Chronic DVT and Post-Thrombotic Syndrome (PTS)

[JenniferSG]

In the U.S. your condition would be treated as an emergency, with surgery, and you'd be put on warfarin for the rest of your life. Source: My experience in the U.S. with DVT last Christmas.

[JenniferSG]

Sheryl, Thanks for yet another helpful and informative comment. I guess this contrast thing must be the reason why I have to go nil per orem from early morning on the day of my scan. Sounds a bit like the barium meal that my friend had to consume before undergoing a colonoscopy. Disgusting! But at least I won't need the enema - I hope!

Thanks for trying to help me save a few baht, but I go with what you say about the risk, and my doctor must have given detailed instructions to the radiology staff at Siriraj so I think it is probably advisable to get the scan done there anyway. And I would not be able to get hold of him to fill out a referral form for that imaging center anyway. He is really busy, busy, busy. In fact he had to rush off to some emergency while I was waiting for my CBC results and so I had to talk to a acolyte instead. 27k is a big chunk of change but when it is a "life and death" situation like this is for me I just have to eat it. Yes, I know PTS is not normally life threatening (although the continuing presence of the clot is worrying), but the grotesque swelling of my leg, ankle and foot means no chance of getting a Norwegian Maritime medical certificate at my next annual renewal in September, and so no work, no income, poverty, starvation and this train runs off the tracks. I'm 68, can still work as a consultant offshore as well as ever, but too old by a long way to start a whole new career.

If you're 68 can you not get treatment using medicare or your home country's equivalent if you're not from the U.S. Again, in the U.S., any hotness or swelling in association with a clot means ambulance to the E.R. then transfer to ICU. I am a lot younger than you are, and went through this at Christmas. Since then many CT scans in addition to ultrasounds as follow up. It has been 9 months and I've had 3 CT scans and 3 ultrasounds, and meet with a Hematologist every 3 months. Warfarin therapy for life. INR checks every 3 weeks unless my INR numbers jump around then it's back to every week. Warfarin can be dangerous, yes, if you don't carefully monitor your INR. If you do stay on top of the INR and keep it in the therapeutic level vs. the bleed to death level, you're better off on it than off of it as regards the increased liklihood of future clots. If you go to the U.S., walk in to an ER and you'll get seen pretty darned fast with what you're describing.

[Sheryl]

She does not have an acute DVT, her DVT was long ago. She is suffering from Post-thrombolitic syndrome which is a very different matter (though a sequelae of DVT).