Clexane & DVT & Birth

[Chels]

Hi and thanks to others for feedback. Michelle & Flowerchild my vascular surgeon assured me and my ob that the clexane would well and truely be out of my system in 24hours, but my ob was very over cautious and was playing by his rules (for this and so many other reasons I'll be having a different ob for my second pregnancy!)

Alan, I asked my vasc surgeon about a shunt early on and he said it wouldn't work.

What did happen....I booked in for the rib resection on 5th Sept. The surgery took twice as long as thought (3 hours) becuse my subclavian vein (the one that had the DVT) was stuck to my first rib! The surgeon said it was difficult to pull it off the rib so as not to damage the vein, cause nerve damage or loss of sensation in parts of my arm. He then removed about a inch of rib that cross sectioned with my collarbone. So, lucky I did go ahead with the surgery because if I ceased the clexane the chances of getting another clot were high due it being stuck!
Recovery was long and painful. I tried to but couldn't handle the pain without morphine and when the nurses assured me that Sophie would get very minimal in my milk (3%) and that at the worst it would make her a bit sleepy so I continued to feed her, but dropped from 4 to 2 feeds a day because it was a logistical drama for my helpers to bring her in to the hosp for 4 feeds. They were painful to do, but with help to position her and lot of pillows, I managed.
I was in hospital for a week until I begged the surgeon to let me go home with my drip still in place. I had a lot of help from DH, mum and MIL with Sophie as I was unable to use my arm so therefore unable to pick her up, change her, pretty much hopeless for about 3 weeks after the surgery. The pain I experienced and the time it took to recover was far worse and more extreme in comparison to the c-section I had 5 months prior!!
Now 7 weeks later I almost have full motion of my arm and almost pain free (few twinges here and there if I push it) and best of all no more daily injections of clexane! (after 18mths of it!) Doc says fully recovered by 3 months and gave me the all clear at a check up 2 weeks ago. One final check up in Jan next year cos there is a chance that scar tissue or the possibility of the rib regrowing can cause problems again. So, here's hoping it'll be ok and we'll be able to TTC for #2 soon -yay!
Sadly, I had to stop breastfeeding Sophie a week ago because my period hasn't returned and I want to have a couple of cycles before conceiving again. It's so sad to take that away from her, but I feel like after all I've been through with my health that I have done a really great job giving her a good start for her first 7 months!