Suspected DVT and Pulmonary Embolism

[purplerat]

im now 34 weeks and have been admitted to hospital with shortness of breath. I thought it was just the baby and extra fluid pushing on my lungs. After some tests though I have suspected DVT and a blood clot on my lung have to have another scan to confirm this though. It's really shocked me.

They say treatment is anti- coagulant injections, which they put me on since I have been on since admission anyway. And I'll need them for 12 weeks. Has anyone else been through this?X

 

[cj28]

Hey

I didn't have Pulmonary Embolism but I had a DVT in my left leg at 38 weeks pregnant. I went on clexane (or heparin) injections twice a day until about 6 months after - I could have swapped to warfarin tablets but preferred not to as I was breastfeeding. My case was slightly different as I had a temporary IVC filter fitted to prevent getting a PE during labour and then after I had my little girl they couldn't get the filter out so now it is permanent. That's why I stayed on anticoagulation for so long post birth.

Do you have any other symptoms other than shortness of breath? Does your leg hurt? My leg was swollen and purple and it really hurt to walk. I had to wear a compression stocking on the affected leg too.

I bet you must be feeling pretty shell shocked - I know I did as it all happened so fast and I had just started off thinking I had slept funny or baby was on a nerve and thats why my leg hurt!

 

[purplerat]

Hey thanks for the reply,

No other symptoms though I had had several severe leg cramps in my left calf. I'm still waiting for my scan results from earlier today for an actual diagnosis so I'm going a bit crazy in hospital, though they are over 50% it is a PE. I never thought in my pregnancy I would have such a scary thing facing me, though I know it's very treatable, I'm glad I did come to hospital in the end, even though at the time I thought I might be wasting time as shortness of breath can be very normal .


Glad to hear you're ok now x

 

[holly2012]

Hi,
i had DVT in my leg when i was 38wks and went straight onto heparin injections for about 2 weeks then after delivery i was told i could go on wafarin for 6 months even tho i was breastfeeding.

I had a lot of bad cramp in my leg and i found it would go from under after walking a very short distance. When i was told i had it i was suprised as i didnt have any swelling etc my leg looked pretty normal to me. I only went to hospital because when i tried standing after sitting on the floor i couldnt extend my leg properly so i ended up collapsing onto the floor in horrendous pain.

This time i had to go on heparin injections when i saw the consultant at 13wks, as a preventative measure this time as im at risk again. So now im doing 2 injections a day for the whole of my pregnancy and for 6 weeks afterwards. Such a joy, but at least i know im protected now, which is a big relief.

How are you coping with the injections? has the breathlessness gone away now?
x

 

[purplerat]

It's good they are taking the preventative measures this time round.

I'm hating the injections, they stung like hell and that's a midwife doing them. Having to do them myself will be worse cause I'll know when it's coming but it's a small price to pay for health. This morning they just found + protein in my urine, hoping its related and nothing new to keep me trapped here for longer.

The breathlessness was bad yesterday morning but has been ok since, baby is 3/5 engaged though so maybe that's why

Did being on herapin affect your birth? I'm having an elective section so not sure how it will work being on blood thinners. Xx

 

[cj28]

Hey

I found the injections did sting when midwifes did them as they inject it really fast. When you do it yourself if you inject really slowly then it generally doesn't sting.

I'm interested to know what they have said to you Holly about your birth? I'm ttc so know like you I will have to go on injections throughout my pregnancy but not sure what they will recommend birthwise.

I was induced with my DD because they wanted to take the filter out asap and didn't want to risk waiting incase I went 2 weeks over. I had to stop my injections the day before I went in to be induced so the heparin would be out of my system as much as possible.

Glad to hear your breathlessness has eased purplerat when do you get your scan results? Hope the + protein is nothing bad that keeps you in the hospital longer. I'm sure you must be eager to get home to your little boy x

 

[petitpas]

Hey purple, any news on your scan?

I had a dvt with multiple PEs on my lungs before ttc. It was really scary but I also felt relieved when I was diagnosed as I finally had a reason for my extreme breathlessness.
The good news, as holly pointed out, is that you are now protected.

As for giving birth, if you have a planned c-section then they will tell you when exactly to have the last injection and if you don't suffer any complications you go back on the injections a few hours after your surgery.
If you labour naturally, there will be a limit on the epidural in terms of not being able to have one for a number of hours after your last shot (normally 12 hours but could be more if you are on a higher dose of heparin).

As the other ladies have mentioned, doing the injections by yourself and going slowly makes a huge difference. Try asking your midwife to inject the liquid veeeeeeery slowly and see how the stinging reduces or if she is patient enough disappears completely.

 

[CelticStar]

Hey, I'm 31 weeks and have just got out of hospital for exactly the same thing, have you had a CTPA yet?
I'm now injecting myself once a day and then will be injecting twice a day in a couple of weeks time.
The very first injection was a bit nerve racking but once you know how much pressure to put on the needle and how quickly to inject, it's actually nothing to worry about.

I had a DVT in my leg which broke off and became multiple PEs, one of them dislodged on Tuesday and I can honestly say that was one of the scariest things I've ever experienced!

I'll be injecting until at least six weeks after giving birth and I won't be able to have an epidural during labour but I wasn't planning on having one anyway so it's not too much of a pain for me.

I hope you manage ok with self injecting and that things get better for you - and everyone else in the same position!

 

[purplerat]

Hey again everyone,

Thanks for all your concerns.

Well the scan pretty much confirms a pulmonary embolism which they assume started as DVT in my left leg, hence the cramps. They can't be 100% sure but are treating it like it is. I'm just waiting for a prescription for clexane injections and I can come home till an out patient app on monday.

I'm glad to know that doing it more slowly doesn't sting as much, I'm getting some nice bruises from the number of injections, I feel like a pin cushion lol.

I'm quite glad I'm having an elective now as it can all be very controlled. I think that's part of what my appointment will be about on Monday , along with post natal care too. I know they want to do some further testing to see if I'm prone to DVT and PE's which they will do after the birth.

Luckily the protein seems to indicate nothing so I can go home to my little boy who I've missed so much. It's been a long 5 days.

xx

CelticStar: I'm sorry you are going through this too. That sounds very scary, luckily it's been spotted though and we are being treated. I have to inject twice a day from now and I'll get used to it I'm sure. A small price to pay for health and being home!

I had a 2 part VQ scan which showed my PE so didn't need the CTPA, though they did question it. Are you seeing a haematologist now? I've been told I need to have blood tests to make sure my platelets are ok. X

 

[petitpas]

Hi purple, sorry for the diagnosis
It is really good that they caught it in time, though.

Good luck on Monday getting a plan for your c-section and post natal care.
If you are interested in reading up in preparation and don't want to frighten yourself with general Dr google stories check out the official UK guidelines on how to treat new clots that occur during pregnancy:
www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clini...pregnancy-and-puerperium-acute-management-gre

All the best, hon! Don't forget to take it easy as your lungs won't magically clear up immediately. The shots prevent things from getting worse but it is your body that needs to break down the existing clots. In the meantime you will probably still feel breathless for a while.

 

[purplerat]

Thanks I'll have a read of that , I'm home now and will make sure I take things easier. I have been so busy these last few weeks that I really didn't stop to consider how I was affecting myself.


Thanks for all the info too, it's always good to hear from others who have delt with similar x

 

[chudd]

Hi ladies! I am 30 and this is my third pregnancy (unexpected) but we are excited. I was awakended one night for heavy knife sharp pains in my right side of back (lung) and hard to breathe. I went to the doc the next morning and was put into the hospital. They misdiagnosed me saying my lung had collapsed and was going to send me home. I panicked and signed myself out and had my sister take me to a bigger hospital as I was in bad shape. There is where I was told I had a pulmonary embolism in my right lung and it was pretty serious. I was in the hospital for 5 days and started immediatly on lovenox injections twice a day every 12 hours. I was only 11 weeks pregnant then and had a great chance of losing our baby at that point but to our amazement the baby was strong and so was I. I prayed and only Jesus brought me out of the hospital. I feel blessed. I am very scared now as i will continue to take the lovenox injections for the remainder of the pregnancy and 6 weeks afterwards. I am hoping I can talk with other women that have been through this as this is very hard to overcome emotionally as I am so glad and grateful I am alive to see my two oldest kids that will be 11 and 9. I hope some of you can give me hope about the laboring process as I am scared to be off of the injections for that short time. Thanks for listening to me as I know I have rambled on and on. Carrie dd-April 8, 2013