# DVT - Clotting related to weight? Scared, any advice?



## BBW4Chattery (Feb 11, 2012)

Hi all. I got a kidney infection before Thanksgiving. It took nearly 2 months to pass with several rounds of antibiotics before we found one that worked.

I was couch-bound, asleep most hours of the day, for several weeks. I started to get aches in my right leg. At first, just like a muscle pull and sporadic. 

Now, to the point where I scream out in pain rolling over and the dull ache never stops. Ibuprofen doesn't kill it and neither does elevation, compression wraps, or heat ... ice helps sometimes but sometimes it feels horribly painful.

Two urgent cares -- one doctor said it was b/c of my kidney infection and blood pressure being up that was causing this pain and another unusual symptom of shortness of breath. The next doctor said it was because I was overweight.

I don't have insurance and am out of money. I went to the internet for answers and of course, now, I'm scared to death it's a blood clot. I was on birth control, I'm obese, and I was pretty much bedridden for a few months. The pain doesn't get any better regardless of how I treat it...

What would you do next? I know emergency rooms are supposed to take people regardless of ability to pay but as a social worker, I also know how many people they treat like crud and barely service when they know they can't pay their bill.

I don't have any warmness or discoloration and swelling is hard to measure because on me ... something is always swelling. I just don't want to die because I was too ashamed to go beg for medical care I can't afford... I know it sounds stupid... but I'm worried.

If any of you can ease my mind, it's appreciated. Thanks.


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## Miss Vickie (Feb 11, 2012)

The only way to know whether you have a DVT is an ultrasound. The symptoms are not always the same for everyone, but as you say, you're at risk. In my opinion, any severe pain as you describe -- not relieved with the home remedies you're using -- is reason to go to the emergency room. A clot can become dislodged and go to your heart, brain or lungs and become life threatening in a matter of mere minutes. And if it's not a clot, then they can find out what it is and give you appropriate treatment.

I understand your financial concerns, but is it really worth risking your life? It might be nothing, or it might be serious. The only way to know for sure is to have it looked at; even the best doctor can't diagnose a DVT without doppler studies of your leg, a non-invasive, immediate way to find out if it's a clot. And if it's a clot it can be treated a heck of a lot easier before it travels to a vital organ than after.

So, if I get a vote, it's for you to go to the ER. And if you're having shortness of breath? Then it's a medical emergency.

The money stuff sorts itself out eventually, and yes they have to see you and stabilize you, with or without insurance. If you have a local hospital that is a non-profit, they may even forgive a portion or all of your bill. But money is no reason to put your life in danger, and the symptoms as you describe them are very, very concerning.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing.


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## wrestlingguy (Feb 11, 2012)

There are several people who post on the boards who have suffered both DVTs and pulmonary embolisms. I am one of them, having both DVT and bilateral pulmonary embolism about 17 months ago.

From my experience, I can tell you that I had bad cramping in my left leg. I was pretty much told the same thing by doctors, so I ignored it (Dumb move #1)

One morning, while carrying a delivery from my truck to one of my customers, I began to experience really bad shortness of breath, and fell down with what I was carrying. My customer, who saw me go down, insisted that I see a doctor, so I DROVE (Dumb move #2) to my doctor's office (Dumb more #3, should have gone straight to the hospital).

I told them I thought I might be having a heart attack, so they sent me to a cardiologist, who did an enzyme test, and ruled the heart attack out. That said, he wanted me to go to the local ER, so I drove (Dumb move #4) to the emergency entrance to the hospital, where they were waiting for me.

A few hours later, I had a doppler (untrasound) on my legs, and I was told of the DVTs. An hour later, I had more testing that showed I had MANY clots in my lungs as well. I was started on Lovanox immediately. The next morning, I had a filter inserted into my femoral artery to stop the clots from working their way up, and I've been on warfarin since. As a result, I now have several other maladies associated with what I had, and I'm working hard towards becoming more healthy again.

PLEASE get to an E.R. as soon as possible. Don't be as dumb as I was during this process. And if you need any support, message me with your contact info. I'm more than happy to help. You're in my prayers.

