Signs of blood clot(s)?

[Hilariew930]

Just wondering, for those that have experienced blood clots, did you know it at the time? If so, what were your exact symptoms? Or did you not know it until perhaps it became a PE or otherwise? I worry, for instance sometimes I get a very short sharp pain in lung area with a deep breath. It will last less than a minute and be gone...

[jessielou]

Hi hon,

I had very painful, swollen calf for a day, then pain in right upper back, pain in chest and very short of breath, painful to breath!

Initially I thought i'de strained muscle in leg and got a chest infection!! Was when pain in leg got extreme and i had pain up through groin and abdomen, that I rang nhs direct, (Sunday morning), they said go straight to A n E!

I had dvt and PE, I was so poorly and no known cause was found, know why now tho!!!

If pain gets worse or you just not sure and don't feel right is advisable get checked out hon!

Not all dvt's give swelling and pain!

Hope this helps.

Take care gentle hugs love Sheena xxxx

[jetjetjet]

I had DVT left leg -P.E. both lungs ,clots in groin neck and left arm pit. i had back pain and ssome tingling going on - but the dc's were amazed at what they found.i agree with Sheena you may not feel them------------------------------ jet

[Napht in reply to jetjetjet]

Did a dark blue vein show up in your left armpit?

[jetjetjet in reply to Napht]

No - I didn't even know that it was there till they found it the second day i was in the ER

[Angelpaws]

Hello! With one of my DVT's I got up in the morning with a feeling in my calf as if I had had a massive cramp in the night which had left the muscle a bit bruised. It took about 5 days for the leg to start swelling and the pain got worse gradually and then it got very red and hot to the touch, which was when I realised that there was something wrong and went to the doctor. They did a blood test and within twenty mintes, identified a DVT and sent me to A & E. I think for every person, every 'attack' is different, and if you are worried at all you should go to the Doc. Take care, Larraine x

[MaryF Administrator]

I have not had any for years, but I remember a feeling like toothache in my calves and also a feeling as if I had put rubber bands around under my knees... thankfully a distant memory. However with the history if I had any pains in the chest, I would probably be tempted to check them out. MaryF x

[GinaD]

In hind sight, my Father probably had Hughes. He died in 1990. As a young man in the '30s and '40s he constantly had issues with varicose veins in his legs. He was classified 4F (which is the lowest) in the draft rolls. After his brother rudely jilted a woman who worked as a clerk in the draft office Father was drafted -- despite being in college as well -- in 1943. His veins were a huge issue in basic training -- ulcers breaking open to fill his boots with blood. He was good at math, and obviously not good at marching, so he was sent to Officers Candidate School where he specialized in some code -machine-- thingee. (I presume this was Ultra and Turring's code breaking machine -- but Father never confirmed this as he had been sworn to secrecy; "But Dad! That was 1947. Today its 1980 and we all know about Ultra and the code machine and all that. It can't be that much of a secret anymore." "I was never given permission to talk about it, so I don't talk about it.")

Anyway -- he became a doctor after The War. He always thought he had, what he described as "Lupus, but not quite lupus. But something similar." The veins in his legs were always a problem. He self medicated with aspirin. But as an GP and then an ER doc he struggled to find ways to identify the pains of a DVT. His diagnostic trick? Extend the unaffected leg straight out with the knee straight. Keeping the knee straight bend the toes back toward the rest of your body. Repeat on the affected leg. If you notice a difference in the way the legs feel, and particularly if you notice a dramatic difference in the way the pain CHANGES as you bend the affected leg -- especially if it feels like something in your leg is moving when you bend the toe -- its time to go to the ER.

He taught me this trick the morning I called( he lived 3 states away) to ask which specialist I should see for a pulled muscle in my thigh. Over the phone he calmly walked me through the test, then told me to sit still and watch something boring on the TV, then he phoned my husband and a vascular surgeon he knew and got me set up for a doppler -- and yep -- I had my first DVT.

Hope this helps.

