please help. PANIC.

[RainyCoast]

Exactly. But in the one case I ended up with graying roots for awhile lol. One thing that has helped is having a young child -I can see he already has tendencies towards getting anxious about illness/germs so I do my best to keep things chill and "no biggie". Like, even though sometimes I want to take his temp multiple times (to see if he can go back to school or sometimes to see if I need to call the doctor) I avoid it because it focuses him too much on his symptoms.

that's a helpful way to look at it actually- "would i be handling it this way if i had a child".

 

Back to working out again I see.Glad you are doing better RC!

thanks! yes, i can't keep still. i'm careful though dias. i even considered doing all my upper body exercises the chair-iatric way

 

i had a good laugh at my own expense googling "spongebob workout" memes.

[RainyCoast]

bump.

 

i got a call from the nurse to come back. my d-dimer is too high (i think 601 or 611?), i don't remember my inr but suggestive of dvt. sedimentation a bit high, which i have had often anyway. lipids okay. other things can elevate d-dimer, but because i'm healthy otherwise and because of how the calf looks, the current estimate is that it is obviously a clot, even without the doppler. i think everything else was fine.

 

i'll be on Eliquis for 3 months to prevent further clotting and PE. then we reevaluate.

 

it was my own doc this time. i mean, he's something. first thing when i got there he snapped at me, angry, you have a clot! i said you seem angry, and he said this is serious! (no sh*t), again, as if angry at me. i held back the impulse to ask what we were going to do about Sirius, so i just calmly said i am glad he is taking it seriously and asked about the treatment and he scribbled the rx and referral to hematologist. why is he always so angry? why is he always yelling? yo but if you have a clot won't you dislodge it that way my dude?

 

 

not sure whether to bother setting up an earlier doppler now. i know what it is anyway. i found a place that can take me in three weeks, but it's a bit far. not sure i want long car rides, even with frequent stops for stretching.

 

calf was measured to be a little over 2 cm bigger than the other.

 

i pretty much was sure last night that would be it.

 

i was feeling a "tug" this weekend, or sort of pulling inside the calf, occasionally felt like the part that was red the other day was pinched with a clothes peg. it is particularly bothersome when i'm in bed, or sitting. the more i'm moving, the better it feels. i've read forums this morning, and a lot of ppl describe it that way, and mention that it's like "having a pulled muscle". i remember feeling this tug before and thinking it's a little cramp. just putting that out there if anyone presents with similar symptoms in the future.

 

the rest of me is fine. the leg doesn't hurt in the back any more. i have gone over my routine from friday and i identified where i must have in fact hyperextended as someone predicted.

 

it's so weird. i feel great. i feel i'm about to burst with vigor. i had a moment there. thinking "why is this happening now". but i think it's happening now because i can handle it now. i don't think there's been a time when the same would have applied.

[WombatShadow]

Wow, RC, I'm glad that it's something they think is pretty easily treatable, but that's still scary! Clots are no joke. I remember going to the ER with my Grams once because her doctor told her the sore spot on her calf could be a clot; when they were doing the doppler, she was screaming so loudly that my mom had to run from the room crying, and the only reason I didn't follow her was because Grams had my hands in a death grip as per the ultrasound tech's instructions. Even though hers, like yours probably is, was on the outer layer of her leg and therefore not nearly as dangerous, it was still awful.

 

I hope the medications help you and that you're able to continue your chairiatric exercises until such time that you can get back to the kickboxing

[RainyCoast]

omg why was she screaming, was there pain?

 

there are more treatment options for if this doesn't work. i think he didn't want to do anything more treatment-wise as a gp. i don't really know what's causing the clotting, or whether it's really necessary it's not a peripheral one, since we haven't seen the ultrasound yet. i think i read the peripheral ones cause more pain? depending on the cause, i may need different or longer treatment, but i'm just so far thinking about the least complicated scenario, i.e., that the body will have reabsorbed it in three months. i'm hoping because the bones in my foot had spider-web pattern fractures at the time of injury, that is where the clot is from. however, it scares me because, like, has it moved from my foot to my calf? will it move more then?? at least sit still you bugger! and then i feel a little tug in the left calf also and wonder if there's the clot's twin there lol.

 

i have actually gone back to kickboxing carefully and had no problems, i'm very happy about that. i was also scared that i can cause a clot to dislodge with vigorous exercise, i wasn't sure how firmly attached to the walls those are. Dr Sirius Angerissues reassured me that won't happen, and that workouts are a protective factor as long as i'm not injuring myself.