Phil


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## BBW4Chattery (Feb 11, 2012)

Thank you for your post. This is where I'm at this morning with it all... I'm more afraid to go the ER because I'm afraid they'll just say I'm fat and I'll get no resolution. Thankfully, the shortness of breath is gone as it healed with the kidney infection. All I have now is this pain.

I'm not arguing, I know I need to go... I just have to build up the strength. If I go and they call it obese-leg-itis, I'll have the embarrassment of that encounter plus the debt of the visit cost plus the existing DVT fear.

I wish there were made to order medical services where I could just go somewhere and say, I need an ultrasound to rule out DVT. Anyone want to invent that for me and I'll be right over... anyone?

Thank you, again, I am going to keep re-reading this... I know I need to go, I am just so scared they are going to brush it off like the other two places. The first urgent care charged $120, never even took my temp or blood pressure or weight, and sent me home with 3 rx's after 5 minutes. Ugh. 

I guess it boils down to the fact that I don't trust the medical system to care for me right now. My last primary care doc (physical 4/11) is 2600 miles away and I'm obese without insurance. I've worked in the medical field (and hospitals) for years and I've just seen the behind the scenes of how they triage and treat people like me.

Sucks, I tell ya, it sucks. Ok, gonna get brave soon, I promise...


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Feb 11, 2012)

Is there anyone you can take with you to the ER to help with speaking up for you and making sure they just don't diagnose you as 'fat'? I've recently been to the ER and hospital and I know the crappy treatment you get so you have my sympathy.
Also, if you do go to the hospital see if they have something like charity care. My son went to the ER once with no insurance and they told him about charity care. If you have no insurance and can't afford it you might qualify. ER and hospital visits were covered at that hospital. The only thing they didn't cover were doctors. (As if you could go to the ER or hospital and not see a doctor and still receive treatment! Ha!) Once the doctor saw that he had charity care he accepted $20 as payment for his services which were something crazy like $500 for an ER visit. This happened to my son twice.
Good luck! Please take care of yourself. I know how it feels to be fat and dealing with the medical community. Ugh! But you deserve to be treated and treated well.


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## Miss Vickie (Feb 12, 2012)

BBW4Chattery said:


> Thank you for your post. This is where I'm at this morning with it all... I'm more afraid to go the ER because I'm afraid they'll just say I'm fat and I'll get no resolution. Thankfully, the shortness of breath is gone as it healed with the kidney infection. All I have now is this pain.
> 
> I'm not arguing, I know I need to go... I just have to build up the strength. If I go and they call it obese-leg-itis, I'll have the embarrassment of that encounter plus the debt of the visit cost plus the existing DVT fear.



I understand your fear. I absolutely do. But given your high risk, leg pain as you describe should be considered a DVT until proven otherwise. I think if you tell them how long it's been going on and that nothing helps, they will be more likely to take it seriously. I know if you were my patient, the first thing I'd order is an ultrasound.



> I wish there were made to order medical services where I could just go somewhere and say, I need an ultrasound to rule out DVT. Anyone want to invent that for me and I'll be right over... anyone?



Well, ideally, that place is the ER. And sometimes we have to advocate for ourselves. Saying to the doctor "I'm afraid I might have a DVT because I've been bed bound and because I know I'm higher risk because of my size" is a reasonable thing to say. Only an idiot would refuse to do an ultrasound, since the cost of missing the diagnosis -- your LIFE -- is so huge.



> Thank you, again, I am going to keep re-reading this... I know I need to go, I am just so scared they are going to brush it off like the other two places. The first urgent care charged $120, never even took my temp or blood pressure or weight, and sent me home with 3 rx's after 5 minutes. Ugh.



You're KIDDING. They never took vitals on you? What did they send you home with, since they never did enough testing to diagnose you? I don't blame you for being wary. But in truth, an urgent care clinic probably can't do the ultrasound you need, so the ER is the better choice for you.



> I guess it boils down to the fact that I don't trust the medical system to care for me right now. My last primary care doc (physical 4/11) is 2600 miles away and I'm obese without insurance. I've worked in the medical field (and hospitals) for years and I've just seen the behind the scenes of how they triage and treat people like me.
> 
> Sucks, I tell ya, it sucks. Ok, gonna get brave soon, I promise...



