What is DVT?

DVT: Deep Vein Thrombosis.

It is a blood clot found in deep veins in the leg or pelvis area.  Sometimes it can appear in arms. In Marcs case he had a constant muscle  cramp feeling in his right leg, and the leg grew to twice it's normal  size. He had trouble walking and on the Sunday that is when we went to  the hospital.

You can get DVT from having surgery, being obese, traveling for long  distances, certain drugs or already being at risk for clots.

The clot can dislodge and travel to the lungs causing a pulmonary  embolism. It can be fatal. Doctors do not always want to remove it  because it can cause parts of the clot to dislodge or the whole thing  can move. Most times it is treated with blood thinner. In Marcs case he  was told that the vein would be unrepairable, his leg would always swell  up and he can be at risk for another clot.

Doctors find the clot using ultrasounds and they detect it with blood  tests. They either put the patient on heparin-shots that are given in  the stomach or they put them on blood thinner pills (cumadin, warfarin).  They start with the shots first to stabilize and then work from there.  It takes many blood tests to get the right dosage of blood thinner.  Marcs blood had to be between 2.0 and 3.0.

Usually if you get more than one clot they put you on blood thinner  for the rest of your life. In Marcs case, although he only had one clot  so far, he may be on the blood thinner forever because of his damaged  vein.

Compression stockings. They have helped so much! He has to get thigh  high ones because the clot was found behind the knee (maybe he can get  knee high ones now but we wont know until August). They can be a pain in  the summer when it's really hot and he wont wear shorts. He has just  started to go out in flip flops. I don't know if i would be able to wear  anything but pants if i needed a compression stocking. They aren't the  prettiest things out there, but they help.

Marc goes in for another ultrasound on August 5th and then see's the  doctor the next day. Hopefully the good news will continue!