Very worried...DH may have deep vein thrombosis

[funschooler5]

...and he's in New Zealand right now, and I'm in the U.S.!

 

He has had bad circulation in his legs for a couple of years now. It comes and goes, and every once in awhile he gets sores on his legs that don't heal. A couple of times he's had a hot, sore area on his calf that ends up going away. He's also on high blood pressure medication. He's been to our doctor about it, and mentioned DVT, but our doctor thought it was something else (I can't remember what he said at the time). Our doctor has rarely been able to help us with anything...long story on why he is still our doctor.

 

Well, two nights ago, DH flew to New Zealand...a 17 hr flight. We knew ahead of time that he should move around as much as possible to prevent DVT (information we've gotten from the internet, not our doctor), but he said that moving around wasn't really encouraged as much as he thought it would be, so he didn't move around as much as he should. When he got to his hotel, he had a huge red area on his calf. I told him to go to the hospital asap, but he didn't want to because it was dark outside and he was still getting used to driving on the left side of the road , so he put his foot up and went to sleep for the night. Well, I finally got a message from him today, he is at a hospital (or doctor's office, that wasn't clear in the message) and the doctor thinks he has DVT. He won't know for sure until his blood test comes back (about an hour). I won't know for sure until DH sends me another text or email, or Skypes me when he gets back to his hotel.

 

Has anyone here had any experience with DVT? I've heard terrible stories about it, but I've done some searching on the internet about it and there seems to be different degrees of seriousness. How worried should I be? I just feel so bad for him...he doesn't even like to get his blood drawn and he's all alone in a hospital in a foreign country. I was supposed to go on the trip with him (it's a fact-finding trip, looking ahead to possibly moving to NZ) but at the last minute we decided to save money and have me stay home with the kids. I'm just glad he went to a doctor that recognizes the symptoms! I'm also glad he's in a country with such friendly people...everyone has been very nice to him so far.

[littlebug42]

:grouphug::grouphug: I am glad he decided to go to the hospital. DVT is really nothing to mess around with as it is possible to "throw a clot" which ends up in the lungs and it can be fatal (pulmonary embolism). Anytime you get one of those hot spots on a leg etc, it should be looked at. If your doc is not amenable to this, then you really need a new one.

 

That being said, we have a close friend who has been hospitalized for this twice. One time, it was just the leg affected and the other time, he did end up with a pulmonary embolism. He received treatment in time and is fine now. I believe he spent some time with some circulation inducing socks and quite a bit of time on Coumadin, which is a blood thinner to help prevent future occurrences.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm glad that he's getting care. I hope you hear good news soon.

[nmoira]

:grouphug:

 

Anytime you get one of those hot spots on a leg etc, it should be looked at. If your doc is not amenable to this, then you really need a new one.

:iagree::iagree:

 

Even if he has a DVT, your DH will probably be fine with treatment. However, please make sure he has general practitioner here who takes this seriously, or maybe this is a sign that you should move to New Zealand. :)

 

I found out I have a genetic blood clotting disorder before becoming pregnant with DD the Elder. Testing wasn't available when I had my first DVT. I most likely had an undiagnosed PE at 19, a DVT a couple years later (diagnosed... no more pill for me), and another after DD the Elder's birth (darned doctor took me off anticoagulants too soon :glare: ). Treatment protocol had changed drastically from my first DVT to the last... it was the difference between more than a week in the hospital and no time at all. Yay! for self-injectables.

Edited July 18, 2010 by nmoira
typo

[funschooler5]

I finally heard from DH. His blood test came back inconclusive, so the doctor scheduled an ultrasound. DH told me our U.S. doctor diagonosed him with cellulitis (that's what I couldn't remember in my orginal post). NZ doctor says this is a possiblility, but is testing for DVT just to be safe, and gave DH an anti-coagulant. They don't do ultrasounds on the weekend, so he has to go back tomorrow (it'll be Monday there). They seem to think he will be fine. If the ultrasound comes back showing a clot they will give him some medication for that.

 

I am feeling a lot better now, especially after DH told me how well they treated him there. He was seen by a nurse within 5 minutes of arriving, and both she and the doctor were very nice. The lady that did his bloodwork was very concerned that he would have to wait an hour for the results. He said that was fine, our hospital in the states takes at least 24 hrs. She even brought him tea while he was waiting! They couldn't believe we don't have any insurance (we pay for everything out of pocket) but our bill there will be less than $400 for treatment, doctor, ultrasound and everything, which is nothing compared to what we would pay here in the states. DH was absolutely floored by the wonderful treatment he received there.

 

Thanks for the info everyone! Yes, we've been looking into getting a new doctor, but it has been difficult because we have no insurance. I've called around a few times trying to get appointments elsewhere but nobody seems to be taking on new patients (well, that's what they say anyway.)

Edited July 18, 2010 by funschooler5

[funschooler5]

However, please make sure he has general practitioner here who takes this seriously, or maybe this is a sign that you should move to New Zealand. :)

 

I think you're right...he's gotten fantastic treatment there so far.

