Worried about blood clots in leg again :(

[anxious_thoughts]

Hi everyone,

It’s currently 1am and I’m in fear that there’s a blood clot in my left leg. I’m overweight and started taking Lo Loestrin fe 6 days ago due to heavy periods.

Two days ago I started getting this pins and needles feeling every so often, that were here and there on my body. That’s when my fear for the blood clots started happening. Now today I felt my legs feeling so weak and exhausted, now I’m not sure if it’s because I’m over thinking this or what.

I’m laying in bed and I have this pain in my left leg closer to the bottom of my left butt cheek, there’s also a bit of pain in my foot. There’s no discolouration or anything, and the area doesn’t feel warmer than usual. My legs isn’t falling asleep either. But it’s just a throbbing pain, from my left butt cheek and even radiates down to my left knee. I haven’t noticed any swelling either. Could this just be in my head and I’m focusing too much on it? I’m thinking of maybe calling my doctor tomorrow morning and just seeing what she says. Aside from it all, the pill works great in helping irregular bleeding and I have no other side effect. I just hope it’s all in my head and the pain is only there because I’m unintentionally flexing the muscle. But really I’m terrified

[Scass]

Of course speak to your doctor if you’re in absolute fear, but you don’t seem to be showing symptoms of a blood clot, just an achey leg?

Have a warm bath, take a painkiller if it’s really bad. Rest it, and try and find something that helps you relax. You’re worrying about a lot of things lately


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[anxious_thoughts]

Of course speak to your doctor if you’re in absolute fear, but you don’t seem to be showing symptoms of a blood clot, just an achey leg?

Have a warm bath, take a painkiller if it’s really bad. Rest it, and try and find something that helps you relax. You’re worrying about a lot of things lately


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Thank you for the response! Ever since I’ve started my birth control my worry has been going through the roof. Any little pain I feel I start to obsess over

I think I’ll try resting it and see how it goes tomorrow. Still planning on calling my doctor just to make sure. I just need that bit of reassurance :(

[Scass]

I understand. Perhaps you can ask them what you do need to look out for?
But I’m sure they wouldn’t prescribe if you were in any way high risk.


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[anxious_thoughts]

I understand. Perhaps you can ask them what you do need to look out for?
But I’m sure they wouldn’t prescribe if you were in any way high risk.


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As soon as they open I will send them a call!
Personally, I am overweight and my blood pressure can be slightly high at times (which they sometimes think is anxiety related). So that right there already makes me terrified!

The type of birth control I’m taking has the lowest amount of hormones though, so that’s a good sign also, less chances. I just don’t know if it’s all in my head or if it’s actually happening

[ErinKC]

That sounds like sciatica pain. But, I've had blood clot fears many times and I know how bad they are. Call your doctor and speak to her about how taking birth control really increases your fears of blood clots. Have her explain the actual risks to you and what you should really look for symptom wise.

Millions of people take birth control and while it does slightly increase the risk, the increase is low. Remember a few years ago when there was a huge law suit against Yasmin birth control for higher numbers of blood clots? When more than a few people got them on that pill it was a major scandal, so if an unusual or high number of people were getting blood clots from birth control we'd know about it.

---------- Post added at 13:34 ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 ----------

I just checked the numbers.

The risk of blood clots in women generally is 1-5 in 10,000 each year. That means between 0.01% and 0.05% of women get a blood clot ever year. For those on birth control, the instances increase to 3-9 in 10,000 or 0.03% to 0.09% of women on birth control per year.

So, that's pretty small... If you do it by average, if you put 10,000 women not on birth control in a room, on average 3 of them would get a blood clot that year. If you put 10,000 women taking birth control in a room, on average 6 of them would get a blood clot that year.

Your risk never even reaches a tenth of a percent.

Plus, this doesn't account for other risk factors. Like, how many of those women had a genetic predisposition or how many of them smoked or took long flights or just had babies, etc...

Bottom line, the chance you'll get a blood clot ever in you life is very small, and taking birth control makes the chance still very small.

[Fishmanpa]

You've posted quite a few threads in the last week or so. You've run in similar patterns before. Has something happened recently that's triggered you?

Positive thoughts

[anxious_thoughts]

That sounds like sciatica pain. But, I've had blood clot fears many times and I know how bad they are. Call your doctor and speak to her about how taking birth control really increases your fears of blood clots. Have her explain the actual risks to you and what you should really look for symptom wise.

Millions of people take birth control and while it does slightly increase the risk, the increase is low. Remember a few years ago when there was a huge law suit against Yasmin birth control for higher numbers of blood clots? When more than a few people got them on that pill it was a major scandal, so if an unusual or high number of people were getting blood clots from birth control we'd know about it.

---------- Post added at 13:34 ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 ----------

I just checked the numbers.

The risk of blood clots in women generally is 1-5 in 10,000 each year. That means between 0.01% and 0.05% of women get a blood clot ever year. For those on birth control, the instances increase to 3-9 in 10,000 or 0.03% to 0.09% of women on birth control per year.