Yeah, it does suck, I agree. And yes, sometimes people aren't treated well. But they can also be treated very well, and each experience is unique. So try not to bring your previous experiences into new ones, unless it's to inspire you to be more proactive in asking for appropriate care. Believe me, I know it's tough. I had to go to two different pulmonologists and verbally grab mine by the lapels and DEMAND prednisone to treat my autoimmune disease (whose primary medication of choice of treatment is prednisone). They were afraid I'd gain weight and denied me a prescription, making me jump through hoops trying sub-standard medications which didn't work. Like I care about _weight gain_ when I can't friggin' breathe, and I have joint pain and exhaustion so bad I can hardly move! So yeah, they do it to everyone (even smart ass nurses like me with great insurance and a lot of medical knowledge). But for me it was really empowering to stand up for myself, and I finally got appropriate treatment. And it turns out that I've lost weight on steroids. So, hah.

The cost of missing a DVT is enormous. It could cost you your _life_. It might not be a DVT, but if not that, then what? And how inexpensive and non-invasive, a ten minute ultrasound, to give you the answers and set your mind at ease. If you have a non-profit hospital (like a Catholic hospital) in your area, they are more likely to work with you financially, and less profit driven.


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## CastingPearls (Feb 12, 2012)

I have nothing additional to add that hasn't been covered here, but would you please keep us updated, if possible? Best of luck.


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Feb 13, 2012)

Please update if you can. I've been thinking about you too and hope you're ok.


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## BBW4Chattery (Feb 14, 2012)

In er right now. About to cry. Will update tonight when I get home. Thank you guys.


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## CastingPearls (Feb 14, 2012)

BBW4Chattery said:


> In er right now. About to cry. Will update tonight when I get home. Thank you guys.


Sending you positive vibes and prayers right now!


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## BBW4Chattery (Feb 14, 2012)

In car...waiting on meds. Finally broke down and went in... thank you guys. Everyone was so sweet. Had a great young doctor... so kind...immediately wanted to rule out dvt. Ordered ultrasound. They give me a percoset while I wait...and I wait... about 2 hours as their portable machine was tied up. The ultrasound fella gets there right as some other guy bursts in and says hr is the er doctor. I don't know if he's read my chart or not. Didn't seem to know history or risk such as recent car trip across country. He literallyis tells the ultrasounder tech who isis setting up...we dont need you. Shw doesnt needgo one anymore. He does some physical tests and diagnoses me with sciatica. Fine. Maybe he is right. This is where I want to cry. He starts on my weight. I tell him I am doing weight watchers and he tells me that is the worst thing I can do to lose weight. He said it isn't effective and will never work. He says I need to try paleo or a modified around bc those are the only ones that work. Then he starts patronizing me.. I am sure as a smart girl you know to listen to me. It went on for 15l minutes. I challenged him and he ignored it. Says paleo is the only one backed by science. Then he says... as a naturally fat person ... I can tell you this works. Before he said that...o had questioned his health. He was gaunt and his eyes were buggy...when he confirmed he did paleo that cemented it. He gave me three scripts for strong dosages of baptizing vicodon and flexeril and said if not better in two weeks get a mri for slipped disc. Everyone else in hospital was so kind and I thanked them... not him though... promise me if I have dvt and end up unable to speak for myself... one of you will sue the crap out if him and use the money to promote fat acceptance and nutritional counseling. Thank you all for your support. Im intentionally not writing all he said bc it went on for twenty minutes... no lie... patronizing...how I needed to to lose it quick...etc...etc.. when he first started the sales pitch I thought he was going to say wls.

Thank you...I don't have enough than k yous. I will update if I return to another doctor. At this point though... I am beyond tapped out financially. This was the last hooray and it was on borrowed money. Be well.


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## Miss Vickie (Feb 14, 2012)

Oh man. That is awful! I'm so sorry that doctor treated you poorly and lectured you the way he did (and didn't order the ultrasound). Clearly he was so bent on bringing his issues to your care that he couldn't see what was going on in front of him. What a dumbass. 

I'm still glad you went though, and that you got good care otherwise. See? There are some good people out there. And hopefully the medications will help. In the meantime, take care, okay? And get some rest.

Oh and if you think you can manage it, I'd lodge a complaint against that doctor -- with the hospital if not with the medical board.


