Blood Clots

[hn7609]

Anybody here ever have a problem with blood clots in the legs due to being immobilized in a wheel chair. I've had a bad week with my leg being swolen to twice the normal size. A visit to my family doc, the imaging center, & then an ambulance ride to the hospital revealed a serious clot in my leg. They think that it was caused due to blood pooling in the legs due to being confined to a wheel chair. The only bright spot that they could point out is that due to being in a wheelchair I was unlikely to dislodge one of the clots and do any serious damage. They think that blood thinners will bring relief within a couple of months. In my year here I don't think that I've read about anybody else who has had this problem, am I alone?

[hangingon1]

My wife almost died last year of a clot. Her primary physician caught it, in Jan. and sent her to a specialist who put her on thinners. After 6 months, he took her off and almost to a month she has a pulmonary embolism that almost killed her. Most of the other physicians asked why he took her off. It made me angry. She take low dose Warfarin now and is monitored for clotting time. Since she is on hospice, They do it weekly. Clots are very common in sedentary patients. Get someone to move your legs daily. Your clot will go down and you will be ok. You are blessed that it did not bust loose and cause brain or lung trouble. I would recommend staying on a blood thinner continually.

[HelenL]

range of motion exercises and elevating your feet are so important to prevent this from happening. My feet look like red sausages if I'm not careful. I also take a med to help prevent vascular spasms that were restricting blood flow. Good luck!

[penny1]

check with dr about leg wraps that pump up, then release. My hushand had so many blood clots they quit counting, after his hosipital stay and being on blood thinners they gave him the battery powered leg wraps I think they were called "DVT CARE" He said it also helped with that funny nerve feeling in his legs. Also check your wheelchair leg rest, be sure that your legs are not hanging or creating pressure because the leg rest is to long, this will further reduce blood flow in the legs. Penny

[cervus]

I agree with others. Range of motion exercises, done by somebody that's trained and then anybody can help with rotating your ankles, lifting your feet, bending your legs, etc. Try pressure socks too. Keeps the swelling down. Bob wore them during the day and they made such a difference. Take care. Yasmin

[notme]

Definitely not alone. Blood clots are quite common in anyone that is confined to a wheelchair or to bed, or just generally spends a lot of their time sitting.

I spent 30 days in the hospital with clots in my legs, lungs and brain. Literally a month while they gave me heparin and shots in my stomach each day to try and dissolve them.

Even though you're on the blood thinner now, if you get any sudden shortness of breath, please go to an ER. Clots can still move, even if you're in a wheelchair.

[kerwin]

That's terribly.