Ive got Phlebitis- terrified I will get pulmonary embolism heart worries and ECG

[gordie1]

I have had a pain in my leg for a few days so I went to GP and they told me I have inflammation of a vein phelibitis next to my knee. They gave me antibiotics and they said it was not a major vein that could give me a dvt but Im still really worried I will get a pulmonary embolism. Im 8 stone overweight type 2 diabetic and im really anxious about my heart as well Ive had left arm and shoulder pain on and off for weeks and Ive asked for an ECG and Im getting one on wednesday and after all the symptoms Ive been having if it is normal I am determined to get on with my life and try to get over my health anxiety. GP says even if I have an ok ECG will this reassure me??

[mom1982]

If you're unsure about the diagnosis, see another GP. but there is no point seeing many different docs. if the 2nd opinion you get is the same, then you have to force yourself not to see another doc and not to question the diagnosis. good to clear up things when you have existing issues like diabetes. i have got pains in my left arm and shoulder several times in the past 2 yrs & resting pulse rate up 90-120bpm (interesting thing is that my health anx also started 2 yrs ago). anyway i had 4 ECGs which were normal, only 1 showed irregular beats(i didnt bother to follow up) and nothing has happened to my heart for 2 yrs now even with all the left side pains. My chiro tells me it's my tensed upper chest & upper back muscles causing the pain. I'm 28 with no existing medical problems and my BMI is good so always get yourself checked if you need to. But when you do it over and over then you know that you need to stop. Find someone to talk to about this, a psychologist or counsellor.

[midgey]

Hi,
I completely understand. I had the same issues the year before last. I have a heart valve problem, but I too am overweight and have swollen legs when it's hot or when I wear socks etc. I had my veins injected about 5 years ago....they weren't too bad to look at but they were bobbly above the knee & were painful. This process did work, but since then I seemed to get frequent cases of thrombophlebitis.
I was really worried on one occasion as one of my legs was larger than the other, very red and hot.....classical signs of a DVT. I went to the GP, but he said straight away the phlebitis had caused cellulitis. I was really unsure if this was right......but after starting the oral antibiotics, within a day it was much better.
I asked to be referred to a vascular surgeon to see if there was anything they could do to stop the frequent cases of phlebitis. I had an ultrasound of my legs which found one of my veins is incompetent but he said they weren't really bad enough to re do.
Basically, he said to me that cases of phlebitis can clear up spontaneously.......and thats exactly whats happened to me....havent had any for nearly 2 years. I get brown marks on my legs if i knock them which is common as well.
I'd trust the drs, but if you really are concerend then u always have the option of going to A&E.
I hope for you too that your's disappears !! BTW, mine was just above my knee, at the back on the inside bit.....all the best

[amandaj]

if you had a pe or dvt honestly you would know about it for sure , theres so much about this on here atm try to be reassured by what dr tells you i know its hard when got ha but we got to learn to belive them take care
amandaxx

[tiller]

Quote from a source- Thrombophlebitis (phlebitis) can cause superficial thrombophlebitis or deep vein thrombosis

Blood clots are present in both thrombophlebitis and DVT; the main difference is that in thrombophlebitis the blood clot is in the veins and in DVT the clot is deep within the muscles.

Thrombophlebitis presents itself with many symptoms, such as pain and swelling, but DVT is more difficult to diagnose as it can remain symptomless. When DVT symptoms do appear they can be confused with other conditions, such as muscle strain or a muscle or skin infection.

The risk of developing pulmonary embolism – where the clot dislodges and travels to the lungs – is higher with DVT than thrombophlebitis, thus making it much more important to quickly treat DVT.

[fruity]

please read my post about my legs