 

this bugs me a little, i keep reading it will not dislodge and doc says so too. but obviously with people who had strokes, heart attacks and PE, it moved allright!

 

i expected to update with high anxiety, can we panic now, etc. but i feel suspiciously calm about it.

[Hollyj]

bump.

 

i got a call from the nurse to come back. my d-dimer is too high (i think 601 or 611?), i don't remember my inr but suggestive of dvt. sedimentation a bit high, which i have had often anyway. lipids okay. other things can elevate d-dimer, but because i'm healthy otherwise and because of how the calf looks, the current estimate is that it is obviously a clot, even without the doppler. i think everything else was fine.

 

i'll be on Eliquis for 3 months to prevent further clotting and PE. then we reevaluate.

 

it was my own doc this time. i mean, he's something. first thing when i got there he snapped at me, angry, you have a clot! i said you seem angry, and he said this is serious! (no sh*t), again, as if angry at me. i held back the impulse to ask what we were going to do about Sirius, so i just calmly said i am glad he is taking it seriously and asked about the treatment and he scribbled the rx and referral to hematologist. why is he always so angry? why is he always yelling? yo but if you have a clot won't you dislodge it that way my dude?

 

 

not sure whether to bother setting up an earlier doppler now. i know what it is anyway. i found a place that can take me in three weeks, but it's a bit far. not sure i want long car rides, even with frequent stops for stretching.

 

calf was measured to be a little over 2 cm bigger than the other.

 

i pretty much was sure last night that would be it.

 

i was feeling a "tug" this weekend, or sort of pulling inside the calf, occasionally felt like the part that was red the other day was pinched with a clothes peg. it is particularly bothersome when i'm in bed, or sitting. the more i'm moving, the better it feels. i've read forums this morning, and a lot of ppl describe it that way, and mention that it's like "having a pulled muscle". i remember feeling this tug before and thinking it's a little cramp. just putting that out there if anyone presents with similar symptoms in the future.

 

the rest of me is fine. the leg doesn't hurt in the back any more. i have gone over my routine from friday and i identified where i must have in fact hyperextended as someone predicted.

 

it's so weird. i feel great. i feel i'm about to burst with vigor. i had a moment there. thinking "why is this happening now". but i think it's happening now because i can handle it now. i don't think there's been a time when the same would have applied.

 

I am glad you know what it is, and that you followed your instinct. Get the Doppler.

 

Are they going to put in a filter to prevent it from traveling?

 

Have you considered changing your gp? He sounds awful.

 

So many are on thinners. Scary. My mother is, and my father and brother were. Mom is on the Elquis, too. Nice that you do not have the vitamin k restrictions. Bruising sucks and be careful with cuts.

[Jibralta]

Wow, it is a clot!! Really glad you picked up on it!!

 

Do I understand correctly that you had an injury, and that's where it is probably stemming from?

 

i'm hoping because the bones in my foot had spider-web pattern fractures at the time of injury, that is where the clot is from. however, it scares me because, like, has it moved from my foot to my calf? will it move more then?? at least sit still you bugger! and then i feel a little tug in the left calf also and wonder if there's the clot's twin there lol.

[WombatShadow]

omg why was she screaming, was there pain?

 

there are more treatment options for if this doesn't work. i think he didn't want to do anything more treatment-wise as a gp. i don't really know what's causing the clotting, or whether it's really necessary it's not a peripheral one, since we haven't seen the ultrasound yet. i think i read the peripheral ones cause more pain? depending on the cause, i may need different or longer treatment, but i'm just so far thinking about the least complicated scenario, i.e., that the body will have reabsorbed it in three months. i'm hoping because the bones in my foot had spider-web pattern fractures at the time of injury, that is where the clot is from. however, it scares me because, like, has it moved from my foot to my calf? will it move more then?? at least sit still you bugger! and then i feel a little tug in the left calf also and wonder if there's the clot's twin there lol.

 

i have actually gone back to kickboxing carefully and had no problems, i'm very happy about that. i was also scared that i can cause a clot to dislodge with vigorous exercise, i wasn't sure how firmly attached to the walls those are. Dr Sirius Angerissues reassured me that won't happen, and that workouts are a protective factor as long as i'm not injuring myself.

 

this bugs me a little, i keep reading it will not dislodge and doc says so too. but obviously with people who had strokes, heart attacks and PE, it moved allright!

 

i expected to update with high anxiety, can we panic now, etc. but i feel suspiciously calm about it.

