I’ve gotten in to see an orthopedist on the same day, on several occasions. To be fair, I live in a major metropolitan area, and there is a very large ortho practice with offices all over creation; I’ve had to drive 20+ miles (rather than going to their nearest location 1.5 miles away). When I broke my toe last year (yes, I do need to get a better hobby), I didn’t rush to see an ortho, but I did see a podiatrist within 48 hours.
Orthos are used to getting semi-emergent appointment requests. In any case, it’s definitely worth a try.
Some broken bones can be somewhat hard to see on x-ray, especially right after the injury. I was told this when I broke an elbow back in 1992. And when I did it again (the other elbow… see note above about hobbies) in 2005, they did not see the break at first. 2 weeks later, the healing process meant the break was more visible.
As far as carrying stuff while on crutches: to some extent, you can’t. When I broke my foot in 2011, I carred a large over-the-shoulder purse and threw everything in that (wearing it criss-cross); when I did it again this year (different foot), I did something similar. There are also bags you can attach to the crutch to carry a few items. You may also be able to get by with just a cane, which frees up a hand.
You actually do not want to ice too long - you don’t want to give yourself frostbite!
An ice pack might be more convenient. The downside of those is they usually don’t stay cold all that long.
Another trick is “ice massage”. Take a bathroom-sized paper cup, fill with water, freeze. When it’s frozen, peel the paper down a bit, and rub it all over the ouchy bits. A physical therapist taught me that. Again, you don’t want to have the ice on one spot for too long - but the idea is you’re moving it around. It’s quite unpleasant when you first apply the ice but then it becomes more soothing than anything.
And since it’s a small amount of ice, you’re somewhat limited in how long you can apply it, before it melts or becomes too unwieldy.
And, reading the rest of the thread, it’s not an orthopedic issue at all, so ignore me
The cdc fact sheet offered in the post right above yours says that compression socks can help prevent pain. That the cdc recommends them suggests also that they are safe.
The key is getting decent quality ones and taking good care of them. Put them on before you get out of bed. Never, ever dry them in a clothes dryer. Measure your legs as suggested by the suppliers or have your first pair fit by a medical supply company.
If one of your legs is swollen, obviously the stockings will have to be bought to fit that leg. Once you know what size/measurements fit you can look on the internet for enough pairs. You’ll be wearing them for a while, that long of a clot is going to take awhile to resolve. I presume somebody put you on anti-coagulation meds after the ultrasound. If not, move heaven and earth to get into a practitioner to start treatment. A nurse practitioner or physician assistant is well prepared to handle this and may be easier to get into see quickly. Long term you’re going to want your caregiver to investigate why the DVT happened (do you have risk factors that can be treated?) as well as figuring out measures to take to prevent future clots. Measures will include precautions for travel whether in airplanes or cars.
Claudication is renowned for being intermittent, in fact usually those two words occur together. Intermittent claudication is classic for DVT.
This is a site I used to buy compression hose both for myself and for my home health care clients. It’s reputable and been around awhile. Once you know your measurement and how many mmHg the doctor recommend you can order from them. They have some fashionable choices as well as a budget friendly SALE dept. They are good with customer service.
I wanted to come back to this point, for a piece of advice. Years ago, I spent three months using a walking boot. Stairs were quite annoying, and I definitely needed to use one hand to support myself on the way up or down. Carrying stuff was just about out of the question.
I took a long piece of rope and tied it through the upstairs bannister into a loop, with a pair of knots separated about an inch apart. I hooked a carabiner into that spot between the knots. This let me hook reusable cloth bags to the rope while downstairs, hobble upstairs, and then rotate the rope through until I could grab the bag from the top.
The reason for the loop is so that it’s always available - if you just have a simple rope you may forget to drop it after you are done, and find yourself needing to go upstairs just to get to the rope.
It can also be used to lower things to the first floor.
I wouldn’t try to move a computer this way without being very careful, but it worked great for laundry and such.
I sure wish I’d known that trick 4 years ago, when between the two of us, my husband and I had one free hand and three working feet (me: wrist surgery; him: knee surgery, and hands occupied with crutches).
When I’m injured (as noted, oftener than the average), I’ve been known to toss lightweight, nonbreakable things over the banister to get them downstairs. I always shout out to the household that I’m doing so - as a sudden THUMP, when I’m near stairs, can mean something much more alarming.
Are compression stockings appropriate when one already has a clot? I have no idea - likely they are, if so many are recommending them.
I occasionally wear them when we’re doing a long drive: I’ve found that my feet and ankles start doing a fair impression of a memory foam mattress after 8-10 hours in a car, and as I’ve aged, that can take longer and longer to resolve. I did spend some time finding ones that fit my huge calves (I’m not as slender as I ought to be!!). You can measure your calves, and most of the ones on, say, Amazon, will have guidelines as to the calf size they will fit.
