[lenjan]

My critical illness a year ago left with me a chronic blood clotting disorder, which has led to what appears to be a permanently swollen and painful right calf -- even though all my clots have been on my left side.

I'm told that the blood thinner I'm on probably is the only thing keeping the right leg from clotting, and that my veins and circulation are just shot and I need to learn to deal with it.

Well .... I don' wanna.

What I *do* want to know is if anybody has something similar and has any ideas besides compression stockings/bandages and Tylenol. It doesn't seem to matter what I do. I sit, it swells and hurts. I walk a lot, it swells and hurts. Luckily shorts season is brief in Wisconsin, so nobody has to see what a freak I look like with one leg 5x the size of the other. I'm just tired of it hurting all the time and nothing working on it.

I see a new hematologist in early December and am hoping HE has some ideas, but in the meantime, if YOU have any, please pass them on?

ty,

CB

[RainbowFaerie]

I was hospitalized with a DVT in my left leg four years ago. They said I was very lucky I did not have a pulmonary embolism. Blood clots are no joke. Lovenox shots probably saved my life, and then I took Coumadin for about six months after. I am grateful that those drugs existed, as I was only 34 at the time. I never thought something like that would happen to me from my birth control pills; I was not in a high risk group. The leg has never completely bounced back. It is still a bit sore, a couple times to the point where they did a Doppler study just to make sure I had no new clots. I wore a support stocking for two and a half years to help control the swelling, etc., and I think I am going to buy a new one because although it was hot it did make the leg feel better. I have varicose veins now, not pretty, but I am alive and that's all I care about.

I elevate my leg periodially during the day it it starts to swell, and I have noticed that increasing my potassium intake via things such as potatoes, bananas and orange juice seems to help.

At least there ARE drugs that help. Blood clots can kill you. I know I won't hesitate to use them again should the need arise. I could've been dead at 34.

I have heard that metabolic syndrome, which I have, can increase clotting. Good luck on your visit to the new doc!

RainbowFaerie

[lenjan]

I had my first clot at 27, which they chalked up to birth control pills as well. I did have a pulmonary embolism, and they said 3 out of every 4 people who had one the size of mine would have been dead in 20 minutes.

I've had 3 DVTs, I think, but all in my left leg, and the PE was on my left side.

My compression stockings were special-ordered for me, but I can't get them on! So I don't bother. I use an Ace bandage, which seems to be fine.

It's just frustrating. I'm sorry you had to go through it too.

Candy