Question for those who have had a DVT or a PE....

Re: Question for those who have had a DVT or a PE....

• K8ENC28

  October 2010

  I had dvt's and a pe after my c-section and had several risk factors as well.  I am hetero FVL and at the time didn't realize I had lupus which can increase risk for clots.  Mine didn't show up until 3 weeks after the c-section.  I had been taken off the blood thinners due to some issues with my bloodwork.  But I was also on 40mg twice a day at the time before they took me off the lovenox.

  I remember having a fever, coughing (PE related), one of my legs really hurt below the knee, it was hot to the touch, hard to walk.  I definitely would make them check you out.  They can do an  ultrasound and find out pretty quickly if you have dvt's.  A pe can be detected through a cat scan I believe.  Definitely don't let it go and get worse...I wish I had spoken up when they took me off the blood thinner and I may have avoided the blood clots all together.  Hope this helps.  If you have any other questions feel free to private message me.

   

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• wiscgirl95 member

  October 2010

  I had a DVT while on BCP's.  It was a super bad cramp in my calf that WOULD NOT go away.  I did not have any swelling, redness or warmth.  It was diagnosed with a doppler in the ER.  I did not know that I had a clotting disorder at the time and was just lucky that I was paying attention to the symptoms.

  I had bilater PE's early in this pregnancy.  I was on 40 of lovenox while I went through my failed IVF in March and then went on 40 of lovenox again when I started progesterone for my FET in April.  I did not experience any leg cramping or pain, just one day I woke up and felt crummy, short of breath.  By the next day I was severly out of breath just putting nylons on for work.  I could barely walk the 20 feet from the back door of my house to my car in the garage.  I went to the ER that night.  I obviously was not on a high enough dose of the lovenox and still clotted, they doubled my progesterone and I never had any adjustment made to my lovenox.  I'm on a different blood thinner now called arixtra and according to my hematologst, I am fully anticoagulated. 

  I know some women swell pretty badly after delivery, but if you are concerned about this at all go to the ER to get a venous doppler of your leg(s).  Good luck!

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• waterfly

  October 2010

  After three different instances of DVT, all with very different symptoms, the only thing I can say they for sure all had in common was the pain, of a sharp, searing variety, usually somewhere in the lower leg.  The first was a debilitating pain around the heel, to where I could barely walk to the campus nurse's office(nevermind class), and was accompanied by reddish marks around the ankle area(I'd been in a car accident a couple weeks prior).  The second was in the foot--primarily the arch, and I treated it for a couple weeks with anti-inflammatories and an ankle brace--it became pretty swollen, as well, and after two weeks was roughly the size of a grapefruit--by which point I had decided it wasn't the (different) thing I'd had in the fall and went to see the Dr.  The third actually fit all the textbook symptoms--swollen knot in the calf, pinkish and hot to the touch, and painful--and was caught within two days of forming.
  

  My guess would be it's not a clot, just that you're having some trouble getting fluid back up your legs(I've had a similar issue for years with my right leg, as a result of clot2 going untreated so long)...but definitely keep an eye on it.
  

  

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• Mrs.Thistletwat member

  October 2010

  with my superficial clots I had a lot of swelling, redness and heat. With my DVTs I had redness along the line of the veins impacted and I had a deep ache that wouldn't go away. The DVT behind my knee caused the most discomfort as it made bending my leg impossible. I also had a lot of swelling though not as much as with the superficial clots.

  If you're concerned, get yourself to the ER today for a doppler.
  

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• midnight*sun member

  October 2010

  I had a PE in each lung in July 2009. The day before going into the ER my BACK was sore, like I had pulled something or slept on it wrong. The next moring I woke up with what felt like horrible back spasms. I tried to roll onto my side and the pain was to intense to even move. It took me an hour to just sit up in bed. My breathing was fine, but if I took a deep breath in it hurt like a stabbing knife. I was lightly sobbing and trying not to wake up DH because I thought I was just having a back spasm. He did wake up and tried to get me to streatch it out by lying flat on my back and doing a couple other moves that made the pain so intense I thought I'd pass out. When we got to the ER I was still breathing fine except for the pain that came with deep breaths. They found my PE's with a CT scan and didn't find any evidence of DVT's in either leg and I don't remember either of my legs ever gettting swollen, achy or heavy so I may never have actually had a DVT. I also never had chest pain or felt like I couldn't breathe. Lovenox is an anticoagulant not a blood thinner so there is definitely a possiblity of forming a clot while on it. GL

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• witch_city_wife

  October 2010

  I heard lots of swelling is normal after a c-section. 

  That being said, I don't take any chances with DVTs.  If your OB won't order it, call your primary care doc and get booked for an ultrasound.

  With my DVT, I had what felt like a really bad charley horse in every muscle from my hip to my foot.  It started out as calf cramping and spread becuase I was an idiot and no one told me the signs of a DVT to watch for.  I just remember the pain was so bad, it brought tears to my eyes.

  Good luck.

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