Back home after 1 week in hospital with 5 blood clots. (long post)

Three and 1/2 weeks ago I had a TT, Hernia & Gynecomastia. Woke up from a nap last thursday evening with terrrible pain in shoulder a rib cage on left side. Took a pain pill it went away for most part woke at 5 am even worse this time, had sister take me to ER. Did a cat scan found several blood cots with the 2 big ones on the left side in lungs. (Before you ask I was doing my own laundry & dishes getting the mail and walking up and down the block at this time on my own before this happened so I was active, even driving to bank & grocery store day before)  My father who never gets up before the crack of noon comes into my room and tells me (he never has talked much about his life before he met my mom) your grandma who you never met died in this hospital of a blood cot in september 1968.

GEE THANKS I feel better already. Family comes up to visit blah blah. Saturday afternoon sister calls says dad is in hospital with heart problems. (Atriall fibulation) He calls later that day and tells me last one out of the hospital has to buy dinner, he gets out monday night so I lose. What was really bad was the pain I was in for several days I could not wear my binders as it hurt to much. Just this saturday I was able to wear my binders again for most of day without any issues, don't know if this will affect my results for plastics. Still have 3 drain tubes in right now, going the bathroom in a container with 3 drain tubes 2 iv's and wired with chest monitor with 5 leads was an adventure in itself.

So anyway my dad has had a history of heart problems strokes etc. Maybe in my ignorance I did not make a connection between strokes and blood cots duh. I guess this sort of thing can be hereditary  maybe should have talked to surgeon about this as I had to stop taking aspirin and everything else 2 weeks before and after surgery. Should have started on the aspirin that thursday but didn't think about it.

Spent the last week on heparin and warafin trying to get my INR in the 2-3 range. It was only at 1.6 when I left hospital but I made a deal with them to go up to hospital every morning to get it checked if i could go home.  I got some injectible lovenox and warafin for home, but as of this morning mt INR was 2.2 so I'm good for now. Have to go back to hospital on their schedule till it gets consistent.

Sorry for the long post just needed to vent to help come to grips with what could have happened. If anybody is having surgery and there is a family history of blood clots let your surgeon know I never connected the dots or clots or whatever you want to call them. I'm just going to take it easy for now and try to go back to work on the 28th.

Have a good day
Bubba

Oh Bubba, that's awful! But, as horrible as it was, you came out of it ALIVE, which is what's important. I'm so glad you didn't dismiss your pain a second time and just load up on more pain medications. It's good that you're sharing your story here because I'm sure that's what a lot of us would have done, doubled up on the pills and went back to sleep. I know that's what my first reaction would be.

I'm so impressed that you seem to be taking it in stride. I mean, it's hard, but you sound like you're processing the experience and moving forward, and wanting to just help others avoid your situation. Also, don't you DARE buy your dad dinner! The least he can do is treat YOU because he knew about this blood clot history and didn't talk about it with you.

Glad you're alive and improving, keep taking care of yourself.

be happy you know now the family history.  Blod clots can run in families.  You should always let your surgeons know about the blod clots.  They should probably put you on prophylactic anticoagulants after every surgical procedure.  Knowledge is power my friend.  Glad you are recupperating

Bubba, thank you for posting the public service announcement.  It's good warning to all of us to disclose everything we can think of to our surgeon.  I'm so sorry you went through this, but so happy that you trusted yourself and got yourself to the ER in time for good treatment.  I think it also points to how important it is to have follow-up health coverage post plastics.

I hope you feel better every day and get back into your routine.  Take good care!

If anybody  gets anything out of this besides me I'm happy. It is something to be aware of as I found out first hand. It was hard to ignore the second time around as the pain was a 6-7 and it was constant stabbing pains (not that I have ever been stabbed mind you). It's hard to tell where you are supposed to hurt after plastics but I knew this wasn't normal. I think I had to post just for the therapeutic effects coming to grips of what could have happened.

Thanks
Bubba

Your incidence of DVT is overwhlmingly likely more related to your specific surgery (abdominoplasty and hernia) then your father having a clot associated with atrial fibrillation (which is typically on the arterial side rather then venous). Both of those conditions impart slighly hypercoaguable states for different reasons. Other common examples of common consitions that increase DVT risk without heritable conditions would be things like pregnancy, orthopedic hip surgery, long airplane flights, and patients with cancer.

We're actually trying to get our heads around whom exacly merits routine DVT prophylaxis for elective surgeries. In the future we may be routinely giving all our weight loss patients 2 weeks of heparin following surgery as there is evidence that DVT risk in these cases (particularly where you tighten the muscles whi*****reases intraabdominal pressure on your iliac veins) approaches orthopedic surgery where there is a consesnsus that post op DVT prophylaxis is indicated. Complicating this calculus is the large amount of potential dead space to bleed into following body contouring surgery. The worst complications I've had on weight loss patients in recent years have been post operative bleeding from starting anti-coagulation on patients that I considered high risk for DVT.

 I almost died from a DVT in 2003. I had a broken ankle, was 270+lbs, smoker, and on birth control. My idiot doctor thought I was trying to pump him for more pain meds and refused to have me properly checked out. After more than 48 hours of living with the stabbing pain you described I went to the walk in clinic (no insurance) and was coughing up blood. Luckily I thought I was having a heartattach and had been popping asprine like no tomorrow. They rushed me to the ER where I stayed for 8 days and was on blood thinners for 6 more weeks. When I had my VSG last year Dr Aceves had me on Heprin before surgery and I am always aware of what happened. I know that I had many risk factors but I really believe had it not been for the ankle break/surgery I wouldn't have developed the bloodclots. So being extra careful when you have surgery is probably your best bet, keep moving and keep hydrated! Glad you came through it okay!

My primary care seems to think that the combination of the surgery my family history & the binders I was wearing contributed to me getting the blood clots. I just got this guy 1 month before my surgery so I still don't know him real well. I follow up with the pulmonologist in a couple weeks hopefully I can get a little more info then about how this went down. All I know at this time is I was up and active drinking my water and always wearing my compression hose so I guess if it's going to happen it's gonna happen.

As of today though I finally feel good like I did about 1 1/2 weeks ago before the blood clots. Will probably be on warafin for 6-12 months to keep blood thin and desolve the blood clots. My INR was 1.9 today go back friday to check it again.

Thanks for everyone's support,
Bubba

The binders and your family history likely have little role in this scenario. When you tighten the abdominal wall by removing the extra skin and possibly tighten the muscle, you increase the intraabdominal pressure slightly. This increased pressure in your abdomen cause the venous return from your legs to be potentially impaired. When blood isn't flowing smoothly and regularly, it is in a state of higher viscosity and more prone to spontaneously clotting.

Here's a little primer on this issue from the Doctor's Company, one of the med-mal carrier which summarizes some of the data

OK YOU WIN!

I read the whole article, I'm probaly lucky to be alive as I had a couple of wow moments when I read it. Thanks for the info I'm going save it plus make a hard copy for reference. This little episode won't prevent me from having more surgery in the future, just going to make sure I am more well informed and have my plastic surgeon on the same page.

This would be good info for anybody to read if they are thinking of having plastics, if someone could post-it to a information page or something.

Thanks again for the info I appreciate.
Bubba