It all started so small. Two weeks ago during a follow up for anemia I mentioned as a minor aside some pain under pressure on my left ankle. Possibly a fibula stress fracture? X-rays showed no fracture; exercise carefully and call again in three weeks if it’s not better.
One week out — now there’s tenderness higher up on the leg, and an area of redness. This while I was prepping for a colonoscopy fell under Scarlett O’Hara’s “I’ll think about that later.”
Today, pain in the leg woke me an hour early. The red streak stretched above the knee.
Thank goodness for our local clinic. When I asked when was the soonest I could be seen, she said, “How far are you from the clinic? When can you get here?”
I told her, “We’re sitting down to breakfast. Anything after 8:30 is fine.”
8:45 am appointment. By 11:30, an ultrasound, a repeat of the ankle X-rays (which had had a mild abnormality), three clots located, my first shot of lovenox (Tall Papa, bless him, will do the rest), and a prescription underway for the long term anticoagulant.
This is not my first ride in this rodeo. I had a clot in 2009, just a year after my father died from pulmonary embolisms. I’ve learned about clots and how to wrap my mind around having one inside me. Three seems a bit excessive though.
I’m grateful for the prompt and gentle care from all the medical folks, grateful that there is clarity about the problem, grateful that the lovenox is already eating away at the pain, grateful that I have access to the meds I’ll need (for the rest of my life), grateful that the standard of care has evolved in the past six years to eliminate the two weeks of bed rest and to allow me to ride my bike, grateful that I can walk when we go to NYC to visit relatives in two weeks.
I’m still bummed.
Any warm thoughts, healing energies, prayers or whatevers you want to send to Iowa will be greatly appreciated.
Some medical facts about DVTs — more general awareness is needed, as pulmonary embolisms (cast off from deep vein thrombosis) kill more people than breast cancer.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common but elusive illness that can result in suffering and death if not recognized and treated effectively. DVT occurs in ~2 million Americans each year. Death can occur when the venous thrombi break off and form pulmonary emboli, which pass to and obstruct the arteries of the lungs. DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) most often complicate the course of sick, hospitalized patients but may also affect ambulatory and otherwise healthy persons.1-4 It is estimated that each year 600 000 patients develop PE and that 60 000 die of this complication.5-7 This number exceeds the number of American women who die each year from breast cancer. PE is now the most frequent cause of death associated with childbirth.8 Women are a prime target for PE, being affected more often than men
Ginny in CO has some excellent advice for identifying and dealing with DVTs. Lots of folks have shared how common DVTS are, and how easy it is to overlook them. Take care of yourselves! Encourage your loved ones to seek care if they may have one!