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.
Six months after a DVT, my sons leg becomes red as soon as he stands, and gets darker quickly, until he puts his stocking on. It doenst swell or hurt.
Six months after his DVT, he uses his mediven 30-40 mm compression stockings every day, even in the hot spanish summer. We just spent a week at the beach and he didnt go to swim, afraid that doing it without the stocking was not good for his leg and that taking off after swimming would be too difficult. Do you have any experience about this?
Thank you all for this page that is already helping so much. Reading other people experiences makes me feel much less lonely with all this.
Beln
Six months after his DVT, he uses his mediven 30-40 mm compression stockings every day, even in the hot spanish summer. We just spent a week at the beach and he didnt go to swim, afraid that doing it without the stocking was not good for his leg and that taking off after swimming would be too difficult. Do you have any experience about this?
Thank you all for this page that is already helping so much. Reading other people experiences makes me feel much less lonely with all this.
Beln
I just had a week's beach holiday and wore knee-high 30-40 to walk to & from the beach, and then just a shorty wetsuit but no compression stockings when in the sea.
The leg swelled like a balloon and was actually black when I got out of the sea! Made me realise what it would be like if I never wore compression......
I'm supposed to wear custom made compression tights all the time, so for the last day of holiday, when we were sightseeing and travelling, and for the whole time in the week afterwards, I have worn my tights, and the discolouration and swelling has gone away again.
I'm 2 months on with my DVT, IVC to ankle, so I should expect to be struggling without compression. I'm just trying to balance living as normally as possible for the sake of my kids against doing the very best for my leg. My DVT nurse said that the compression of the water when you're swimming is beneficial.
The bit I find hard is knowing how much is too much - what constitutes pushing yourself to get fitter, and when this becomes doing too much and doing damage. People keep going on at me to take it easy, but I see and feel the weight piling on and see the jobs that need doing mounting up, and get very cheesed off that I can't do it all!!!!
I have the same questions as you do; my solution for now, is avoiding the beach altogether, but eventually I will have to go and I don't know if it is good or not for my leg.
Scattybat, you have a very good point in asking how much exercise is beneficial and where is the point when when you say it is to much.
I don't want to do more damage that already is.
I tried to ask the doctors, but I've received only vague answers.
They say that you have to listen to your body, does this mean that if you are not in pain when you exercise it is O.K to do whatever you want?
I am 2 weeks post diagnosis and am in the middle of a family vacation as we speak. My Doctor never said anything about the beach/ocean/swimming so I assumed that those were not risk factors. However, I do not have any swelling or redness in my leg (the clot is in my calf) and wear my compression stalkings only when I am seated/laying down for long periods of time. I have gone to the beach the last 2 days and have spent most of my time in thee water and have not had any problems thus far. Does anyone know if the beach/ocean/swimming contributes to complications with a DVT?
They were fine in the water, although I know I looked odd. I wore water shoes so that I wouldn't ruin the stockings. I was very comfortable and they dried very quickly. I wore my older pair in case the fabric would be affected by the water (it was treated water) and I washed them by hand at the end of the day.
I wish you a good summer too!