How many scans have you had, and outside of not seeing improvement on the scan, is how your leg feels improving?

You really are very early in your recovery and I think while interventional radiology can help some people, a lot of times it doesn't. You may want to talk to your vascular surgeon on that front to get an opinion on that. And seek a second opinion if he blows it off. But most people I've met here haven't had this type of procedure here. Some have, but most not.

Your clots may not visibly resolve all the way, but know that even if that's the case, that doesn't mean your leg won't function as well as before. Lot of people have "chronic" clots and haven't had any problems

I'm not saying don't explore your options but just know that what you're experiencing isn't that unusual.

Clot busting treatment is most commonly used on extensive acute proximal dvt (ie femoral and/or iliac) performed upon diagnosis. I was told a week to ten days is the maximum time to wait to perform the procedure. In my experience, treatment for extensive clotting depends on the facility and doctors' knowledge. Although these treatments are still controversial due to cost, etc. they are becoming more popular. Of course it depends on the patient's circumstances. The ATTRACT study is in the process of determining if the procedures prevent PTS and the preliminary results indicate they do. I think it will become much more commonplace in the near future.

Two months isn't a long time for your clotting to resolve but a second opinion might make you feel better about your situation.

Here is a link to a hospital that claims they removed a 25 year old chronic blood clot from a patient. They say that removing the chronic blood clots can alleviate a lot of symptoms. I have a partially recanalized popliteal vein that I might have a stent put into. I have blood flow the size of a pin hole right now in that particular vein. That is where my swelling and pain is coming from. Its a simple fix/concept really. You remove the blockage and get the blood flowing again. I would contact the doctors on that link I just gave you. The doctor at that hospital was the doctor who developed the procedure to remove acute and chronic blood clots. I'd say it's never too early or too late to get your clots removed. I hope this helps.

Here Is the link: http://stanfordhospital.org/clinicsmedServices/medicalServices/interventionalRadiology/dvt/chronic.html

I think what it may come down to is exactly what procedure you're considering. If it's tPA or something similar to bust the clots, emt4 is right. That usually needs to be done very soon after diagnosis for it to be effective.

If it's stents or something surgical, I would get a couple of opinions on who's a good candidate for that, success rate for someone in a similar situation ,etc. I would only go to someone who was a leader in the field on this, in my humble opinion.

Not everybody is a candidate for procedures on acute or chronic clots but I agree with RMB in that you should seek out a leader in the field when considering such options. I will say Dr. Rusty Hofmann at Stanford is internationally renowned and brilliant in the field of interventional radiology. He serves as an advisor of the May Thurner group (among other things of course) and patients come to him from around the world. If I personally lived on the west coast I would definitely consult with him.

Thank you all for your responses. RMB, I have had 6 scans. I had a trip back to the hospital for 4 days with complications(Inconsistant INR, switched to xarelto), so I had to have additional scans. The most recent being two weeks ago. I live close to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and am currently under the care of Mercy Hospital. Catheter-directed thrombolysis is the one procedure I was reading about at Hopkins. I just want some progress to show what I am doing is working. Just a little canalization.

I will be traveling to Delaware to see Dr Mark Garcia to have my 3 year old clots removed the first week of May. I will be posting updates on how things are going. Baltimore should be only a 2-3 hour drive to Newark, DE if it turns out you would like to visit with Dr. Garcia about your case.

Well, if you are really thinking about doing that procedure, go for it! But inform yourself about pros and cons. Two months is too soon in your treatment for you to be so discouraged. Although I can understand you. We want to heal fast, but it takes time; unfortunately, in these cases (DVT), it takes too much time.

I had a femoral-popliteal DVT in August (in July, but diagnosed the month after, so the treatment started there). In September I went to see the vascular surgeon that was treating me and he didnt do a Doppler but used a small machine that could almost do the same as a Doppler and saw improvements, but very, very few improvements. I asked him what I could do, apart from using my compression stockings, and he told me there was nothing more I could do. Three months after I started my treatment with warfarin I went for a Doppler and it showed recanalization, but the blood flow was still too much affected. I was devastated. My leg almost didnt hurt but it was swollen all the time (no more than a centimetre, but I was very sad because I loved my beautiful legs and I could tell the difference between them). I decided to see another vascular surgeon because the one treating me told me to go back there only after 6 months. That new doctor saw my Doppler and prescribed me a medicine to help the circulation of the blood it is called Vessel and although it says that interferes with warfarin, it didnt, in my case, but I was always followed by my hematologist. I must say that my hematologist found it very odd that my new vascular surgeon prescribed me a medicine for my blood flow, it was very unusual, she said. The truth is that when I had my 6th month Doppler done there was a lot of improvements :). It showed that my leg is 80% cured. Of course I wanted it to be 100%, but when I had my first Doppler I was around 30% in one of the veins, so things got better. I dont know if the improvements were because of the medicine or just coincidence, but the fact is that I took that medicine. In fact, I still do, now that I am out of warfarin. Im allergic to aspirin, so that would never be a solution for me. I live in Europe, so I dont know if you have Vessel in the USA. And I must emphasize that I cannot say that the medicine was what boosted my healing.

From your post, I can only ask you to not lose the faith; it will get better. You have some veins that were affected, so it may take more time than some other people that had less veins affected and a smaller clot, for instance.

Its very hard to deal with a DVT. We want to see improvements and when that doesnt happen as we are expecting its hard to deal with frustration and fear. But time is a healer. Dont stop believing, ok? Continue asking questions to your doctors, to us here, to everybody that may help you. One way or the other, youll find a solution for you.

Best wishes,
Mathy

Just an update. Yesterday I went to my Primary to discuss some breathing difficulty. I thought it may be due to allergys, or some issue from my PE back in Feb. I thought I may get a chest X-ray, but he listened to my chest and then suggested another doppler on my legs to rule out new clot. My DVT is extensive and I had occluded veins in right leg, groin to ankle. And the doppler showed...PROGRESS. A few weeks ago I was bummed I was 2 mos into treatment and showed no progress, thinking about alternatives. My scan showed I was no longer fully occluded, and there was some blood flow and canalization. A drastic improvement over my last scan in such a short time. My only changes were to Xarelto from Warfarin and using compression stockings religiously working with the lymphedema clinic. So thank you to those of you who said to be patient. I have a looong way to go still, but just seeing some progress has made me more confident in my treatment decisions. Thanks again all!

That's great!

I am at the point I want to be well now and I am only 4 weeks in. I am on 20 mg xarelto and have an IVC filter, Compression socks are not working waiting for ok to wear knee highs instead of thigh highs.
How much longer for me to feel normal! I had a DVT behind rt. knee and a PE in each lung.

@Neecee6

It's hard to say how long it'll take for you to feel "normal." Recovery from clots can be anywhere from weeks to years, depending on the person, the clots, other health issues, etc.

My first DVT, it took about two years to feel 100% again.
My second DVT, it took about a week.
When I got my PEs, my husband wanted to know how long it would take until I felt better and I said, "I dunno, somewhere between a week and two years, probably."
It really is hard to tell.

You might try stopping by the PE boards also, as the discussion of recovery is somewhat different there than on the DVT boards.

Necee,
Why do you think compression isn't working? It may take some time.
I don't wear them because of pain fortunately. I wear them to combat swelling and with hopes the increased blood flow helps me heal sooner? Who prescribed them?