if you can’t pin down why you developed the DVT.

[FreeLitres]

Does taking regular low dose of aspirin help prevent the clots forming?

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Yes I'm on blood thinners and they've had me back twice more at A&E for more tests, chest xrays etc. Originally I thought I'd torn my calf muscle, went cycling twice then tried to roller it off with a tin of beans under my calf against a wooden floor.. it relieved it slightly but I wonder if that broke off some of the clots..


I'd also donated blood a week before but maybe that was coincidence or it triggered over clotting?

[FreeLitres]

This is pretty scary. I hope you get everything back under control.

[mac96]

I had one about 10 years ago which appeared to have been caused by spending a few days in bed with flu. I was on Warfarin for a few months and have been fine since.

Good luck.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

mac96 said:

I had one about 10 years ago which appeared to have been caused by spending a few days in bed with flu. I was on Warfarin for a few months and have been fine since.

Good luck.

This is the thing. I've spent largely over a month before inactive. Sat down, not moving much.

Then when I start moving again- pow.

[Bill]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

This is the thing. I've spent largely over a month before inactive. Sat down, not moving much.

That's the cause.

Hugo Stiglitz said:

Then when I start moving again- pow.

That's the effect. When you started moving and trying to get blood flowing it became painful.

[BlackTails]

nekrum said:

I’ve developed more clots despite being on the anticoagulants, on further investigation I’ve got a genetic disposition to clots which wasn’t checked when I had the pulmonary embolism. Essentially I’ve been on the wrong dose of medication for 18 months and a ticking time bomb.

Sorry to hear about this. DVTs are nasty things.

As you may have been told, a clot, even once cleared, leaves a form of scarring on the vein wall. The scarring makes the vein wall less smooth, and so more susceptible to an accumulation of platelets, which makes it more likely to generate another clot.

Double trouble, if you have a genetic predisposition already.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Exercise, mobility and diet are my mantra now.

I've dropped cured red meat (always been a big fan of cured sausages, bacon, Chorizo etc) and I've dropped all bread.

Sadly I don't think I can donate blood again.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Thursday 5th September 08:48

[thepawbroon]

I had the same!

I suffered a very painful DVT in Sept 2021 in my left leg, there is now a full clot pretty much the length of my thigh. Between myself and a lot of specialists, we've never been able to pin down the exact cause, so probably a combination of lifestyle/weight/diet with perhaps a hint of Phizer vaccine.

Currently it hurts a bit - there is pain caused by swelling and it has induced almost permanent plantar fasciitis - it swells about 10% during the day, and goes down at night when I'm lying down. The swelling / pain is a little bit less when I wear compression socks all day, but that's not always practical - the socks also exacerbate some skin problems which have been caused by the DVT - my blood is returning via non-ideal paths and causing various irritations.

As a result, I am on the waiting list for an operation - look up ACCESS PTS for a description.

I hope you don't need that, and good luck with your recovery. But if you are not making satisfactory progress, try and get referred to Prof Stephen Black at St Thomas' Hospital in London. I'm lucky it's not far from home, but it does seem that he's the only guy in the UK with a really good knowledge.

In the meantime, I'm on Apixaban (blood thinner) tablets, squeezy socks, fruit & veg, as much low-impact exercise as I can manage and quite a lot of hobbling around.

Good luck! I wouldn't wish the initial pain on anyone.....

[Peanut Gallery]

Please take it gentle, as others have mentioned clots can break off and cause a pulmonary embolism. They can break off with a little bit of moderate excersize, bit of weight loss, anything that helps improve blood circulation, and if the clot hits the wrong spot.. well you won't have to worry again.

Unfortunately I have personal experience of this.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

thepawbroon said:

I had the same!

I suffered a very painful DVT in Sept 2021 in my left leg, there is now a full clot pretty much the length of my thigh. Between myself and a lot of specialists, we've never been able to pin down the exact cause, so probably a combination of lifestyle/weight/diet with perhaps a hint of Phizer vaccine.

Currently it hurts a bit - there is pain caused by swelling and it has induced almost permanent plantar fasciitis - it swells about 10% during the day, and goes down at night when I'm lying down. The swelling / pain is a little bit less when I wear compression socks all day, but that's not always practical - the socks also exacerbate some skin problems which have been caused by the DVT - my blood is returning via non-ideal paths and causing various irritations.

As a result, I am on the waiting list for an operation - look up ACCESS PTS for a description.

I hope you don't need that, and good luck with your recovery. But if you are not making satisfactory progress, try and get referred to Prof Stephen Black at St Thomas' Hospital in London. I'm lucky it's not far from home, but it does seem that he's the only guy in the UK with a really good knowledge.

In the meantime, I'm on Apixaban (blood thinner) tablets, squeezy socks, fruit & veg, as much low-impact exercise as I can manage and quite a lot of hobbling around.

Good luck! I wouldn't wish the initial pain on anyone.....

Ouch! When I thought it was a pulled or ripped calf muscle I was limping badly and couldn't extend or flex my calf muscle. Once on my mountain bike I did an evening then a full longer ride the next day in the Surrey Hills. Then I drove back to Manchester.

I also remember breathing heavily at points. Overly breathing.

fk knows how that didn't go sideways but I had no chest pain, nothing else and never in a million years would I have thought oh that's dvt. It was only my brother who told me dvt/get to A&E!

[nekrum]

Peanut Gallery said:

Please take it gentle, as others have mentioned clots can break off and cause a pulmonary embolism. They can break off with a little bit of moderate excersize, bit of weight loss, anything that helps improve blood circulation, and if the clot hits the wrong spot.. well you won't have to worry again.

Unfortunately I have personal experience of this.

This!.. keep active but also be cautious..

[Colonel Cupcake]

I got a few DVTs after being on crutches and sitting down far longer than usual. Six months on Rivaroxaban cleared them up. I still have leg pain which may or may not be due to the DVTs. I take 75mg of Aspirin a day as a preventative.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

No pain in foot or calf (now) after the initial feeling like I had a pencil rammed into the calf muscle.

I'm not going back to Judo for a few months

My diet is good and I'm taking the tablets religiously.


However I am cycling and if I come off it'll be potentially bad however I really need it for my mental wellbeing and overall fitness.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Saturday 7th September 08:58

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Why have I got rampant hay-fever symptoms? Sneezing and copious snot?

[bmwmike]

Sorry to hear this, not fun are they.

I've had several since an initial one when i was 18 which was "extensive", in my leg extending up my iliac (iirc?) and even blocked my inferior vena cava, which is still blocked but compensated with lots of veins up my chest wall. I'm on blood thinners since another clot in my kidney about 15 years ago. Was originally on warfarin (hated it), then clexane injections for about 10 years, and recently low dose apixaban. Have a rare clotting condition, not the regular factor 5 one. Hadn't flown either, just happened.

I ride my MTB almost daily

[Hugo Stiglitz]

bmwmike said:

I ride my MTB almost daily

Yup since it's been diagnosed I've been out riding

My life etc. My wife has tracking/etc incase I suddenly 'stop'



It also makes you wonder - how many people have a blood clotting issue and never knew it until it's death/too late?


I think I've had this alot longer than a few weeks. I know when taking off my work boots the left leg has had strong line impressions at times.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Tuesday 10th September 09:02