leg pain scare - i can't take it anymore

[mila]

Hi,

i just have no peace lately from various symptoms.

But today i've been consumed with fear about my leg pain. I have had a fear recently after being in the car for a few hours and getting a pain in my knee, i couldn't stop being scared of dvt.

Then we went on holiday (only 2.5 h flight) and there i noticed a bruise on my thigh and freaked out about dvt again, couldn't stop being scared ever since, after we got back last wednesday i started panicking about it even more cause my legs were achy, it was like when you stand all day or when you walk and it's very hot outside and they feel a bit swollen, they didn't look it though. Then only my right leg started having pains, same leg that i was focusing on with the bruise. The pain is in my thigh at the back but it moves around down to my calf and all over really. Can't feel or see anything wrong with it from the outside. I went to the doc on friday, he only checked my calves, touched them a bit, don't know what he was doing, and said my legs are fine. He never checked my thighs... I didn;t notice the pain for a bit and then today it started again, and all i can think of is my leg now, i even started feeling tingling in my foot and stuff, weird feelings, and feeling faint, i don't know anymore what's real and what's not. I am so hung up on this dvt, i don't know what else it could be and don't really have an idea but nothing else seems as scary anyway. I read some stories about young people who never thought they had dvt had it, when they thought they had something else, or some gamer who died of it, cause he was sitting down too much playing games and they missed his symptoms obviously. I totally freaked out. Now my brain is only focused on my leg and can't even do anything (i'm at work). It's not that the pain is that bad, i wouldn't even bother about it only if i was certain that it's not dvt. It wouldn't bother me one bit. It's the though of what it could be that is making me notice it so much.

I am on the pill so that makes me worry more about it, not sure if cerazzete is the same as the regular pill when it comes to the risk.

Any thoughts guys, I am waiting for nhs direct to call me, but all i can think of is i need the dopler scan so i can be sure it's not cause i can't really trust them obviously. I can't take risks!

But i can't tell my partner i want to go to the hospital again, we all know it's hard for people to understand if they didn't experience it, after a while everyone gets fed up...So it's not easy at all...

[50shadesofmessedup]

Hey :) first of all I just wanted to say I'm sure you're ok and I know exactly how u feel. Every medical thing and symptom is always the worst for me , I make things up in my mind lol. I know u r scared right now, but ur dr wouldn't have taken any risks or done things by half if he was concerned at all he would've sent u straight up the hospital . I get weird feelings and unexplained bruises on my legs I guess it's just war wounds from running around after my young kids and puppy lol :) have a chat to NHS direct , and I'm sure they can reassure you too. Xxx have a nice soak in the bath. If u had DVT u would no about it hunny :) x hugs, 50 x

[mila]

Hey 50! I love your nickname, it's awesome! So true for me :lac:
I just feel doctors don't really take me seriously, partly because i do pop in regularly cause there's always something to worry about. And partly they say oh at your age it's unlikely for most of the things. I don't like that at all, unlikely is not good enough for me, i need certainty is not something.
I know very well i could be feeling the tingles and everything for that matter cause i am so focused on my leg but it's hard for me to take the risk and not because it seems if i don't make sure i'm ok others are ok with taking chances.
But I do know how this may look to someone looking from the outside :-(

[shotokansho]

Hello there.
I'm really sorry you are feeling this way. I can tell you I have had DVT, and yes it was scary but it was easily treatable and this was 9 years ago. I still freak out about it sometimes, I won't fly for more than 4 hours and if I go on a long journey I always make sure I move my legs around as much as I can.
Mine was found through having pain in my calf when I walked, also I had just had a baby so it was contracted through pregnancy. I was on heparin injections in my belly for the first 3 days then I was on warfarin tablets for 9 months. Sometimes when Doctors find blood clots in the leg below the knee they just leave it because there is less chance of it travelling past the knee joint and it often disperses by itself.
Usually the effected area will feel hot to touch, maybe a bit red, swollen and painful. They often measure both areas of legs to see if it's the same or not. In some cases the calf or flabby area may feel harder than the other. I'm sure if your doc was worried he would have arranged a scan or x ray for you. If your majorly worried you could go to A&E, they can do a simple blood test and tell by the results weather you have a clot anywhere in your body. They tend to send you home and then let you know by telephone, I think if the reading is over or below 500, I can't remember.
I still get pain in my calf sometimes but I just have to grin and bear it as best I can. Hope I have helped a little and you feel better soon.

Kez xx

[mila]

Kez thank you for sharing your experience with me! Was your pain in one area, wss it really bad and did you have swelling?
I was really not reassured after talking to the nhs nurse, I didn't tell him though that I've seen the doctor. The nurse said because I was flying anf I'm on contraception I should get it checked at my nearest out of hours service. After that conversation it only got worse, I really feel all sorts of pains all over my leg even been having pain in my rib on the same side I am connecting everything now and I am feeling faint and my mind is now getting really paranoid about what's going on.

---------- Post added at 18:10 ---------- Previous post was at 18:08 ----------

I don't really know how to tell my partner I want to call out of hours service. I didn't say anything about the leg cause I didn't want him to know I'm scared but now its going to look I am running straight to the doctor . He says I go way too much and they are fed up of seeing me.