So, that's pretty small... If you do it by average, if you put 10,000 women not on birth control in a room, on average 3 of them would get a blood clot that year. If you put 10,000 women taking birth control in a room, on average 6 of them would get a blood clot that year.

Your risk never even reaches a tenth of a percent.

Plus, this doesn't account for other risk factors. Like, how many of those women had a genetic predisposition or how many of them smoked or took long flights or just had babies, etc...

Bottom line, the chance you'll get a blood clot ever in you life is very small, and taking birth control makes the chance still very small.

Hello Erin! Thank you for all the info. If my leg wasn’t in pain I wouldn’t be so worried. I’ve never had this pain before with the pins and needles prickle sensation.

Currently on hold waiting to speak to my Dr. Ugh! This is so nerve wracking.

---------- Post added at 11:44 ---------- Previous post was at 11:43 ----------

You've posted quite a few threads in the last week or so. You've run in similar patterns before. Has something happened recently that's triggered you?

Positive thoughts

Hello Fishman,

It’s been a while since my anxiety has been this bad. It’s all because I’ve started birth control. I’m so scared of blood clots. My left leg is sore in two places, it’s a throbbing pain. I also keep getting that pins and needles in my foot.

---------- Post added at 11:57 ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 ----------

So my doctor isn’t in today and they asked me to call back tomorrow.

Now I’m in the situation of whether I should continue taking the birth control tonight or stop. I used to see a gyno, maybe I’ll give her a call since she was the one that wanted me on this birth control.

[ErinKC]

The pins and needles are almost definitely anxiety related. I just went through a horrible anxiety spiral. I had sciatica and convinced myself it was a blood clot. I had tingling, buzzing, twitching, numbness, throbbing... Then I found out about my umbilical hernia and suddenly the blood clot symptoms were gone and I had only GI symptoms. Then I was bloated one day and convinced myself I had ovarian cancer until I got an ultrasound sound that was clear, and guess what? The bloating was down before I even got home from the appointment. The next day my neighbor called to say he was in the ER with pancreatitis possibly caused by a broken off gallstone. He went to the ER with pain across his abdomen (which I'd had the first day I found the hernia). Literally while still on the phone with him I got pain in my upper right abdomen. That was the moment I realized how out of control my anxiety had become.

It doesn't seem possible, but we can literally give ourselves any symptom we choose with only our minds. Anxiety is like a super power gone wrong!

[anxious_thoughts]

The pins and needles are almost definitely anxiety related. I just went through a horrible anxiety spiral. I had sciatica and convinced myself it was a blood clot. I had tingling, buzzing, twitching, numbness, throbbing... Then I found out about my umbilical hernia and suddenly the blood clot symptoms were gone and I had only GI symptoms. Then I was bloated one day and convinced myself I had ovarian cancer until I got an ultrasound sound that was clear, and guess what? The bloating was down before I even got home from the appointment. The next day my neighbor called to say he was in the ER with pancreatitis possibly caused by a broken off gallstone. He went to the ER with pain across his abdomen (which I'd had the first day I found the hernia). Literally while still on the phone with him I got pain in my upper right abdomen. That was the moment I realized how out of control my anxiety had become.

It doesn't seem possible, but we can literally give ourselves any symptom we choose with only our minds. Anxiety is like a super power gone wrong!

I appreciate your response so much. I love that you take the time to write out such a thought out response.

Yes, I’ve gotten pins and needles before with anxiety. I’m thibking they feel worse this time because I’m focusing on them. It’s absolutely crazy at what anxiety can do to your body. It’s ridiculous because I know this already but yet I’m still working myself up! Seems like the main symptoms of blood clot in your le is swelling in the area and discolouration. I have neither so I’m trying to keep calm.

The last birth control I was on (Alesse). I was only on it for a week and stopped because two hours after taking it it gave me palpitations. Lo Lo - the one I’m on now, is amazing because I have no symptoms! But I’m just so afraid because of my depression I gained an extra 40 pounds so now I’m over weight and weigh 230 pounds. With the whole overweight thing and introducing the birth control into my body, it just sends out red flags to be aware of any odd sensation or symptom I might be feeling.

Another thing that worries me is earlier this month my family and I drove down to Florida. That’s 24 hours driving with only one over night stop. I remember at one of our bathroom stops I looked at my thigh (now this was before I started birth control) and it was all red and splotchy at the front but then it went away and never happened again not even on the drive back. Not sure what is was, I didn’t have any pain with it or anything. But it makes me think maybe it was a start of a blood clot and now this birth control is gonna make it happen again

---------- Post added at 12:39 ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 ----------

Also my gyno closed at noon today so I couldn’t speak to her. Now I’m worried about whether I should take another pill tonight or not. Or completely stop. I’m hoping to talk to my doctor or her nurse tomorrow over the phone and see what they say. I’d like to continue on with the birth control but I’m so worried that if it actually is a blood clot, it will make things worse!