Vein blocked by blood clot in leg, coumadin therapy started

[DandyDon]

I thought I'd pulled a muscle, along with getting older and not in as good as shape as I have been at times, so I didn't pay much attention to the leg pain. It's odd that the other option for my usual stoic approach to such is to become a hypochondriac, but it is, and I do try to avoid such, so I went on with life. I took several aspirin a day over the weekend of practice diving to deal with the probable cause and affect, and - just in case of the always present risk of a cardiologic problem.

My leg wasn't any better by Monday a week ago, tho, so I headed for my doctor's office calling DAN on the way to rule out any possible diving injuries, and the medic I usually speak with there advised that he didn't think it was diving related, but that I shouldn't make any stops on the way to the Doc's. I saw the physician, who thought I was in good enough shape to walk myself to Admissions and ultra sound - along with a few other offices and stops during the afternoon, confirming a pretty good block on a major vein. The artery was still pumping right along, with lesser veins handling the return flow in a reduced manner yielding the swelling. We started the daily shots for a week to help get recovery going and the coumadin for the long term recovery. After 4 days at 5 mg of the rat poison, a blood test indicated that I needed more (my metabolism seems to always required more of everything except calories) so the Doc increased me to 7.5 mg a day for now.

It's certainly too soon to say much. My Doc thought I could be on the thinner for as long as 12 weeks, but I'm sure that could go either way. Really, it just all depends on how well my body does with the recovery; typically - I recover from most problems twice as fast as most, so I am certainly optimistic.

The cumulative stress of the weekend did mount up a bit, i.e. worried about equipment needs & deadlines, limping on a sore leg, humping bad tanks back to the fill shack to be replaced on more than one dive, and then this. It is also interesting how the stoic Cowboy/Marine deals with stress as a non-problem until the load is overdone. I stopped to ask someone directions to the business office with my paperwork and broke out crying. I know that this happens to us "tough guys," - I've seen it end experienced it before, but it's not in any of the Cowboy or Marine movies, so it still feels weird.

I spent a full week on very light house rest, a little more than ordered. I don’t cowboy anymore, and my office/sales work is not strenuous, but nonetheless - gave the leg every chance to heal and the clot time to dissolve without breaking out in chunks. My dive buddy offered to fly back and nurse me, but I assured her that I did not need assistance at this time, yet - she might interfere with my light rest healing. I am happy to say I do feel a lot better after a week, but still taking it very easy.

I ran searches here on SB, of course, and was encouraged to find other divers who had continued diving with blocked veins and/or on coumadin. Called DAN again 5 days into treatment, tho, and was strongly advised by a different medic to not dive at all on the med?! I asked for an explanation, and she gave me anecdotal evidence based on her dealings with divers who had incurred some bad experiences. Yes, well - I’ve helped save some lives and failed on others in my life, too. I didn’t tell her my immediate feeling, tho - rather holding them for the weekend.

Today, on the way to the office for the first time back, I chatted with the DAN medic I usually speak with, relating what I’d heard from the lady medic, as compared to my other sources, and went ahead and told him: “You know, I might live longer if I didn’t dive, didn’t walk on a boat, didn’t drive on the hiway or busy streets, or do much else in life - but that’s just one step short of a nursing home, and I’d rather die than live in one of those. I have postponed my Deco training until this passes, I am certainly thru with cowboy-diving for now, and while I have always been one to wear long wet suits (shorties are surfers, damn it) and take other precautions on ladders, I do plan to dive and behave much more carefully. Telling me not to dive is not acceptable, but I would appreciate comments I can use.”

He agreed. More will be decided after the next ultra sound, I’m sure, and I’d prefer to get this coumadin treatment behind me as soon as reasonably possible, but that‘s where it stands for now.

If anyone has any helpful comments, I will greatly appreciate them. Thanks...!

 

[The Chairman]

Wow Don,

You will be in my thoughts and prayers for this. Vaya con Dios, mon ami!

 

[Markdone]

Don - don't stop working on this, we're all thinking about you.

Mark
ps - only non-patriots or cretins can say they don't cry

 

[JRScuba]

Sounds like things are now under control. The hardest part is waiting it out. Yep, first thing they tell any of us is DO NOT DIVE.
They just have no idea that we are a special breed. Being one of the special breed I know that your not going to do anything foolish until you at least get the ALL CLEAR signal.

So cowboy, just sit back and get things done that you have been putting off.
Like the bathroom with all the scuba gear in it for starters.

Take care, you'll be in the water before you know it.


Joe

 

[DandyDon]

So cowboy, just sit back and get things done that you have been putting off. Like the bathroom with all the scuba gear in it for starters.

This one...? http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1300409&postcount=28


Thanks all, appreciate the kind words...!

 

[slingshot]

Hi Don:

I'm glad that you at least have an answer to your leg pain, and hope that you are able to recover quickly. You may want to discuss with your doctor whether you had any predisposing factors for development of a major vein clot, or if he or she thinks it was a "random" occurrence. Plus, you'll get to learn the alphabet soup of blood clots: DVT, PE, INR etc. At least you have the support and sympathy of the ScubaBoard community!

Slingshot

 

[miked]

DandyDon,
Just sending some good thoughts/wishes for a complete recovery.
best of luck,
Mike

 

[chip104]

DandyDon!

I'll be praying half way across the world for your speedy recovery. Take care, or "Ingat" as they say here.

Chip

 

[DennisW]

Don,

It's pure He(double hocky sticks) getting old isn't it? My back hurts most of the time. I have to get my left knee scoped soon (I'm putting it off until after a T-Day dive). MY shoulder hurts most of the time too.

But, I try to work out 2 - 3 times a week and keep up the cardio training, too. I have been trying to eat healthier and I have lost about 15 lbs since last January. I would like to lose another 5 or 10 lbs, but it is really hard to get that last few pounds off.

Take care of yourself and we will get to dive together someday. My prayers are with you,

 

[devolution365]

From reading your posts, I almost feel like I know you, Dandy Don. I mean, I've seen your bathroom and everything!

I didn't know you were a Marine, though. So was my Dad. Unfortunately, he had a stroke in June and has some pretty nasty residual effects that he's still working through -but the details aren't important to this post in particular. I just wanted to suggest that you talk to your doctor about your stroke and heart attack risks. A clot's a clot. Yours happened to be in your leg, but it could have just as easily occurred in your heart or brain. I don't want to scare you, just warn you about the elevated risk for more clots, perhaps in worse locations because they can often correct the problem with drugs and/or surgery if they know about them early. No one told my Dad of the elevated risk for stroke when he had his mini heart attack 7 years ago. If they had, he could have probably taken care of the problem in his brain before having the stroke.

Hospitals and clinics often offer tests for heart attack and stroke risks and they are sometimes given for discounts during "heart month" or whatever. Your local hospital may be able to give you more information on the tests and when they usually have clinics where you can get the test on the cheap (assuming your insurance is as "comprehensive" :thumbs_do and impossible to deal with as mine is). As an example: My local hospital had heart attack risk tests for $95 or something.

It's too bad that when doctors find one clot (like my Dad's mini heart attack 7 years ago) they don't look for more and do something before the person has a heart attack or stroke. Then (in my Dad's case) they say it's too late to do anything to prevent more because the clot's too big to correct surgically.

Take care of yourself and I'm sure you'll have many dives to come.