[50shadesofmessedup]

I'm sorry the nurse wasn't reassuring :( only u can decide whether to get it looks at at out of hours or not ... I know the horrible feeling of feeling defeated if I give into my symptoms and go get them checked just I hear the words "you're just anxious" all too well :( who do u live with? Have u got support there? Xx hugs 50 xx

[shotokansho]

Hiya. The pain was in one area, I could feel it in the same place as I walked. But there was no swelling. All they had to go on was the fact that I had pain and that I had just given birth. Why not go to A&E? You don't have to tell them that you suffer with anxiety, they can take that blood test, ultimately it is your choice. How long have you been like this, with the pains in your leg I mean?
Please try and stay calm about it, the more you get anxious the worse it will get. It's very unlikely you have a clot but I can totally understand the anxiety.

Kez xx

[mila]

I would gladly go to a&e but my son is sleeping now and I managed to tell my partner I need to callbout of hours but getting up and going to a&e would be a bit too drastic in his opinion, and the last time I did that I got criticised by my gp. I called out of hours and anurse called me back and in the end dhe said she doesn't think they need to see me tonight and that she doesnt think it's dvt but I should still go to the doctor and have it recheched, she said she thinks it's sciatica cause I also have pain in buttock at time snd it can also cause tingling. But I don't really feel pain down one route, it moves everywhere, back of thigh, front, behind the knee, down inner side, other side too, of course not all at the same time. Then she said if I however get swelling, redness or blue discolouration anywhere I should call them back and if I get symptoms of embolism like shortness of breathe or chest pain I should cal ambulance. Very reassuring! Now I don't know how I'm gonna get through the night, I am already imagining shortness of breath and the other symptoms like dizziness are not helping at all.
I

[50shadesofmessedup]

Hi Millie did u get r leg checked? How r u feeling today? 50 xxx

[mila]

This morning I went to see the doctor again.

She said I keep coming all the time and we have to do something about it. She never even looked at my leg! She went through some questionaire for dvt snd said I have score less than 0, -2 and they wouldnt send someone for investigation with score of less than 2 , if she senf me they would laugh at her she said. What she did was give me anxiety questionaire. It was a bit high but it's really annoying cause all that is only related to the symptoms and stuff I feel and health but it doesn't still tell me it is the cause of those symptoms!! And why is my leg hurting?? Now even more all day. She said it might be cramp or anything but I have to stop thinking about it! How?? When now the pain is everywhere and much more than it was . How do I know what it is? It's in the back of my thigh and the inner front as well.And the lower leg and even towards my buttock it feels like bruise pain, no bruise though.I am so scared and it feels like no one cares what happens to me. How do I know if this is muscular? And the dizziness as well is adding a lot of fear.
She prescribed me cipralex. It's been years since I've been on meds. She booked an app in one month and said she will see me monthly to review me and refer me for counselling. God I've done all that and I am still back here. All that is going through my head right now is does this pain feel like cramp or not :lac:
I have to go out to my local tesco to get a few things but I am way to scared. Anyone not doing much right now able to chat with me while I go?? I don't wanna admit I am too scared to go and give in but I really am too scared without some support.

[mrsnobody]

hi sorry your still in pain with your leg. Did you manage tesco ok, your are very brave doing that when you feel so bad at the moment. If iam having a bad day and have to go out i sometimes wear my ipod and listern to music while walking round the shop to distract myself. hope you feel better soon

[50shadesofmessedup]

Hey Millie, sorry I have been so busy today only just saw the reply. I'm sorry ur doctor made u feel a bit crappy :( sometimes the hardest thing with this health anxiety stuff is actually believing the docs ay! Did u manage tescos ok. ? I'm ok when I'm out and about it's at home in the evenings it gets me and mornings too! How's the leg? Have u tried deep heat muscle rub? Could help? And I'm sure the tablets u got r worth a go :) I live in my docs surgery too he's lovely but sometimes I feel I'm burdening them :( xxxx 50

[Lilharry]

Your doctor doesn't sound very nice! I would consider getting someone a little more sympathetic if I were you. Doctors make me so mad! A lot of them don't understand that taking a bit of time to reassure patients that they are okay is so important. They need to actually inspect the areas we are concerned with! I'm sorry you are so worried about your leg. I think it is probably being made worse by you focusing on it all the time and really isn't a cause for concern. Hope you are able to chill out for a bit and not worry about it. Sometimes I just have to say to myself "Look, if you were really sick then you'd collapse or something and then you'd get rushed to hospital and you'd be well looked after. Untill that happens you just have soldier on not worry about stuff. You're not about to die." I dunno if that helps you or not. I think us HA sufferers take too much responsibility for our own health, when really we have no expertise in the area. The doctors know their stuff and they're there to help us. If they were at all worried about you they'd send you off for more tests.

[backfromthebrink]

Hey. Firstly Cerazette is better for the risk of DVT because it's a mini pill (progesterone only), so the risk is not any higher than for someone not on the pill. They prescribe mini pills to people with high blood pressure and who smoke. So you're ok there.

Secondly, take a baby aspirin each day. This will thin your blood. (Not saying that because I think it's something to be worried about, but because it might make you feel better to know you are doing something.)