Diary of my DVT resulting in a bilateral embolism
This is a brief diary of my DVT which resulted in a bilateral pulmonary embolism:
I believe it all started even before August of 2001. That is when I developed a dry cough. It was not very annoying, so I didn’t think much of it. It was toward the end of February when I suddenly developed a respiratory problem. From breathing normally to barely being able to walk, took about 10 minutes.
My wife helped me to an immediate care center, where they diagnosed me with pneumonia. I was given antibiotics, and then sent home. That evening, my breathing appeared to improve a bit. Aha, I thought, the antibiotic was working. Then, while slowly traversing toward the kitchen, I had a sharp pain in my leg. The pain quickly subsided, but my leg swelled up. I could not walk far, however, because my leg was constantly tired. I never felt it was very serious, and thought the swelling would eventually go away. After maintaining this swelling for weeks more, “Elephant Leg” is what my wife came to name it.
Finally in March, having had enough, I went to have the problem resolved. The doctor prescribed an ultra sound. This sounding showed a massive clot that ran from mid-calf to mid-thigh. Into the hospital I went, with the usual heparin drip. “Just to be sure you have no clots in the lungs, let’s get an x-ray”, the Doc suggested. This, indeed, did show multiple clots in both lungs. How many, he said, were far too numerous to count.
There is actually more to the story, but after 5 days in the hospital I was sent home with warfarin. Turns out, I have a “Leiden Factor V” gene mutation. That means I’ll have to be on warfarin forever.
The symptoms for everyone are different. Some experience great pain, and some do not. After the initial jolt, I never did feel any more pain. Not in my leg, nor in my lungs. But if you ever experience an unexplained swelling, get to a doctor soon. I am very lucky to even be alive!
I believe it all started even before August of 2001. That is when I developed a dry cough. It was not very annoying, so I didn’t think much of it. It was toward the end of February when I suddenly developed a respiratory problem. From breathing normally to barely being able to walk, took about 10 minutes.
My wife helped me to an immediate care center, where they diagnosed me with pneumonia. I was given antibiotics, and then sent home. That evening, my breathing appeared to improve a bit. Aha, I thought, the antibiotic was working. Then, while slowly traversing toward the kitchen, I had a sharp pain in my leg. The pain quickly subsided, but my leg swelled up. I could not walk far, however, because my leg was constantly tired. I never felt it was very serious, and thought the swelling would eventually go away. After maintaining this swelling for weeks more, “Elephant Leg” is what my wife came to name it.
Finally in March, having had enough, I went to have the problem resolved. The doctor prescribed an ultra sound. This sounding showed a massive clot that ran from mid-calf to mid-thigh. Into the hospital I went, with the usual heparin drip. “Just to be sure you have no clots in the lungs, let’s get an x-ray”, the Doc suggested. This, indeed, did show multiple clots in both lungs. How many, he said, were far too numerous to count.
There is actually more to the story, but after 5 days in the hospital I was sent home with warfarin. Turns out, I have a “Leiden Factor V” gene mutation. That means I’ll have to be on warfarin forever.
The symptoms for everyone are different. Some experience great pain, and some do not. After the initial jolt, I never did feel any more pain. Not in my leg, nor in my lungs. But if you ever experience an unexplained swelling, get to a doctor soon. I am very lucky to even be alive!
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