Question:
Blood Clotting

I have read recently about a few people who have died quite a few months after surgery from a blood clot - how normal is this? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? Is there no way to detect them? Advice appreciated.    — Lisa J. (posted on March 26, 2002)

March 26, 2002
I just want to point out that not everyone who gets blood clots die. My father had trouble breathing then had trouble with collapsed lungs. Before everything was said and done he had to have a filter put into his leg and ended up with 50% lung damage. It took a LOT of clots passing into his lungs to do that. That was close to 10 years ago, he's on permanent high doses of coumadin, but he IS still with us. And as far as preventing this, I believe everyone should insist on frequent post-op follow-up labs to monitor their blood clotting time and be prepared to use blood thinners when necessary. By the way, don't assume the docs will call you if something is wrong, even if they SAY they will. Its up to YOU to stay on top things. Call, ask for the results. Know ahead of time what range your INR or protime should be. Make sure you get actual numbers and insist on answers and ACTION when they fall outside of that range. Hope this helps a little.
   — Shelly S.

March 26, 2002
Hi L. J.... I know that these deaths are unnerving as a pre-op. My surgery is Tuesday. Monday I'm having a Vena Cava filter inserted. It was my surgeon's suggestion weeks ago. I was really freaked about this even more than the surgery as the thought of a foreign object in my vein for a lifetime is an eerie thought. But given hearing about those with clots later on, I'm glad now it is being done. You might talk with your surgeon about this as it might be an option for you. You can still form clots after this but they will not go to the heart, lungs or brain. Meds will dissolve them as they clog up the filter while blood still can maneuver around it. Hang in there, we're almost there. Andrea
   — AJC750

March 26, 2002
My wife and I both had the same surgery (1 hour apart) on March 7th. Prior to surgery we had our pre-admission testing where we had a doppler test on both legs, a chest X-ray, blood-tests and a sonagram of our abdomens. Two days after surgery we had dopplers done again...my wife has one blood clot behind her knee. She was put on restricted bed (except for Bathroom) and started coumaden. After 2 days she was allowed up to doing to doing whatever. I left on tuesday and she was released on Friday when her coumaden/blood levels were where they are supposed to be to dissolve the clot. In 3 months she will go back for another Doppler test and we'll see what happens. For now she must go twice a week to have a blood test and like all post-WLS heal and get back to a normal life. That's it.
   — Glenn M.

March 26, 2002
Hi. Just want to clarify the action of Coumadin. It is a blood thinner that inhibits the formation of clots. Unfortunately, it is not a clot dissolver. (Nor is Heparin... it is also only a clot inhibitor, too.) These drugs are given either prophylactically (to prevent clots from forming) or after a clot has been detected, to prevent further clot formation. There are clot dissolving drugs, though. They are administered intravenously over a short period of time. Streptokinase is one of them. JK, RN
   — Joya K.