Did You Know That March is Blood Clot Awareness Month?

[dawnt]

I didn’t know that March is blood clot awareness month, Jen, but I do have experience with clots.  The first time I had blood clots they found I had a dvt and ‘multiple’ clots in each lung, and I was in the hospital for a week while they tried to get my inr to a therapeutic level. After a week I was close enough to go home, once I showed them I was able to give myself the shots to get my inr the last bit it had to go to get where they wanted it to be. I was on warfarin for a year, but then shortly after being taken off of it had clots to my lungs again. So I’ve been on warfarin ever since then.

My brother had blood clots in his lungs before I had mine, and had genetic testing that found a couple mutations responsible for bleeding disorders. I also had genetic testing after my first clots, and they found the same mutations as my brother has.  My sister hasn’t had any clots or genetic testing, but my doctor told me that since my brother and I have the mutations, my sister does as well.

I don’t do anything to specifically address blood clot awareness month, but I do share my story and symptoms (that I didn’t recognize as symptoms when they happened)  when I hear people I know talking about symptoms they’ve been having but just think it’s normal aches and pains. I feel like a dr visit is worth it to find out if it’s actually a clot, before more damage could happen.

[jen-cueva]

Hi @dawnt, thanks for sharing your experience with blood clots. Interesting that you and your brother have the same genes that cause the bleeding disorder related to clots. I’m happy that your sister has not had any clots.

I’ve had friends and family with blood clots, and as you mention, many start with common symptoms that others may dismiss. A great friend of mine had a few clots on her left leg and lungs a few years back. She had no other significant medical issues at the time. She called and told me she was in the hospital with clots like it was no big deal.
I freaked because I knew what could happen if they were not addressed. Thankfully hers were smaller and could be dissolved with medication that she now takes daily. She started with a sore leg that she thought she might have bumped into a piece of furniture. Then she was up all night with unbearable pain. That was what led her to the hospital.

Here is more information for blood clots in the lungs or pulmonary embolism. Dawn, were these some of the symptoms that you experienced?

[dawnt]

Hi @jenc. Yes, some of the symptoms you included I had. I actually had a superficial blood clot in my one leg a few weeks before I had a dvt in the other leg.  I’d gone to the dr about the pain I was having in my leg, even when a blanket or bed sheet would rub over it it hurt like heck. My dr said it was probably a pulled muscle at the time, but after the dvt in the other leg that then sent the clot to my lungs, the dr apologized for missing the superficial clot.

[jen-cueva]

Hi @dawnt, your description of the pain from your first blood clot in the leg was the same as my friend’s. She said it hurt her sheet or comforter even lightly to touch her leg that night.

THankful you knew you had an issue, although your doctor missed the first superficial blood clot. Thanks for sharing your experience.