Obviously you won’t want the crew-height ones - that was my first effort, since they cover the parts that tend to swell, but I found this meant they cut into my ankles and I removed them within an hour.
Just heard from the NP via an assistant who called me. Thumbs down on the compression socks. The person I spoke with didn’t have a rationale. Darnit, I was hoping that would give me some pain relief; mornings are quite bad so far. Elevating gives minimal relief, for some reason later in the day things are much better.
I started the process with United Airlines to get a refund for the Thailand flight I can’t take on Saturday. After I explained I had a doctor’s letter they become more accommodating, though it needed 20 minutes on the phone to help me fill out the refund form. Hopefully I can get that $883.87 back.
Now I need to get on the horn and find a PCP to care for me. The NP wasn’t encouraging about that.
Usually, but not always. With DVT, there is decreased or blocked blood flow distal to the affected deep vein. Recall that veins return deoxygenated blood from the distal extremities to the heart, after arteries (and arterioles and capillaries) carry the oxygenated blood to the extremities. A blockage in a major vein causes diversion of circulation and weakening of the passive valves within the vein that help pump the blood proximally back to the heart.
So, sluggish circulation in the veins also causes sluggish circulation in the surrounding arteries (it’s like a traffic jam on the arteriovenous highway loop). Swelling is caused by gravity pooling blood to the low parts of your body (generally your feet, unless you walk on your hands).
Compression stockings are made to provide more compression distally (toward your toes) with decreasing compression proximally (toward your thigh). This helps pump the blood back to your heart, and decrease edema (swelling). Think of compression stockings as assisting the weakened vein valves to perform their job properly.
Compression stockings are often prescribed for DVT, but sometimes they are contraindicated (e.g. severe diabetic neuropathy, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, etc.). This is why it’s important to follow the directions of your [qualified] physician who knows your medical history. Elevating your feet when not wearing the stockings also helps gravity assist blood return to a lesser degree. Intermittent pneumatic pump stockings are even more effective.
[quote=“Tibby, post:110, topic:970446”]
Swelling is caused by gravity pooling blood to the low parts of your body (generally your feet, unless you walk on your hands)… [/quote]
I should give the hand-walking a try, given how badly I do sometimes walking on my feet :).
Squeegee, interesting that your feet are better LATER in the day. Most people with peripheral edema are worse as the day goes on (gravity, dontcha know), but perhaps in your case the normal daily moving-around tasks help improve blood flow.
Well, first PCP appointment I can find is October 6. Still calling around.
I have to say the folks at both Dignity and Sutter are very nice. Hell, even the United Airlines person I spoke with today was extremely understanding and patient. The hold times were almost nothing. Did I fall through a portal or something?
I wish there were something mechanical I could do for relief. I joked upthread about a masseuse with boxing gloves punching my calf. This is sounding quite attractive (and no doubt foolish). Walking does seem to help, I’ve been trying not to sit still and climbing my stairs repeatedly. Ouch.
Managed to not take a Norco last night, I’m not a fan of benzos and hope to have some left a year from now.
In the meantime I recommend adhering to the directions from the urgent care physician who diagnosed you and the guidelines from the brochure I posted in post #77 (stay active, hydrate, avoid binding clothes, etc.). And, of course don’t hesitate to re-appoint to urgent care if symptoms worsen.
Yeah - probably not ideal, given that you don’t want to encourage any other leaky veins / clots / impaired blood flow. I hear ya on the fantasy though! (when I was dealing with lisinopril-induced coughing some years back, I swear the INSIDE OF MY TRACHEA itched. I began to have weird fantasies involving a bottle brush).
Did urgent care say anything about whether this situation is a risk for the clot going walkabout and migrating to some place where pain is the least of your worries?
Yes, Xarelto 15mb 2/day, began taking it yesterday morning.
Yup. I spoke with Dignity and they gave me an appointment for October 6 and put me on a waiting list. Sutter has some deal where they ration appointments and release a couple of hundred on the 1st of the month, which is tomorrow and I will call back at 8am when they open and maybe get lucky. Not sure what else to try at the moment, the Sutter thing sounds promising.
No, no instructions like that. I was just given a list of things to not do (no NSAIDS, no icing, restrict alcohol), things to do (take your meds with food), signs to watch for (shortness of breath, dizziness, increased pain or swelling, confusion or headache) and by the way don’t bleed that would be bad. Also don’t get on an airplane and no extreme sports (ha!).
I mean – and I respect your question! – but isn’t the entire point that the clot could travel which is bad?
