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Lori
When I was 21, I had a major DVT after knee surgery and while taking birth control pills. I had no idea what it was and assumed it was pain from the surgery. I limped around for weeks, until my calf got so large and painful that even the slightest touch would make me scream.My orthopedic surgeon, diagnosed me and sent me home to try high dose aspirin therapy (4 every hour) and keeping my leg elevated at all times on a heating pad. It was Christmas, he thought it would be better than spending the holiday in the hospital. Somehow I got lucky and the clot did dissolve and fortunately didn't break off and go to my lungs. It was a terrifying night and I could feel the clot breaking up. How they didn't end up in my lungs is a mystery. I guess aspirin does work to dissolve clots, but I wouldn't try this at home again!
I didn't see any other doctors after the DVT and continued on birth control.
I assumed it was a weird occurrence after surgery. It wasn't until 5 years later that my GYN told me she couldn't prescribe birth control pills to me with that history. I still didn't have any testing, but thankfully reduced my risks then. It wasn't until pregnant with my son a few years later (at 29) that my OB tested me for Factor V Leiden(I am heterozygous). I was fortunate and was treated with Heparin (therapeutic dose) starting at 11 weeks throughout the pregnancy which ended up fine.
My doctors assumed that without the pregnancy risk I shouldn't need regular anticoagulation therapy. At 33, I became pregnant again and started on Lovenox at 9 weeks. I had a threatened miscarriage which resulted in bleeding at 11 weeks (during which I stopped the Lovenox until bleeding subsided). Fortunately, this pregnancy ended fine with our healthy daughter.
This past summer at 36 we had another pregnancy. My OB said that now they prefer to wait until the end of the first trimester or at least until a healthy heartbeat is confirmed to start Lovenox. We got a heartbeat at the 8 week ultrasound, but it looked like 6 weeks, so we were concerned that it wasn't going to proceed. At the 10 week ultrasound there was no heartbeat. I waited for a few weeks and eventually had a D & C. I was not being treated during this time.
This past month (3 months after the D&C ), I had a TIA (stroke was ruled out by a CT and MRI), which was my first unprovoked clotting incident. I am fine and have just minor numbness/weakness which should hopefully improve. I dodged another bullet I am told and it was terrifying. I was caught off guard completely, thinking that only during pregnancy or surgery would I need to be on medication.
I am now working with hematologists and neurologists to decide if lifetime Coumadin or aspirin would be most effective/safe. Looking back now I am very worried that I wasn't on any anticoagulation therapy and remember feeling out of breath while walking, and wonder about the terrible cough I had for 6 weeks after the D&C (when no one in our house was sick).
Could I have had small PEs? Did clotting cause the miscarriage? We'll never know. Based on what my hematologists are saying I was in a risky situation and not being treated. Our focus now is on finding the right level of anticoagulation preventative therapy.
We are also trying to decide whether or not to try again knowing the risks makes it harder. Fortunately Factor V Leiden is my only health issue, but it is hard to realize at times, that even with no other conditions, it can be so life threatening.
Thanks for this group and best to all of you managing the anxiety of this little big risk factor.
Lori
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