Hi:

My name is Wanda, I was banded June 5. I have been taking coumadin ever since I had surgery. When I went in for surgery I was given a shot of heparin. All this to keep me from having a clot. But guess what? I got one anyway. So if any of you experience any of the following after surgery:

Swelling

Redness

Painful area

GET TO YOUR DOCTOR!!!!

I woke up at 1 am with my left calf throbbing, there was no redness or swelling. I had a feeling it was a clot. I waited until 4am to tell my husband I was going to call me doctor. Dr. said to go to the ER and have a leg scan, I thought man this is gonna be bad if it's nothing, I live an 1 1/2 hours away from the hospital where I had surgery.

What would have happened if I had ignored my symptoms? I probably would not be warning you guys for sure. Listen to your bodies after this surgery, please.

Thank you very much for the information. I am very happy that you made it, and was able to warn others. God Bless, RLPrice, SC

I'm so glad you are ok. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. How long after surgery is clotting a possibility?

I was 18 days post op when I had the clot.

Thank goodness you're OK, many people WOULD ignore those symptoms.

Are obese people at increased risk of DVT?

After surgery at the hospital DH and I went to, they make you wear the white stockings that are continually pumped up and down, even for just a day bedridden. And make you get up and walk around etc. They certainly take it more seriously these days.

my doctor made me wear the white surgical tights for 2 weeks! i thought i was going to go crazy. but now i'm glad i did.

As I said before, I had a leg study done before surgery, was given heparin before surgery, wore the stockings the pump up and down and I walked. Also have been on coumadin since surgery, my doc requires it for a month. But it still happened despite all the things that were done to prevent clots.

Hum, I guess that is why my surgeon prescribes self injections of a blood thinner that I had to give myself for a week.....anyway, glad you caught it in time, hope you're feeling better.

I was banded last thursday. I had stockings post op but have not been on any anti clotting medication. Are clots more common with certain pre existing problems or just anyone post op? :embaressed_smile:

Thank goodness you're OK, many people WOULD ignore those symptoms.

Are obese people at increased risk of DVT?

After surgery at the hospital DH and I went to, they make you wear the white stockings that are continually pumped up and down, even for just a day bedridden. And make you get up and walk around etc. They certainly take it more seriously these days.

Not necesarily obese people, but people with a sedentary life style are at greather risk. Sitting or laying in one position too long with pressure on certain areas of the body and when pressure is on a vein it can cause blood to remain in one location too long and coagulate and cause a clot. Crossing your legs is one of the most common reasons dvt's form in the calf area. Truckers and other long distance drivers are also at greater risk due to sitting in one place too long usually getting dvt's in the back of the thighs. I can't say why it happened to Wanda being that she was on anti-coagulants. But get up and keep moving after your surgery even if it is just walking around your house and don't stay in one position too long and don't cross your legs.

I hope my explaination help and wasn't too long winded.

James

Hi:

My name is Wanda, I was banded June 5. I have been taking coumadin ever since I had surgery. When I went in for surgery I was given a shot of heparin. All this to keep me from having a clot. But guess what? I got one anyway. So if any of you experience any of the following after surgery:

Swelling

Redness

Painful area

GET TO YOUR DOCTOR!!!!

I woke up at 1 am with my left calf throbbing, there was no redness or swelling. I had a feeling it was a clot. I waited until 4am to tell my husband I was going to call me doctor. Dr. said to go to the ER and have a leg scan, I thought man this is gonna be bad if it's nothing, I live an 1 1/2 hours away from the hospital where I had surgery.

What would have happened if I had ignored my symptoms? I probably would not be warning you guys for sure. Listen to your bodies after this surgery, please.:embaressed_smile:

Thank goodness you were already on anti-coag therapy, I'm currently on warfarin as well for a DVT that developed in March (it's why I can't go for surgery until November.) I ignored my symptoms too and now have a clot that spans from just about my ankle to my groin in my left leg.

Has your doctor mentioned anything to you about getting genetic testing done? I'd imagine that if you developed a DVT while being on anti-coagulants there has to be some underlying reason for it. I'm a carrier for Protein C Resistancy and I'll be doing my genetic testing in October to find out if I'm a carrier for or have any other activated thrombotic disorders.

Thank goodness you didn't wait or do what a lot of people do and assume it was a charlie horse (like I did)!

Best of luck to you in your recovery.

It's a good thing you caught it! Clots are dangerous because if pieces break off of a clot in your leg in can end up in your lungs causing a pulmonary embolism, or in your brain, which causes strokes. Not trying to scare y'all, but this is why the docs are so cautious with the stockings, leg massagers and the anticoagulant shots. The odds are small for having a clot, but even one is too many!

Im not sure if this is so, but I did hear that there was a recall on that drug, heprin? May want to check it out. They gave it to me too, left a huge bruise on me, I mean huge, bigger than a grapefruit. And looked awlful. But, after my surgery, I heard there was a recall. Maybe I am wrong. But worth looking into, they said it wasnt working and was giving people clots, and death. Thanks for the heads up. People on here should be aware.

my dr gave me lovenox to self inject in the belly area under the navel for 7 days post-op & LOTS of walking immediately afterwards.

Wanda, I am sorry you went through this. I am really glad you are okay. Julie

Im not sure if this is so, but I did hear that there was a recall on that drug, heprin? May want to check it out. They gave it to me too, left a huge bruise on me, I mean huge, bigger than a grapefruit. And looked awlful. But, after my surgery, I heard there was a recall. Maybe I am wrong. But worth looking into, they said it wasnt working and was giving people clots, and death. Thanks for the heads up. People on here should be aware.

Yes, what you heard is correct. That recall affects one distributor only, which is Baxter, and it is from one of their production facilities in China. The big scare was from earlier this year as no steps were put in place to monitor output activity and health and safety regulations from 2004 until January of 2008, which is why the recall was such a huge deal. From what I've read the risk is significantly reduced now, but definitely something to keep an eye on, especially if your Heparin or LMWH (low molecular weight Heparin) is a Baxter product.

The bruising is completely normal with Heparin and LMWH shots. I had six HUGE bruises all over my abdomen and it looked like someone beat me up. However, the concern with the recall is that it has been tied to anaphylactic reactions, which can be very dangerous. Anytime you start a new prescription and you have any kind of reaction that does not seem normal to you (even if it is in the literature that accompanies the prescription) definitely get it checked out by the doctor. Better safe than sorry, and hey, that's what they get paid for!

And just to cover my ass, I'm not a doctor, nurse or medical professional. I just unfortunately have DVT that almost killed me and I know entirely too much about this stuff.. hehe But that said, if you have questions, especially if you are symptomatic, always always see your doctor. :Angel_anim: