I had a dvt in my leg which was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago?

Question

i am on warfarin now and bloods are being monitored by hospital every 10 days now but my leg is still swollen and quite sore and swollen around the ankle at the end of the day and its still sore in the mornings is this normal i have had major surgery which is how i got the dvt in the first place just want to know if i will always have a swollen leg or if it will go away

Answer 1

I have had two dvt`s, one in my right leg behind the knee and the second a year later in my left leg. I will now be on warfarin for the rest of my life. In my case the swelling did reduce and I still have regular blood tests where they adjust my dosage accordingly, apart from that I lead a normal life just being extra careful using sharp tools and knives. I was told to walk a lot to increase blood flow in my legs even if it was really painful. hope this helps

Answer 2

Hi

I had a dvt 10 yrs ago, in my femoral artery (not sure of the spelling), in the groin, I am on warfarin and will be for life. Initially my leg was very swollen, went down after about 10mths. Even now I have one leg slightly larger than another, and if I  am on my feet all day, it is swollen, ankle like an elephant foot ! But I did have vein surgery 15yrs previous to that, and that is possibly the reason for the dvt.

Answer 3

I shouldnt expect that you should always have a swollen leg im a Nurse and have cared for people with dvt who have had treatment that you suggest, obviously you know your on Warfarin to prevent the blood from thickening thus preventing further emolism ( bllod clot formation ) when on warfarin you should regularly have what they call an INR test done , this is usually done by a nurse at the practice and involves taking blood and checking it to see how thick or thin it is and how long it takes to clot, thus giving an idication as to how much warfaring you should be on.

Regarding the swollen leg it may take time to go down , and possibly there may be a certain element of discomfort associated with the previous DVT, I would on the safe side speake to your consultant and ask him , is the swelling on both legs?, is it just the DVT leg, have you any problems with water retention?, this may be an issue if the swelling is on both of them, also a sign of dvt development is obviously Pain, Swelling , Reddening, and many other factors.

My advice is to get a doctor to call to see you , you dont really want to be mobilinsing on it justy in case you have another DVT which may not be the case, not to worry you, but ask a Doctor please as im a Nurse and can only offer my knowledge.

But to finish if its swollen just due to the previous DVt and most likely will go down in time, if the swelling wasnt evident initally and has come up all of a sudden and is painful to the touch id get the GP to check you over, to be on the safe side!

Answer 4

The chances are good that the problem will settle completely and your leg will end up looking quite normal.

Answer 5

Yes, it will go back to normal, but you have to keep taking warfarin, and watch your diet, no fatty foods and cut down on the alcohol.

I had a dvt 28 years ago, when i got pregnant after being on the pill for years.They said i was very lucky for it not to have reached my lungs. However, i stopped taking the medication years ago, but with each of my pregnancies i had to start the drugs again when i was in labour.

Occasionally, after all these years i still get a twinge and i start to worry, but my leg is normal size with no varicous veins or anything.