 

Grams' was extremely close to the surface of her skin. It actually presented much like an early bruise at first, with swelling and a little tenderness and some redness. She was at the doctor for a checkup and he wanted to check her typical ankle swelling when he saw the clot, which she had just written off as a bump from walking into something (it's an inherited trait in our family lol). He sent her right over to the ER to make sure it wasn't going to be deadly, and they had to press the doppler really hard directly on the clot and all around it. It took the tenderness and amped it up massively. Like you know when you have a bruise and you poke it really hard and it starts throbbing? Grams told me it was like that times twenty or so.

 

(Please note that I'm a librarian, not a doctor, so I'm good at research but not an expert in medicine!) Also, the clots that cause major issues like embolisms and strokes are usually Deep Vein Thrombosis, which are clots deep in the arteries of your legs. Those are the ones that like to break off and travel around to cause mayhem and misery in general. The ones on the surface tend to be more stable. (Again, NAD, but we librarians have mad research skillz, yo; if you're seriously concerned, consult a medical professional for their opinion on the matter).

[RainyCoast]

uggh all this talk of embolus is scary. wow i'm glad grams got it checked out immediately!

 

okay so that sounds like the doppler can tell me more. i'll want to not wait for the insurance covered one then.

 

my doc didn't mention a filter, or the need to prevent it from traveling- i suppose he is leaving that for the hematologist.

 

i don't know for sure whether it came from the foot, i just thought about it since the doctor last time mentioned it as one possibility when i asked about whether my foot could be causing legpain because the fractures left the arch lower.

 

the doc today didn't really have an answer for how i got it, other than bodies make clots and bodies take them away all the time, and some people are just prone to it. i don't think he was trying to be dismissive, i had the feeling he really can't know at this point.

 

i remember i used to feel this "tug" in my calf so often. i'm trying to remember whether i felt it before the foot injury as well, and, i'm not sure, but i think so. i wonder if i could've had the clot for very long, and whether that would mean it's not caused by the injury.

 

i'm also thinking, how do i know it's one clot, and there aren't, or won't be, other clots in other places.

 

it's also possible my blood continues to clot more easily since the whole ordeal with borrelia. i only had it checked once after the second (and last) round of treatment. it is possible for one to have chronic symptoms after no longer having an active infection, and inflammation could be one, and that encourages clotting. the thought has come to me every now and then after lyme treatment, but no doctor ever mentioned it as a risk factor. i suppose if that is the case, i might need to stay in treatment for it, or, in any event, have frequent checkups for dvt.

 

unfortunately the doc from last time no longer takes new pts. i'm not so bothered with my doc's bedside manner, it's becoming funny. i was very bothered in the past when he wouldn't examine anything, or refer me, when there were obviously problems, later confirmed without his help. it wasn't just him though, i eventually gave up trying to find a good one. i remember some time ago a doctor used to substitute for him who seemed normal, and i'm going to inquire about her too as soon as i get her name.

 

the waiting list for internists at hemo is 139 days. that is for the cases the gp specifies as "urgent" (he did), as opposed to cases that are being monitored for an already established and treated dx. however, should anything get worse, i can go to the ER and have it looked immediately. isn't it weird that my meds are prescribed to be taken 90 days? i just hate the system here so much.

[HeartGoesOn]

I'm happy to hear you caught this early on, and are now under treatment.

 

Take care, Rainy. We're here for you.

[RainyCoast]

still getting accustomed to the clot.

 

the leg tires easily, and then soon, it becomes pretty useless. so many flights of stairs at work, and just generally moving all day, i had no idea it could become so taxing. rest helps, as does frequently "showering" the leg.

 

i spent the last two days figuring out leg-friendly ways to do simple things, ruling out exercises i can't do and scheduling more of the ones that help. i will miss HIIT. i feel so unaccomplished with just exercising on the mat, low impact and strength training. but i don't want to hurt myself either. I also cancelled the kickboxing at the gym. it simply will not work. i feel great during the workout, but the intensity (i can't do it "easy" i think) stimulates my bloodflow so much that the leg swells and tugs more, and then tires very easily during normal activity. i was warned about this, but didn't realize the implications- that the leg would feel soooooo tired as a result that walking and just regular daily activity would be so difficult. a little bummed because kickboxing was the only thing that got me to the gym- i don't like the gym otherwise, and do all my other workouts at home. but maybe i'll be able to return to it when the clot is history.

 

i think i'm starting to find a level of activity that the leg can take, as it feels good today.

