Question:
I wanted to know if anyone got a filter put in before surgery

I know it's not common, but has anyone had a filter put in before surgery as a precaution without having a clotting history?    — melindameyers (posted on June 24, 2005)

June 24, 2005
Melinda: Back in 1985 I had a broken ankle which resulted in a cast and off my feet for awhile. Within a week from having the cast off I had a pulminary embolis and was in critical care in the hospital for almost two weeks. This incident is what prompted me to have my surgeon know about it in July of 2000 when I had surgery. He said he would put in a Greenfield Filter to prevent clots from traveling to my heart or lungs. I did have a difficult surgery with many comman complications such as low oxygen levels, low vitamin levels, needed blood etc. Within three weeks of being released from the hospital and trying to recover from this surgery I was rushed to the hospital with a pulminary embolis despite haveing the greenfield filter. I was completly baffled as to why this had happened. In Nov. of 2003 I underwent additional revision surgery by this same doctor. My biggest and utmost fear was another pulminary embolis and he was aware of my fears and told me they would give me blood thinners in the hospital, compression stockings, blood thinnners comeing home from the hospital. I did have this revision surgery. It was not as complicated as the first surgery. I recovered more quickly in the hospital and upon coming home with lovenox shots to give myself as well as coumidin to take. With 24 to 48 hours of coming home I started bleeding from the rectum and this scared me. I called immediatly and was told to stop all blood thinners and to just take a baby aspirin daily and to see my general doctor in the area where I lived the following Monday. I did. Each day I took the baby aspirin and did what the surgeon said. I went back to see him and he assured me to just take the baby aspirin, the damage the blood thinners could do to me was not good. I tried to recover and each day got worse. Eventually I could not take three steps without being extrememly winded. My husband rushed me to the hospital with yet another pulminary embolis. This was now a total of three that I had had and two since haveing this filter inserted. My surgeon never did give me direct answers as to why this happened. Needless to say with his attitude and all that had happened to me I have had very serious reservations about ever going back to him. When you are in the hospital with this happening so many times and realize you have three children to raise you have just got to convince yourself that there is a beginning and a end to which you will do to lose wieght. Perhaps this was a direct signal that I had done enough and was very fortunate to not be dead. Since that time I have been on coumidin daily. I go at least once a month to have my blood tested and dosage adjusted accordingly. I have done well since. Apparantly I am just one of those people who have thick blood and need to be on coumidin daily. I have many frustrating days trying to figure it all out but am scared to do more. I have many people tell me to not give up, to keep on going, my surgeon has definatly done something wrong but I have reservations when I think about the embolis's I have had. My advice to you is to talk seriously about this to your doctor. I know many people who have had this done and it was a great thing but in my case I just don't know what happened. I am just lucky to be alive.
   — Sarah B.

June 24, 2005
Melinda: Back in 1985 I had a broken ankle which resulted in a cast and off my feet for awhile. Within a week from having the cast off I had a pulminary embolis and was in critical care in the hospital for almost two weeks. This incident is what prompted me to have my surgeon know about it in July of 2000 when I had surgery. He said he would put in a Greenfield Filter to prevent clots from traveling to my heart or lungs. I did have a difficult surgery with many comman complications such as low oxygen levels, low vitamin levels, needed blood etc. Within three weeks of being released from the hospital and trying to recover from this surgery I was rushed to the hospital with a pulminary embolis despite haveing the greenfield filter. I was completly baffled as to why this had happened. In Nov. of 2003 I underwent additional revision surgery by this same doctor. My biggest and utmost fear was another pulminary embolis and he was aware of my fears and told me they would give me blood thinners in the hospital, compression stockings, blood thinnners comeing home from the hospital. I did have this revision surgery. It was not as complicated as the first surgery. I recovered more quickly in the hospital and upon coming home with lovenox shots to give myself as well as coumidin to take. With 24 to 48 hours of coming home I started bleeding from the rectum and this scared me. I called immediatly and was told to stop all blood thinners and to just take a baby aspirin daily and to see my general doctor in the area where I lived the following Monday. I did. Each day I took the baby aspirin and did what the surgeon said. I went back to see him and he assured me to just take the baby aspirin, the damage the blood thinners could do to me was not good. I tried to recover and each day got worse. Eventually I could not take three steps without being extrememly winded. My husband rushed me to the hospital with yet another pulminary embolis. This was now a total of three that I had had and two since haveing this filter inserted. My surgeon never did give me direct answers as to why this happened. Needless to say with his attitude and all that had happened to me I have had very serious reservations about ever going back to him. When you are in the hospital with this happening so many times and realize you have three children to raise you have just got to convince yourself that there is a beginning and a end to which you will do to lose wieght. Perhaps this was a direct signal that I had done enough and was very fortunate to not be dead. Since that time I have been on coumidin daily. I go at least once a month to have my blood tested and dosage adjusted accordingly. I have done well since. Apparantly I am just one of those people who have thick blood and need to be on coumidin daily. I have many frustrating days trying to figure it all out but am scared to do more. I have many people tell me to not give up, to keep on going, my surgeon has definatly done something wrong but I have reservations when I think about the embolis's I have had. My advice to you is to talk seriously about this to your doctor. I know many people who have had this done and it was a great thing but in my case I just don't know what happened. I am just lucky to be alive.
   — Sarah B.

