Foot injury - advice? {It’s a blood clot}

In My Humble Opinion
181

Thanks for the cautionary story, glad you got through that okay. In my case the radiologist determined that it’s a clot in a vein rather than an artery.

182

Sounds like they’re on it. Good luck with foot.

183

My two visits to Urgent Care were billed at $1479 total. This isn’t preliminary, I spoke with my insurance – I haven’t hit my $6900 deductible so that’s my out-of-pocket amount, please pay in full.

184

OK! I have a doc appointment in exactly 12 hours! Trying to get my list of questions together:

  • What should I expect re progress of thinners?

  • When should I expect pain to lessen in my leg (it hurts like an SOB to the point of tears many days)? Is there an expected progression?

  • When can I travel? What safeguards should I follow? Can I go do a 20 hour trip in 20 days? A 1 hour trip like this week? What’s the guidance?

  • What can I do to get pain relief? My understanding is just keep moving, anything else? Can I ice?

  • Should I take more Narco, and just habituate to the effects? I’ve been taking a minimal amount (they gave me 10 @ 3/day 13 days ago, I have 7 left). I want the option to be able to drive and not be impaired, am I being foolish not taking the med until gone?

  • I’m concerned about the amount of acetaminophen I’m taking in Narco plus regular acetaminophen meds. Can I maybe have a pain med sans acetaminophen so I can dose acetaminophen more safely?

  • OK, to simplify: I feel like I can take either a Tylenol or a Norco - is this the case? It feels like if the Tylenol isn’t enough, I’ve closed off my options for 8 hours. Then I must choose again. Give me some guidance please.

  • Can I use compression stockings (and how do I get a proper one)?

  • Is this going to be a permanent disability? If not or if yes, why and how will we know?

  • Is there an underlying, undiagnosed cause of this clot? Just something that happened?

  • (kidding) my calf is like a balloon, can we just pierce it and let all the pressure out and be done?

Suggestions for doc questions?

185

One more question to ask the doctor: “doc, will I be able to play the violin after treatment?”

When he/she answers, “yes”, reply, “Sweet! I never could before!"

When he stops kicking you, ask him your list of questions; they’re very good and complete.

186

I have a PE

187

Things are going to get real now. Sorry this is happening to you. PEs are understandably very frightening.

Hope your doctors are hustling to treat it and get you doing better.

188

Fuck.

189

oh dear. i hope things go well.

190

PE is serious but very treatable. Hang in there and follow your doctor’s directions to a tee.

191

For those of us without medical training, is “PE” a pulmonary embolism?

That sucks. One of my bridge buddies had one a a couple of years ago, and did really well. I suppose my dad died of a pulmonary embolism, but it killed him immediately, before he made it to the hospital. And it wasn’t diagnosed until the autopsy, they thought it had been a heart attack.

192

Yes, it is.

193

The good news, such as it is, is you have probably already started treatment for it. It would be important that you get additional blood tests to make sure you are not at increased genetic risk, if these were not done, and you can discuss this with your health providers.

194

Still waiting for a bed.

In news of the weird, a freaking bat flew through the ER lobby earlier today. Wish I’d gotten a pic for the “Today In Nature” thread.

195

We wish you well. Please get better quickly.

196

Probably a new anticoagulation therapy?

Hell, they’re using leeches again, after all.

197

Is this intended to be helpful in any way???

198

I was going to ask if you were admitted; they’d have been crazy not to. Keep us posted on how you’re doing.

A BAT? Wow. Guess if it bit somebody, they were in the right place to start their rabies shots.

199

Only squeegee can tell us if he found it helpful or the reverse, I suppose, but ISTM that the underlying point basically was the same one that Tibby and Dr_Paprika were making: namely, pulmonary embolisms are most dangerous when undiagnosed.

If you know you’ve got a PE, and you’re already under a form of treatment that is significantly effective against it, as in squeegee’s case, that makes your odds way better. (IANAD, of course, so I hope anybody who IAD will correct me if I misstated facts there.)

200

Holy shit! I hope you at least found that a little entertaining. Waiting in the ER can be pretty horrible.