thrombophilia screen, 10 months late now referred back to dvt consultant

[emmalou81]

hi i had a popliteal dvt in july 2013 came off warfarin in sep 2013 as i had to have another operation on my leg, in july this year i was contacted by dvt clinic to have thrombophilia screening as it should have been done in oct last year but they say it was overlooked, i have now received an appointmet with the dvt consultant for a week today for my results and medication? can anyone advise what theses tests can reveal and should i be concerned?

thanks emma

[Hidden]

Hi Emma. Anxiety never helped anyone so I am bound to say don't worry but it sounds like you are already taking it more seriously than your medics.

A blood clot, be it DVT, PE or stroke should make you wonder what caused it. A\F (Atrial Fibrillation) can be a cause which is easy to check for by ECG or just a stethoscope but Thrombophilia (a tendency for blood to clot too easily) can, on rare occasions, be a cause. The test should be a simple blood test with a syringe of blood probably taken from your arm.

If you have had only one DVT with no other similar events after ceasing Warfarin a year ago there is probably no serious, underlying cause to worry about but the blood test and a check for A\F will reveal it. If they do find one of these to be a cause then the worst that is likely is to return to taking anticoagulants for a longer period and that is not the end of the world. I have taken them for 16 years now with no significant affects to me life.

When you are on long flights or similar the wearing of flight socks, keeping hydrated, occasional foot and leg exercises avoiding too much alcohol are all sensible precautions to avoid DVTs and having had one then these are probably a good idea for you too.

Try not to worry but wait to see what the consultant has to say and do keep in touch to let us know how you get on.

All the best. Peter

[emmalou81 in reply to Hidden]

hi peter thanks for the reply, i had the thrombophilia screen test on 30th july so im thinking something has shown up in the results as i've not seen the consultant since august last year, i did speak to the warfarin nurse over the telephone to ask what the test shown but she said i have to be seen by the consultant, i'll keep you updated

thanks emma

[emmalou81]

hi just an update after my question last week, seen dvt consultant today and was confirmed as having one gene of factor v leiden, said im more at risk of having another blood clot but nothing more to worry about!

[mikeyp]

Hopefully this will put your mind at rest - my wife had a PE at age 21 (well before we met, and she was a smoker back then). This was 1975 - so back then it was "just one of those things" (not even sure smoking was as well-recognised a risk factor either).

Subsequently, after the discovery of Factor V Leiden, she was tested and found to have it (she can't remember what triggered the testing...)

Has given up smoking, now 60 years of age, never had another PE, just stabs herself in the stomach for flights over 4 hours. Also had 3 ops under GA (gall bladder, mastectomy with reconstruction, and doing the other one to match) with no vascular problems.

So no need to worry !!