blood clots

[JeSka]

was wondering if there was anyother mummies that got blood clots in any part of there body while pregnant or in labour? i have one in my leg from my knee 2 my pelvis.. was told i would have 2 hae clexane injections if i was 2 fall pregnant again anybody else done this?

[mykidzmylife]

I never had 1 while pg,but i had 1 from my knee to pelvis too.

I have my first hospital appointment on wed,and will find out when i have to start with the clexane then.

I have used the clexane before,and did the injections myself,its not so bad,you get used to it.

[JeSka]

yeah i had 2 give them 2 myself when my dd was newborn but i just thought it would b hard 2 put into a pregnant belly.. im on warfarin now..
which leg was it in? did they say wat caused it?

[mykidzmylife]

I was thinking the same thing about injecting the bump too.Maybe wont be too hard at the begining,but near the end maybe.

They did lots of tests but couldnt find a reason,and it was my left leg.

[InSaneOne]

i have had one before i got pregnant which they still don't know what caused it. they think it was the combination of being bedridden with the flu, smoking and taking the pill. it was from my belly down my left leg to my ankle. while i hospital a bit broke off and went through my heart and into my lungs. i was on blood thinners for over 12 months with that one. and couldn't walk without crutches for 6 months

when i fell pregnant with my dd they also put me on clexane injection daily from 7 weeks pregnant. i took those up until 36 weeks then switched to heparin injections twice daily as you can't have an epidural while on clexane. i also ended up with 2 small clots in my right leg (one behind the knee the other in my calf) after mot diagnosing the clot in maternity ward i discharged myself an walked into adult emergency with my newborn and demanded to have an utrasound. then i was on a larger dose of clexane for about 10 months. the first time i was on warafin we could never stabilise the dosage and so for me the needles were easier.

now i am pregnant with number 2 and i will be doing my best to avoid an epidural with this one as i think that helped to cause the clot last time and yes i am jabbing myself again with clexane. i was told you can put the needle in your butt (try reaching that when you are 8 months pregnant), your belly (not for me) or your thighs. i use my thighs - it hurts less and i just alternate to avoid bruising.

[JeSka]

i never even heard of ppl gettin them while pregnant or after giving birth until it happened 2 me :no: but i cant believe how common it is!
Billie&beth mine hurt heaps just the size that i had it'd hate 2 think wat urs was like u poor thing! would of been a scary experience!

[InSaneOne]

my leg swelled up to the size of a large watermelon and went a lovely shade of purple and yes it hurt heaps. i was screaming in pain everytime i accidently wriggled a toe. all the blood was getting into my leg but i couldn't get out again so every little movement was excrutiating (worse than giving birth to my dd) i was also on crutches for so long as i couldn't bear any weight ont he leg for months until most of the swelling went down - and i practically had to learn to walk again. even now 6 years later i have heaps of stretchmarks on my leg due to all the swelling and my left calf is noticably larger than my right - it makes shopping for straight-legged jeans nearly impossible.

my second one wasn't as bad just a small cramp that wouldn't disapear. it was nearly painless when i had my stockings on but really killed when i had to take them off for a shower.

it is becoming more and more common as we are taking things that increase our clotting (like the pill and smoking) and becoming a lazier society - prefering to sit infront of tv and computers.

[jenandchloe]

I had clots in my lungs at about 7 weeks preg with baby no 2 (25 weeks preg now) and I spent a few days in hosp and now have clexane injections twice a day. I put them in my thighs too as i find that the least painful.

It was found that I have a minor genetic clotting disorder that combined with being preg would have caused it. I had no probs what-so-ever with DD1 though. I am curious though, from you ladies that have been through this before if you had extra care throughout the preg or if the clexane etc caused you no probs? I have heard various reports from seeing doc weekly and getting U/S scan every 2-3 weeks to, like me, just being seen like an ordinary patient.

Thanks (sorry to take over the thread with a long post)

Jen

[InSaneOne]

i get seem as a normal patient but i tend to see the ob instead of the midwifes. they just like to keep a bit of a close eye on you. i didn't have any extra scans during my last pregnancy either.

[jenandchloe]

Thanks Billie&Beth,

I trust my doc so I will carry on as I have been. I was told all was ok at my 19 week scan so I am happy with that. I will just have to be patient for the rest of my preg now!

Jen

[JeSka]

jen i didnt get mine til i was in labour (didnt know about it) so i cant answer that .. how'd they find the clot in ur lung?

[jenandchloe]

Hi JeSka,

Thanks for your reply. At about 7 weeks Pg I had breathing difficulties, to the point we called an ambulance cos my DH was getting scared (there's another story all together - they were useless). Anyway, I went to my GP that same afternoon and he said somethings not right and did tests etc and by the next night I was in hospital. I had to have x-rays and a nuclear medicine scan to find the clots but i have 5 in one lung and 1 in the other.

So here I am! I have to have the clexane til birth and then for a while after and then I will be switched to warfarin instead for approx 6 weeks, and after that hopefully I should be fine.

Jen

[JeSka]

im sure u'll b fine :thumbsup:

[Chelle123]

Hi JesKa,
I thought I was the only one...
In my 2nd pg I developed about 20 clots in my knee at 27wks. I was hospitalised and put on Fragmin injections until 38wks, as you shouldn't go into labour on the meds, then back on straight after for a few weeks. However, within 2 days of going off Fragmin, I developed 2 more clots in my groin and was back in hospital and induced (I wasn't going to sit in hospital for 2-3 wks waiting to go into labour while I had a toddler at home).

This pg, I developed a clot in my knee at 10 wks and was put on 300mg of aspirin, 4 times a day to get rid of it. I'm now on aspirin once daily and so far I haven't had any more clots.

I should also mention that I have really bad varicose veins which is the most likely cause. When doctors see my legs for the first time, they get a shock at how bad they are.

Lastly, I had absolutely no side effects from the Fragmin injections and I am hoping that there will be no side effects from the aspirin to my baby, but none of my dr's seem concerned which is hopefully a good sign.

[JeSka]

gee i thought i was unlucky.. u poor thing. asprin should b fine with ur bubba i was told. glad u havn't got any more this pg. i hope i never go thru it again although it was worth it. i dont hae varicose veins and still dont really know wat caused mine.. i even had 2 have chest xrays 2 c if there was anything there that could of caused it..

[whitsundaysmumma]

My problem is that I have "Factor 5 Leden" - a blood clotting disorder which caused me to get Placenta Abruption (blood clot behind the placenta). I have to inject with Clexane during pregnancy(ouch sting sting sting!!) then for another 8 weeks after delivery. I also take 1 Asprin during the pregnancy as well.

We started the injections at 18 weeks for my last pregnancy, next pregnancy I have to start from 7 weeks and hope that we can make it to at least 36 weeks gestation.:fingerscrossed:

[Chelle123]

i even had 2 have chest xrays 2 c if there was anything there that could of caused it..
I had 2 chest xrays as well. 1 when ds2 was 3 days old and I wasn't allowed to b/feed for 24hrs or hold him close for very long. Same again at about 4wks old. That was probably the hardest and most frustrating part of the whole ordeal.