So I’ve had a bit of tenderness behind my left knee for 10 days, not really for any apparent reason, and then noticed my calf was swollen, and like a light red colour on the back.
But… I did the ‘man thing’ and thought 'nah, it’ll go away ', took ibruprofen and tried to ignore it…
… Untill Wedensday when it flared up with twice the fury !
So, reluctantly i trot off to A&E, and several hours later I’m told that I have a huge blood clot in my leg, and it shouldn’t happen to a bloke of my age.Standard questions include ’ Have you flown recently ? ’ ( no ), ’ Are you a smoker ? ’ ( no ) ’ Occupation ? ’ ( Truck Driver ) Well… you can imagine the response !!! That’s it then… worst job on the planet etc etc, even though I tried to explain that I generally only drive say, 2 hrs max and then I’m in and out of the cab for 12 drops or so, then 2 hrs back, so in fact I sit still longer at the pictures or something like that.
Anyway, upshot is 6 weeks off work, injections in me stomach every morning for 2 weeks, and warfarin and white stockings for 6 months.
I posted this here just as a warning really that it CAN affect anyone… as I say I’m 33, so don’t ignore the symptoms lads and lasses cos I’ve since found out that chunks of the clot can break away un detected and lodge in your lungs. And then, you die. Simple as.
Got to go for an ultrasound on it later for confirmation… so looks like I’ll be lurking around these pages far more than is good for me over the coming weeks
Thanks for your kind responses, ( sorry mods for posting in the wrong forum ) thought I might post a bit of an update for anyone who gives a monkey’s ?
Had the scan this afternoon, a simple enough process which confirmed that I do indeed have a clot.
Then I get sent back to A&E with a ticket to ’ fasttrack ’ me through. ( yeah right )
After an hour or so a ( very ) young looking doctor whom I now assume to be Count Dracula appears and takes more blood from me than I knew it was safe to lose. Seriously. Apparently I may have ’ Sticky Blood ', and they need lots of the stuff to test for this.
Despite assurances that I won’t be admitted, they place a wrist band on me and refer me ’ upstairs ’ to the Medical Assessment Unit. This is one of those places you really don’t want to be… lots of very poorly people herded into this unit waiting for beds in their specialist wards.
The doctor who eventually sees me here tells me I may be in for a couple of days while my blood thins out. I am not happy.
Anyway, in the end they settle for 2 more injections in the stomach, ( heparin I think, stings like hell ), my first warfarin tablets and I have to go back tomorrow and every day after that at 5pm for more of the same untill my blood thins suitably. After that I take warfarin for 6 months which is checked regularly at local clinics. Looks like 6 weeks off work in the meantime.
I know many of you have a low opinion of the Co-Op but believe me, am I glad I work for them right now as we do have a superb sick pay scheme, which means I get full pay the whole time I’m off.
Right… that’s it for now, maybe I’ll post more as and when if it helps/interests anyone ■■
Sorry to hear about your troubles mate. I had a large DVT in my grion a couple of years back. I tripped over a crashed into the side of my lorry. After a few minites the pain went away. Didn’t think nothing of it until two weeks later when I had a major pain in my grion; I went to the doctors and he sent me off to hospital in an ambulance. They gave me a CT scan and then kept me in for a week. I was on a heparin drip for five days and then onto put me on the warfarin tablets together with the support stockings.
When they let me out I had to go to the outpatient clinic twice a week to have a blood test to keep an eye on the warfarin dose (don’t know if they told you but they use warfarin as a rat poison). They sent me up the UCH to have a special scan that confirmed the clot had broken up. After six months they took me off the warfarin and said i could stop wearing the stockings (relief). Finally after another scan they discharged completely as I had made a full recovery.
The advice they gave me regarding prevention was to make sure that I get out and have walk around for five minutes if I’m on a long run which is good with me. The perfect excuse for having extra breaks
Anyway good luck mate I’m sure it will work out ok for you.
jeh_lon:
(don’t know if they told you but they use warfarin as a rat poison).
LOL ! Yes mate I had heard that before, perhaps that explains the inexplicable desire I had to scurry into some yellow gas pipes lying at the side of the road on my way back home tonight !
Kev.S:
Mike, you need to be careful with the ultrasound…I had one to check for gallstones, the doc ended up finding a tumour on my kidney!!
It’s coming out next week, then I get a couple of months off work to recover
Better out than in though I guess, eh Kev ■■ Mind you, must be one hell of a shock for you, yes ?
Hope all goes well for you brother.
Well I went back today, suitably armed with garlic and silver bullets but still the vampires had their way with me.
It looks increasingly likely that I have this ’ sticky blood ’ condition ( prone to clotting for no reason ) so I was told I have to take warfarin for life, which at first doesn’t sound so bad untill you realise that you are only allowed to drink max 2 units of alcohol a DAY when taking it.
So it is with disbelief and regret that I have to announce that I will never be drunk again ! !
( and there’s no ‘saving your units up’ either… it doesn’t work like that ! )
This tale just keeps getting sadder… Life without Guinness=Life without soul.
Dont worry too much at least you are gettin sorted out
Good luck with the DVT
I am still on the sick ( been since March ) pending DVLA, but still havin some tests have had CTscans MRI scans EEG ECG heart tracker Echocardiiogram have to go have a Contrast Ecohocardiograme in October so wont be back on the road soon
So can understand and it is good that the co you work for has a good sick pay scheme
My Self Cert ran out yesterday so today I had to go to the GP for some idea of how long I’ll be off, and for a note covering said absence.
My Blood Pressure is a bit high, but thats ok apparently since the cocktail of drugs and clot-dissolving that my blood is experiencing takes it’s toll.
So, the upshot is I have another 3 weeks off ( A month in total then ), but they want to see me again before I’m signed off to go back, could be 2 more weeks on top of that if progress isn’t satisfactory.
Wish me luck in with the TM this afternoon !
Thanks, Mike.
PS… The leg is pain free now, soft again around the calf but still, like, HUGE in case anyone wondered ■■?
Bigg Mike:
So I’ve had a bit of tenderness behind my left knee for 10 days, not really for any apparent reason, and then noticed my calf was swollen, and like a light red colour on the back.
I’ve had a similar sort of thing on the top of my right calf for a couple of weeks now, I was wondering what it was and it seems you may have solved the mystery for me, thanks.
One of our shunters had this happen to him and ignored it. A few weeks later he was having heart surgery as it had gone into his chest and within minutes of killing him. Not to be messed with, clots.
Coffeeholic:
I’ve had a similar sort of thing on the top of my right calf for a couple of weeks now, I was wondering what it was and it seems you may have solved the mystery for me, thanks.
To A&E my good man, and don’t spare the horses ! They can tell from a simple blood test whether there’s a clot present.
Has to be worth checking it out, I’m not in the business of scaring folk or anything but as Luce says… and as I’ve been told, chunks can break off and lodge in yer chest. They still could now, actually, as the clot softens, which is why so long off work.
Hope all ends well Coffee, but I’m already glad I started this thread now !
Bigg Mike:
To A&E my good man, and don’t spare the horses !
I’m not due back at the Docs until March 2010 for my next licence renewal medical. I’ve been taking asprin since I read this thread because they are supposed to help thin blood or something, I’ll see if that cures it.
) thought I might post a bit of an update for anyone who gives a monkey’s ?
