Hello Gracers,
I am wondering if anyone has had experience with Deep Vein Thrombosis and the pain that sometimes comes with it? My mom has just been diagnosed, about an hour ago, with multiple clots in the calf area. Her major symptom has been extreme pain, to the point of not wanting to walk on it. She is meeting with her doctor right now to discuss treatment options.
My question is for those of you who have experienced DVT pain. Did you feel relief with treatment? Did you learn any tricks to help? Did you use compression stockings? I'm not able to be with her at the doctor today, so I wanted to do a little research to help her feel better. We are heading out this week for a family camping trip at a festival that we have been going to for 35ish years. Fingers crossed she can go!
Any ideas, tips, or experiences are appreciated.
Thanks,
Lacey
Reply # - July 9, 2012, 05:14 PM
Reply To: Blood Clot – Pain Relief
Hi Laceyor, I can't add anything that may be of help. Thankfully it isn't a problem my husband has had to deal with. Did you by chance do a search on Grace for DVT? We are going through a change in the forum setup and I've not seen a lot of activity. Below is a link to the results of a dvt search.
I hope your mom can make the trip. Let us know what her doctor said.
Janine
http://cancergrace.org/search-results?q=dvt
Reply # - July 9, 2012, 05:52 PM
Reply To: Blood Clot – Pain Relief
Hi Catdander,
Thank you for that link, I had looked up DVT in the search. I read quite a few of the returned articles and posts, but didn't see anything about pain relief. I was pleased to read that there has been some evidence that there are anti-tumor properties to blood thinners. I think that info also made my mom feel better about having to give herself a shot everyday!
The doctor chose to start her on Arixta, so she's gone home with the first weeks supply. It's injectable, which she seemed fine with. As for our family trip, our doctor is in favor, he's always a very supportive oncologist when it comes to just living life. There is also a very good medical team at the festival, which puts me at ease.
And just to update where my signature leaves off... My mom has been on Tarceva for a little over a month now and she has had symptom reduction. She was coughing blood, had tightness in her chest, and could feel a crackling when breathing. Those symptoms have gone away. Her side effects are pretty normal for Tarceva. She has some mouth tenderness, rash on her face, GI issues, and fatigue. I'm hopeful that if we can resolve the pain in her leg she will be feeling pretty good!
Thanks for your quick reply I appreciate it and look forward to any more feedback.
Lacey
Reply # - July 9, 2012, 07:22 PM
Reply To: Blood Clot – Pain Relief
There's nothing specifically to address pain relief from a DVT compared with pain relief from other things. It's reasonable to do the things that are routinely done for pain relief -- ranging from tylenol to opioids if needed -- but beyond that, the main focus is to treat the underlying problem. Most people experience good relief as the clot resolves, which is typically over a course of a few days.
-Dr. West