Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Support Group
Deep-vein thrombosis, also known as deep-venous thrombosis or DVT, is the formation of a blood clot ("thrombus") in a deep vein. It can be caused by something preventing blood from circulating or clotting normally. Join the support group if you are coping with DVT and find others who are going through the same challenges.
So I had my hematologist visit today. I love her! I came with a list of questions and she answered each one and was very reassuring to me. She believes I will be off coumadin in 6 months, although I get to wear the compression socks for at least 2 years. Sex-ay! I need to drink 80- ounces of fluids a day (not coffee or soda alas), eat better and exercies, although this is tough with me being in the middle of recovering from 2 broken ankles.
Here is my question. She told me she would be doing the D-Dimer test along with some other tests. I thought she said she expected the results to be high - I believe she said she expected 500+. My results are already posted on the hospital site.......my D-Dimer is less than 100. Is this good? I'm really confused now. Is it bad? Do I have to sleep fully dressed with the light on again?
Thanks guys.
Here is my question. She told me she would be doing the D-Dimer test along with some other tests. I thought she said she expected the results to be high - I believe she said she expected 500+. My results are already posted on the hospital site.......my D-Dimer is less than 100. Is this good? I'm really confused now. Is it bad? Do I have to sleep fully dressed with the light on again?
Thanks guys.
But you're already on warfarin, right? Likelihood of new clots is super low...regardless of the d-dimer.
My doc won't run d-dimers on me because I have chronic clots in my leg even though they are from 2005 and 2009. If you've still got clots in your system, the d-dimer results may not be super accurate anyway.
I think you can risk the pj's and lights off. :-)
She really was awesome, I went in there with a list of questions and she didn't bat an eye.
A terrific doctor really is such a big help.
She really is great. I am blessed to have awesome doctors all around....well I fired my first rheumatologist and so glad I did. He rushed me, made me feel like I shouldn't ask questions, and had a totally supercilious attitude. So he's history.
I just had a question though (this may or may not be the best place for it), what is a d-dimer? Is that like the ultrasound the doctor does to find a clot?
A d-dimer is a somewhat controversial blood test that can be used to see if clotting factors in the blood are elevated. A negative test pretty concretely says that you are NOT clotting. A positive test can be that way for a number of reasons. It can mean you are at risk of clotting but it can also mean that you're sick, you've clotted in the past, or a number of other things. A lot of different things can cause an elevated d-dimer.
Because it doesn't always provide a solid answer, it is a somewhat controversial diagnostic tool. My doc won't run one on me because I have chronic clots in my leg and she thinks it would be elevated no matter what (and therefore wouldn't show if I had something new going on).
Many folks get d-dimers when clotting is suspected. A negative test usually means you won't get a CT or an ultrasound, but a positive d-dimer might indicate that further testing is necessary.
Hope that helps.