Right leg turns purple when lowered to floor

[Serenity30]

My first post and I would be grateful of any advice.

The history is that a couple of months ago I noticed tightness in the hamstring area, then about a month ago I felt a sharp pain across the top of my foot when I got off the sofa, which progressively got worse until I could no longer bear weight and had to use crutches (no swelling at this stage, but leg felt very heavy/aching with twitching muscles). I noticed that when I put foot to ground, leg and foot started to turn purple and toes would swell. Dr arranged for full blood tests but results came back normal; no evidence of DVT/blood clot/gout/inflammatory disease or arthritis. Dr advised to keep leg up when sitting and said problem could take months.

It is now well over a month and my foot/leg is still changing colour and is much colder than the other leg. If I rotate the ankle, there is a clunking sound where I originally felt the pain in top of ankle. I can only walk for short distances before it changes colour but if I rest it, the leg becomes pale and cold. If I sit with pressure on the hamstring area, this appears to aggravate symptoms. I have also noticed lumpy fat nodules in leg.

The dr appears confident that it is not DVT or a blood clot (which my mum suffered from), but is not referring me for any more tests. I am flying abroad tomorrow and am anxious whether the leg will be OK on the flight and nervous about being away with a pre-exiting condition.

Are there any other tests I should be requesting to put my mind at rest?

[paula lynne]

It sounds vascular, especially as its cooler and a different colour. As your doctor has ruled out lots of possibles, I suggest wearing support stockings (Ted Tights) for the flight, and seeing your Gp again on your return. You can purchase these from most chemists. During the flight, rotate the ankles often, and get up and walk around regularly. This may be varicous vein issues.....enjoy your holiday and see your Gp when you return.
Varicous veins can be diagnosed with Doppler Testing.
Paula

[deepreason]

It's worth thinking about your holiday insurance. They often don't cover pre-existing conditions unless you tell them in advance and if you do tell them your premium will likely go up significantly.

[Serenity30]

Thank you for your comments. I have bought some flight socks for the journey.

As the doctor said the blood tests ruled out DVT/blood clot etc, I assumed he was suggesting it wasn't vascular but I will make another appointment as soon as I return and request a Doppler test. They did do a skin prick test on my thumb which was supposed to be able to tell if there was a clotting problem, but this was fine also.