 

my mood darkened the other day. i was a bit shocked with myself when i kept thinking i just wanted my parents. it passed, but at the time it was pretty intense and i just wanted to sit on the floor and demand mum and dad. even as a child i didn't do such things. i can actually see how fluctuating between "can't do this myself, want parents" on bad days, and "sure i can do this, i can do anything" the rest of the time might be a valuable process in the long run. because inevitably, i will do it by myself.

 

 

roasted peppers today, for the capsaicin (allowed with meds, unless i eat tonnes). not complaining, those are good!

[Jibralta]

That's very scary. Do take care of yourself!!

[RainyCoast]

it is supposedly common with clots and the appropriate level of activity varies highly. it just that with increased bloodflow and the congestion the leg is clumsier. i need to watch out for discoloration though because if it gets bad it can cause ulcerations too. thankfully it helps me to just slow down, the swelling decreases and the tiredness too. it was scary that it was such an impediment though. it was a day or so after kickboxing again so i just decided on the spot i can't keep up with it. i also shouldn't have exercised without the compression sock!! that was dumb!

 

 

i definitely get very uneasy whenever i feel the clot. i hate feeling like i am housing a ticking time bomb.

 

haven't heared from him today.

[dias]

Look after yourself RC!

 

Kickboxing! Cool!

[RainyCoast]

leg feels much better. i don't really see or feel it swelling up much since i last updated.

 

and NO TUGGING!!! god the tugging was a pain in the ***!

 

workouts going well. am enjoying the changes in shape, especially of the previously wobbly bits.

 

foot exercises help too.

 

learning to take rest days.

 

still not willing to risk it with high impact cardio, though i still miss it.

 

hope the improvement means the meds are doing their thing.

 

doppler on august third.

[imsuperman]

Deleted. See next.

[imsuperman]

Oh wow, I actually had a DVT clot when I was 21. I was on coumadin for a year, and had to stay in the hospital four days and four nights. Mine was residual from a really bad ankle sprain (months earlier) and it moved into the back of my calf. It got so bad I couldn't really walk without a bad limp and lots of pain.

 

Hope you feel better soon! It can be scary, but it's fairly routine once it doesn't embolise, and you're by no means an invalid going forward.

[RainyCoast]

man, and nobody tells you this about ankle sprains and foot injuries and stuff.

 

i'm so glad i can walk with mine. counting to 4 weeks when it's supposed to be firmly attached.

 

still doing okay.

[SherrySher]

I'm surprised but I am glad too that they are taking good care of you. I actually read a bit on clots and they can be resolved without any issues.

 

Glad you're doing okay, Rainy.

[RainyCoast]

i was surprised because i'm quite young. i know young people get them, but you always think you won't.

 

but. all is going well, and the nurse when i took my referral for the doppler said if they find something serious they send pts to the hospital right away, and if it doesn't look urgent, they forward pts to a hemo within a week or so. so if the ultrasound shows anything i needn't worry about the waiting lists.

 

the tingling/electricity sensations in my leg are also gone.

 

it's good to see improvement, it makes me feel more confident about management.

 

because i don't feel anything, i also don't constantly have the threatening thought about the clot always present in the back of my head.

[RainyCoast]

greetings awesome folk, bumping this to update if anyone is still up for it

 

doppler (plus, if i understand correctly, hemo too?) is tomorrow (i nearly forgot about it! has it been this long since we talked about the dreaded waiting lists?)

 

it's quite soon after my shift so that'll be a tight race, and i don't have an idea of how long it will take, hence i might be late with the update, but i will certainly post one as soon as i can.

 

doing really really good btw, hope everyone else is as well

 

thank you so much again for being here when it was scary!! really appreciate it, you're such a great bunch!!

[RainyCoast]

it went well,

 

it's confirmed it's not chronic dvt but from the foot injury, there's still a small clot in my ankle as well where the other one broke off from.

 

wasn't under the impression it was anything special. my labwork two weeks ago was better then pre-treatment. so still same medication and dosage for now.

 

so in a few months it should be fine.

 

recently had a full physical, all okay.

 

feeling good.

 

take care everyone!

[imsuperman]

Great news! Glad it turned out. We had such similar situations, it looks like.

[mines]

Great news! Thanks for posting! Glad to hear that things are looking up. Blessings to you!

[RainyCoast]

thanks guys!!

 

yeah Super, i remembered that when she showed me the one in the ankle! she said it's very common. which makes me feel better, as in, surely they then are accustomed to treating it and it'll be fine.

 

you're too sweet mines! best to you as well.