 

I found out I have a genetic blood clotting disorder before becoming pregnant with DD the Elder. Testing wasn't available when I had my first DVT. I most likely had an undiagnosed PE at 19, a DVT a couple years later (diagnosed... no more pill for me), and another after DD the Elder's birth (darned doctor took me off anticoagulant too soon :glare: ). Treatment protocol had changed drastically from my first DVT to the last... it was the difference between more than a week in the hospital and no time at all. Yay! for self-injectables.

 

I'm glad you've been able to manage it! It's such a relief to find out there are fairly simple treatments for this.

[HomeschoolMum]

Hi,

We are Kiwis ( I am new to this board and just read your post )and live near Auckland (where I assume he is) .Please let us know if he needs any help etc or if we can do anything. It's not nice to be unwell in a foreign country.

 

We do mean it ..just let us know how we can help (I think you can email somehow..??).

 

God Bless

Ann

[funschooler5]

Hi,

We are Kiwis ( I am new to this board and just read your post )and live near Auckland (where I assume he is) .Please let us know if he needs any help etc or if we can do anything. It's not nice to be unwell in a foreign country.

 

We do mean it ..just let us know how we can help (I think you can email somehow..??).

 

God Bless

Ann

 

Wow, that is so nice of you! I am just overwhelmed by how wonderful everyone in NZ has been. My husband is actually in Christchurch, and I don't think he has plans to go to the north island, but thank you so much! He is doing better now, and the doctor didn't seem to be worried about him, so that makes us feel a lot better. He'll know more tomorrow after he goes in for an ultrasound.

 

Thank you again!!

[Deb in NZ]

I'm glad that things are looking OK for your dh. Keep us informed. Healthcare in NZ is very good & is cheap when compared to the States. Hope you dh's fact-finding trip works out for you. I have never regreted moving to NZ from the States. My dh is a NZer so that may have something to do with it. ;)

 

Blessings,

[nmoira]

I think you're right...he's gotten fantastic treatment there so far.

It sounds like everything is in hand. I hope you have a nice, relaxing day. :)

[HomeschoolMum]

Glad to hear everything is O K .The South Island is beautiful....hope the rest of his trip goes well.We have met a few American's moving here recently .

Ann

[juelle]

I love this board. Threads like this just make me happy. :001_smile: I do hope that the op's dh is well, and it's lovely to hear how well he's been treated.

 

All the very best to him and to you each and all!

[funschooler5]

Well, it turns out that DH really does have cellulitis! His ultrasound and blood tests ruled out DVT. Unfortunately, the clinic he was at didn't have the right antibiotics for him (he is allergic to penicillin) so they sent him to the hospital in Christchurch. He ended up having to wait several hours and when they examined him his leg was very infected. While he was in the waiting room, he emailed me a photo, and I almost passed out. His whole calf was *very* swollen and red and there was a *huge* egg-sized blister on it. They admitted him right away and put him on IV antibiotics, so he stayed overnight. The night he was in the hospital we talked on Skype and we debated about me flying out there, but decided to wait until the morning. While we were talking, his nurse came in and out of the room a few times and talked to him. It was great to actually see and hear the doctors and nurses tell us what was going on. They seemed at ease about the situation, so that made me feel a little better. The next day, they let him take a portable IV unit with him so he could go back to his hotel so we decided I would stay home. He went back and forth to the hospital (to refill his IV) for a couple of days and today they reluctantly let him go off of the IV so he could continue with his trip. This is something he decided without talking to me, btw...he sent me an email telling me after the fact. I'm sure he did it to save money (his hospital and doctor bills are starting to add up now, because of the overnight stay and IV stuff....last count was $2800) and also so he could actually visit some other towns. The poor guy hasn't gotten to do anything fun yet, and he left for his trip on the 14th! I'd rather have him healthy, though. They gave him some antibiotic pills to take, hopefully they will be strong enough to get rid of the infection, especially before he has to fly home on the 29th. His leg is still hurting him pretty bad, according to his last email. He's going to call me through Skype again tonight so I can hear all of the details. It's hard being so far away, because I can't nag at him enough to follow doctor's orders. :glare: At least he has another check-up at the hospital on Monday. So far, they seem to be happy with his progress.

 

So, it wasn't DVT, but it was still pretty bad. But, he's getting better, thank goodness! Thanks again everyone for your kind words. I can't tell you how much it helps knowing that there are people out there that are willing to help when I'm so far away from him. :grouphug:

[Rosie_0801]

:grouphug: Cellulitus is very nasty stuff. You go right ahead and nag him as much as you think he should be nagged!

 

Rosie

[MotherGoose]

Not to scare you, but my dh had DVT and a pulmonary embolism about 6 years ago. He had a painful place on his calf, and the MD said it was a superficial VT, not dangerous. We went to Europe as planned. About 6 months later, he had a DVT and a pulmonary embolism. He survived it, but was lucky to do so. He was on coumadin for about a year and on baby asprin. He had no health problems. They never figured out what caused it--not the plane trip or anything. The ultrasound is the only way I know of to diagnose it, and I would demand one--I know it's hard to do that esp with no insurance. But I surely wouldn't want to get on a plane not knowing. Compression stockings exist that would be good to wear on a plane, but not unless he knows there's not a clot hanging out in his leg.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Tell him to keep on those antibiotics and to go back to the hospital if it starts getting any worse. Also tell him to get some tea tree oil and to liberally spread it over his leg. I'm very prone to cellulitis. It is not something to play around with.