Gina

[Sal0712]

I had three bloodclots on the brain and didn't know they were there. I had been more tired than usual, but put it down to having a ten month old baby. I started losing my memory, but eventually found out after a severe migraine and sickness, where I got to the point I couldn't remember anything, not even my daughter or husbands names. It was very frightening at this point as I was lapsing in and out of reality !!! I was taken to hospital, put into a drug induced coma and scanned, which is when the medical team found the problem. I was rushed across to a hospital better equipped to look after me, on the journey I had a fit to add to it all. I was pumped with heparin and woken after two days. Luckily I servived after my family were told I had six hours to either pull through, or that was it. It's awful how these things can creep up on you. If only there was a way of knowing its going to happen !!!!

[Roo007 in reply to Sal0712]

R u a JW?

[aps-and-ph-sufferer]

My experience initially was clotting on the brain with almost exactly the same symptoms as Sal above. With regards the PEs I have suffered with mostly extreme shortness of breath but now I have episodes of hemoptysis (coughing up blood) and dreadful pain in my chest, lungs, back and left shoulder as well as coughing and not being able to catch my breath.

[sbncmo]

Hi Hilariew.

When my husband had his first PE's, he didn't know what was going on. He was sick, couldn't breathe, sweating like it was mid-August even though it was March. I came home on a Friday of Saturday evening around 5:00 & found him having a TIA. Somehow I got him to our van & to the hospital where he was recovering from the TIA. I have no idea how long he had been laying there like that. A D-dimer & a Titer test (not sure of the names or spellings there) showed high blood clot levels, but the ER doc sent him home saying he had bronchitis & to check in with our doctor on Monday. She told us the results of the blood tests. She ordered a CTscan which confirmed his lungs were showered with clots. He spent a week in the hospital. It was a bad situation.

Since then, he has become very, very attuned with his body & he definitely knows when he has the larger blood clots. He is on warfarin & it doesn't break up all the clots, but it usually breaks up the larger ones. He does feel the larger clots moving, especially thru his upper body, & says they are quite painful with sharp pricking sensations as they move. He has had more TIA's since then, but thankfully none have been as severe. Still, these have left him with numbness on one side of his body. And the larger clots that he feels always leave him very tired & lethargic.

I don't think anyone can suspect they have a blood clotting disorder until the blood clot appears. How people with APS feel as far as being able to tell they have clots varies. Some do not feel clots at all, others do. My husband didn't feel any DVT's, but after his PE's were found, a small DVT was found in his groin area. On the other hand, I've had symptoms of DVT's, but have never had them.

Anyway, I agree with Sheena, too. If you feel something is not right, get it checked & pray that you get a good doctor who will run & read the necessary tests correctly. And really get to know your body so you know what is going on.

Shelia

[Hidden]

I had a large clot in my right leg. The pain started as if I had badly bruised my leg just above the knee. After a couple of days the pain moved into calf and then after another two days(!) I went to the GP who sent me straight to hospital - clot was diagnosed within the hour. Almost a year to the day later, I had a bad aching pain in my upper left arm. I just wanted to rub the pain away but I couldn't relieve it so was seen by the out of hours service late that night who arranged for me to be taken to A&E. I was collected by two VERY stroppy paramedics who herrumphed all the way to hospital and made me feel very bad for not driving myself. I only found out a week ago that I did have a clot in the arm although I was discharged by the hospital. Thankfully, no further clots since so very lucky.

[missygirl0130]

I had muscle pain in calf for several weeks, then 3 weeks later my left leg stopped working, it felt like muscle spasms & sciatica the back of my knee hurt as well. I couldn't lift my foot off ground very far, so I went to ER to see what was wrong. They found DVT in crease where leg & stomach attach.

[akshayv2]

I have constant serious foot pain, overstep is painful, after a yearlong bout with PF in my heels, it was either quit or do something. I took 2 steroid shots in my feet. orthofeet shoes significantly reduce my pain. I can walk further which in turn is good for the pain. I will not wear another shoe. And i'm back to 8 hrs a day on my feet.