June 24, 2005
Melinda: Back in 1985 I had a broken ankle which resulted in a cast and off my feet for awhile. Within a week from having the cast off I had a pulminary embolis and was in critical care in the hospital for almost two weeks. This incident is what prompted me to have my surgeon know about it in July of 2000 when I had surgery. He said he would put in a Greenfield Filter to prevent clots from traveling to my heart or lungs. I did have a difficult surgery with many comman complications such as low oxygen levels, low vitamin levels, needed blood etc. Within three weeks of being released from the hospital and trying to recover from this surgery I was rushed to the hospital with a pulminary embolis despite haveing the greenfield filter. I was completly baffled as to why this had happened. In Nov. of 2003 I underwent additional revision surgery by this same doctor. My biggest and utmost fear was another pulminary embolis and he was aware of my fears and told me they would give me blood thinners in the hospital, compression stockings, blood thinnners comeing home from the hospital. I did have this revision surgery. It was not as complicated as the first surgery. I recovered more quickly in the hospital and upon coming home with lovenox shots to give myself as well as coumidin to take. With 24 to 48 hours of coming home I started bleeding from the rectum and this scared me. I called immediatly and was told to stop all blood thinners and to just take a baby aspirin daily and to see my general doctor in the area where I lived the following Monday. I did. Each day I took the baby aspirin and did what the surgeon said. I went back to see him and he assured me to just take the baby aspirin, the damage the blood thinners could do to me was not good. I tried to recover and each day got worse. Eventually I could not take three steps without being extrememly winded. My husband rushed me to the hospital with yet another pulminary embolis. This was now a total of three that I had had and two since haveing this filter inserted. My surgeon never did give me direct answers as to why this happened. Needless to say with his attitude and all that had happened to me I have had very serious reservations about ever going back to him. When you are in the hospital with this happening so many times and realize you have three children to raise you have just got to convince yourself that there is a beginning and a end to which you will do to lose wieght. Perhaps this was a direct signal that I had done enough and was very fortunate to not be dead. Since that time I have been on coumidin daily. I go at least once a month to have my blood tested and dosage adjusted accordingly. I have done well since. Apparantly I am just one of those people who have thick blood and need to be on coumidin daily. I have many frustrating days trying to figure it all out but am scared to do more. I have many people tell me to not give up, to keep on going, my surgeon has definatly done something wrong but I have reservations when I think about the embolis's I have had. My advice to you is to talk seriously about this to your doctor. I know many people who have had this done and it was a great thing but in my case I just don't know what happened. I am just lucky to be alive.
   — Sarah B.

June 27, 2005
I had a filter put in also. I didn't have any clotting problems before but my doctor said with the way my legs looked and felt I should have one put in. My legs were swollen, discolored, and ached(poor circulation). I am not worried about having it in there, it's just a safeguard to help prevent clots from getting to our hearts. You can have cat scans and it won't affect your readings either.
   — Keli