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## CastingPearls (Feb 14, 2012)

I'm very proud of you that you went and you didn't wait. That you spoke up when you were being patronized, and challenged him, especially when a person isn't feeling well, a doctor can be very intimidating, but you stood your ground. 

I'm thankful you have meds. Hopefully all it is is sciatica (no small thing either when it's you suffering it) and you won't ever have to deal with that jerk again. 

HUGS!!!


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## Tad (Feb 14, 2012)

I'd missed this thread until now, I'm glad you went into ER, sorry that second doctor entered the scene 

One thought, if you have a pretty good idea of what you are looking for, would it make any sense to contact the labs directly, and see if they will run the test without a doctor's referal? It will still cost, but possibly less than an ER visit? Or maybe the fact that you'd have to pay right at the time would rule it out, I don't know.

I hope the situation gets more bearable, soon!


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## Fat Brian (Feb 14, 2012)

In all seriousness you need to call the hospital and tell someone how you were treated and that you believe you got inadequate care. Tell them that Dr. #2 refused the ultrasound Dr.#1 ordered then proceeded to give you a speech about his own personal eating plan. What you got wasn't treatment and you deserve better. I had a doctor do me the same way about a back injury a few months ago and my back is still messed up.


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Feb 14, 2012)

I'm so sorry you had to deal with that a-hole doctor! We go to doctors seeking help when we are feeling sick, scared and vulnerable and then they treat us like crap. They should be ashamed of themselves as someone who made a pledge to "first, do no harm". I wish you could have gotten that ultrasound. I wish you would have had someone there to insist on one for you. I say that because I know how it is to want to stand up for yourself but when you are feeling sick and vulnerable it is so easy to just go along with what the doctor bullies you into. Would it have hurt the doctor to give you an ultrasound? You'd think he was paying for it! And then the doctor goes on and on about his own specific weight loss plan like he was making a sales pitch...the way you were telling it I thought that any minute he was going to try and sell you Amway or something. lol 
I hope the pills work for you and bring you some relief. I hope you start to feel better ASAP.


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## BBW4Chattery (Feb 14, 2012)

Thanks again guys. I just re-read my posting from last night. So sorry for all of the typos.

I just realized (thanks to someone else listening to me whine) that I should have called him out about the fact that he cancelled my ultrasound. 

I should have demanded he tell me why he was so sure I didn't have DVT when 2 hours earlier another MD felt I was at risk.

I don't want to be paranoid about it I want to accept that it is sciatica for now so my mind can rest a little. Sciatica looks legit as an explanation in some ways but doesn't explain some of the other stuff with that leg.

I really appreciate the support. I wouldn't have gone without your encouragement. It just wouldn't have happened... I am glad I went... even though this was the outcome.

My ego was so hurt by him going on for 15-20 minutes about paleo diet that I lost focus on why I was there... to eliminate DVT. I am so disappointed in myself right now that I let that happen. I wasn't a very good advocate for me in that situation. Ugh...

Thanks again and I will keep you posted. Seriously, I can't thank you enough. I'm isolated out here since my move and even the people back home aren't ever in the loop about my health... so this means the world to me.


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## wrestlingguy (Feb 15, 2012)

Thanks for the good news!

Now, with that said, you really should file a complaint with the hospital, like Vickie and Brian and a few others have recommended.

You'll never get the 20 minutes of lecture this fool gave you back, but perhaps if he gets reprimanded for his condescending attitude, it might save the next fat person who comes in through the ER doors. Additionally, he should be made to account for why he canceled the ultrasound that the first doctor scheduled.

No one wants to be a pain in the ass patient, but sometimes it's a necessary evil. With my last Dr. visit, my physician wanted to put me on metformin for a "diabetic condition" that she felt we needed to address. I asked her about my blood sugar, and she said it came in at 107. I then asked her what it was from the blood work 2 months prior, and she said 129. So why would she want to do that, if I've adjusted my diet, and the number is coming down? So, after some discussion about my diet, she agreed that I should be able to bring my own levels down through what I eat. Proof in point, doctors are often arbitrary, and diagnoses are at times no better than a mechanic trying to fix your car.


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Feb 23, 2012)

How have you been feeling BBW4Chattery? Better I hope.


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