DVT'S & BLOOD CLOTS

1993 my first Blood Clot at 15. At least 6 More plus DVT'S Horrible Reflux and All Valves are Broken in my Right Leg. 2 Surgies just last month from Swelling of my leg. IVC Filter ( stops clots from Brain/Lungs/Vital Organs. 2 Stints. No Greater Staphenus Vein In RT. Leg. The Worst is the Swelling 6/8 inches bigger then left WITHOUT WARNING! I've been stuck in bed the last 2 YEARS GAINING 200 POUNDS! I have to get this Weight OFF ASAP because I See Another 3 Years and My Parents Will be Arranging My FUNERAL. And That's not an OPTION, My Son will be 21 This Year No Were Nearly enough time with Him!! Someone tell me What TO DO??

I would say first get to a hematologist to find out what is causing the clots so that can be treated. Then good primary doc to get treated for the swelling. I don't know that even weight loss surgery would help if you can't get out of bed and get some type of exercise. I spend long times in bed myself because of health issues too and I do exercises in bed. It isn't cardio but any movement is beneficial. I hope you have a good primary doc because you need someone who can direct you who to see for each issue. Good luck!

I just wanted to note that many times there is no identifiable reason for people to get multiple clots, and -- according to my hematologist --   there isn't any "treatment" for many of the known reasons. Once you have such a strong history of clots the treatment is simply to remain on anticoagulants indefinitely.

Lora

Your history sounds a LOT like mine.  I had my first DVT incident -- which was actually half a dozen individual clots throughout my left thigh and my pelvis that completely blocked the blood flow out of my leg -- in 1979 when I was 17.  Many of the valves are damaged, and I have permanent clot remnants in the thigh.  Many of the veins in the calf on that leg have been distended for years (although they weren't nearly as visible when I was over 300 pounds!).  

I had three more DVTs in my 20s and 30s (each time after trying to stop Coumadin therapy), and one incident even when taking the anticoagulent, so I now take a hefty dose and maintain my INR at between 2.5-3.  I have had an in-home sequential compression device (full leg, not just the half leg ones they use in the hospital post-op) since the late 1980s because the swelling in the leg was so bad (as you said, the calf in my bad leg could be 4 inches bigger than the other one at the end of the day every single day) and I have a machine to test my INR at home (like a blood glucose meter, but for INR/PT).  I also have an IVC filter which was put in about 6 years ago.

I am surprised that you have spent so much time in bed because the inactivity greatly increases the chances of a new clot even on anticoagulation therapy, and when the valves are damaged the only thing that will help push the blood back up out of the lower leg is the action of your calf muscles.  Is there a reason for the time in bed?  I only ask because if you were bed-ridden before you gained 200 pounds, wouldn't you still have that condition even after you lose the weight back down to where you were initially?

I understand the frustration of the DVT issue, but I am concerned about the psychological aspect of your weight gain as much as the physical issues.  200 pounds is a LOT to gain in just two years.  I gained 100 pounds in 18 months after a traumatic incident, and THAT was fast and required a lot of comfort eating.  200 pounds in 24 months is 16 pounds a month, which would mean about an extra 2000 calories every single day above what your body needs.  That is a lot of extra food.  I do NOT say that to be hurtful (as I said, after gaining 100 pounds rapidly, I have been there, so I am not being at all judgmental), but I am concerned that even if you have some type of WLS (which is, presumably, why you are posting on this site) that you will also need to address whatever psychological issues are contributing to the weight gain.  Counseling might be useful if you are not already seeing someone.

Does your insurance cover WLS?  Are you looking at a particular surgery?  Have you talked to your physician about having WLS to see what (s)he thinks about how much losing the weight will help your circulatory issues?

I lost 190 pounds (a lot of extra weight on a 5'3" frame!), and found that significantly improved the swelling issues (although the swelling decreased quite a bit over the years anyway as my body adapted to the blood flow issues by developing greater collateral blood flow).  Getting my bad knees replaced has also helped because without the weight and the bad knees, I am able to be more active in general (just simple things like walking, mowing the grass myself, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.) and that has helped the swelling even more.  My left leg looks like it belongs to an alien when I have a skirt or shorts (knee-length) on, but it functions better even if it looks terrible.

Lora

What Lora said, I was hoping she would pop on because she knows more about it than I do because we have different conditions.