Freaking out. GP told me I have all the clinical indicators of a DVT. WWYD?

**~mamaspice~** · January 22nd, 2012, 07:37 PM

I've been googling and now I'm freaking out.

I went to the after hours GP this afternoon after much umming and arring. My right calf is hard, and is swollen, it's been feeling warm and has a red rash on it. Initially I just figured the muscle is a little stiff due to having had a knee injury over the past week but decided I'd get checked out anyway as the swelling bit didn't really gel with just having a fatigued calf muscle.

The GP tells me I have all the clinical indicators of a DVT. The appearance of my leg looks like a DVT, plus having been incapacitated for 2 days last week with my knee injury, and of course the fact that my leg has been through trauma recently.

He gave me a shot of clexane in the surgery and a form to get a calf doppler done as soon as the radiology clinic open in the morning. But didn't really tell me anything else.

So if it IS a DVT should I be worried tonight? Well I guess I am I don't think I will get much sleep. To bwe honest I'm really starting to freak out. I'm teary and emotional thinking about the kids.

The nurse on the 13 health line said don't overdo it but don't stay still for too long either. UMMMMMM it's bedtime soon.

What would you do? WOuld you try to forget about it and wait til the morning or would you go to the A&E? I don't want to go there and feel like a goose if they treat me like it's not urgent and I end up sitting in the waiting room all night anyway. And especially as I will be there on my own as DH will have to stay home with the kids.

**kelebek** · January 22nd, 2012, 07:49 PM

I was going to suggest the healthline but seems they weren't much help... I would probably head upto the hospital if it were me

**~mamaspice~** · January 22nd, 2012, 08:09 PM

Thanks for taking the time to reply Kelebek. I might just call the local hospital and see what they say. The other consideration is the Big Day Out is on here as we speak and I'm sure A&E is busy with casualties from that. I

either

**Trillian** · January 22nd, 2012, 08:20 PM

You'll be fine. You've had a shot of clexane and that will start to help you straight away. DH got a clot in his calf after knee surgery last year and he had extreme pain in his leg for 3 days before he could get it seen to. They don't move around your body that quickly that anything can happen to you. I would say that you'll need a course of clexane injections to dissolve it and regular scans to make sure that it is breaking down. The pain eased quickly once he started on the clexane.

Going to Aand E wont change anything, you've had the clexane and all they could probably do is the scan for you, but that would be about it I'd reckon

**Novella** · January 22nd, 2012, 08:37 PM

If you are worried go to the hospital but as a rule they would do the same, give you clexane and get an ultrasound in the morning. Depending on the dose, clexane for DVT could be once a day or morning and night. Im a nurse and often encounter patients with DVT's and that is the standard practice, I dont know that many hospitals would do an ultrasound for a suspected DVT overnight unless there were significant risk to you having clexane such as a pre-existing bleeding disorder. The othe possibility from what you have described could be an infection so I would get it checked tomorrow if not tonight

If your leg gets significantly more painful/tingling/numbness or a significant change in colour go straight to the hospital which Im sure you would any way.

**~mamaspice~** · January 22nd, 2012, 09:02 PM

Thanks Sararose and Trillian.

DH recons my calf has gotten bigger and it's changed a little from a reddish rash to a bit more purplish. It certainly feels a little more tingly as does the back of my thigh now. My knee is also feeling quite tight.
I guess the thing is when I injured my knee (on the same leg) last monday night all I did was spring out of bed and got a horrible pain and felt like something was out of place. After the initial pain it wasn't really bad though and I carried on the next day and a half as normal. I had a bit of a limp but just figured I'd pulled something and that it would get better but two days after I hurt it (Wednesday now) it suddenly started to get very stiff and sore and swell. And within a matter of hours I could not even walk or put any bodyweight on that leg. Went to Physio who said go to Dr so went to GP on Thursday. They tried to aspirate it to see what fluid was inside. GP said my knee looked like it would burst if she threw a dart at it but strangely got nothing out when trying to aspirate it. Had a myriad of BT's done and sent for xray and ultrasound. X-ray all clear and US showed a moderate knee joint effusion but nothing else. BT's showed considerably elevated ESR and CRP. And slightly elevated WCC. Nothing else abnormal. I am booked in for a MRI for Knee on Tuesday to check for cartlidge damage and the knee pain and swelling has gone down considerably since being put on anti-inflamatories but then I've had this happen with my calf in the last 24 hours.

its's all a mystery. Of course my usual GP wasn't open today so went to after hours medical centre and had to relay the4 events of the last week to them.

Oh well, will find out if it's a DVT in the morning I guess. Just

ing i get some sleep.

**krysalyss** · January 22nd, 2012, 09:25 PM

Mamaspice why don't you measure it and take a pic so you can compare in a bit if you need to. So sorry you are going through this.

**~mamaspice~** · January 22nd, 2012, 09:34 PM

Thanks krys! Yes have measured it a couple of times I have a mole on my shin im using as a marker so I know I'm measuring in the same place.

it has swelled another 1.5cm since lunchtime and is about 4.5 cm bigger than my left calf. Hopefully it's miraculously gone down in the morning

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**~Kim~** · January 22nd, 2012, 09:35 PM

Oh chick, I hope you get some sleep too.Do agree with the PPs though about A&E. The clexane should tide you over until the morning.
Though if the pain becomes unbearable I would be doing something about it asap.

**~mamaspice~** · January 22nd, 2012, 09:46 PM

Thanks Kim

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**~mamaspice~** · January 23rd, 2012, 03:22 PM

I just thought I'd pop in to give a quick update.

NO DVT! YAY! It looks like the fluid from my knee is pooling in my calf and causing same symptoms as a DVT. The concern is infection (you were on the mark Sararose

) and I'm on some heavy duty antibiotics for that. What the US/doppler did reveal though is that some time between last thursday and now I've also developed qa bakers cyst int he back of my knee. it definately wasnt there last thursday as they looked for that. Last thursday was just the diffusion in the joint. I had noticed that since about lunch yesterday the back of my knee had started to get tight and sore so the bakers cyst explains that.
Dr Google tells me the 2 most common causes of a bakers cyst are an arthritic condition or a cartlidge tear. Arthritis has already been totally ruled out. I'm placing my bets on that tomorrows MRI will reveal a cartlidge tear as that's what my physio had suspected that I could have done in the first PLACE.

Arghhh, just need it to get better! Uni starts in 2 weeks!