redrose66 / June 2, 2015/ Health
Factor V Leiden thrombophilia is an inherited genetic blood clotting disorder. Factor V Leiden is the name of a specific gene mutation that results in thrombophilia, which increases the chances to form abnormal blood clots that can block blood vessels , sometimes expanding those vessels and damaging the valves in the veins or arteries. The gene that is needed to break down blood clots is called Factor V and with those individuals that lack that gene their body is unable to breakdown blood clots like normal cell functions therefore causing the blood to clot.
Many people with Factor V Leiden are unaware they even have it because they go through their entire lives with no signs of blood clotting issues while others end up with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Usually DVT occurs in the legs but has been known to occur in the brain, eyes, liver, and kidneys as well.
When people are unable to rid the clots themselves they need medications to help thin out the blood and help break down these clots as not to cause serious health issues or even death. When a Factor V Leiden person is on blood thinners it is cautioned that they not eat foods high in vitamin K. And if the patient has had DVT then they are advised to steer clear of the Vitamin K if at all possible. Foods containing Vitamin K are normally green vegetables but many other foods and vegetables contain them as well. Special diets are required and necessary.
As for my personal experience, it happened in my leg; however this is what actually happened. I was seeing a doctor that was treating me for another medical condition and when I brought to his attention that I had leg pain and burning and that it was swelling behind my knee he wasn’t too concerned at that time because he was more focused on the other health issue I having and he prioritized that over all other health ails.
One day I was at the post office and had just exited my vehicle when another vehicle quickly slid into the parking space to where I was still standing. Well that particular day my legs were like cement to the ground and as I attempted to pounce up onto the sidewalk but my legs were as sticks in the mud or like I was standing in quicksand. They sis not budge. I nearly was an inch away from getting my knees snapped backwards from this rapidly approaching desperately in a hurry customer that’s only concern was for himself. But thankfully, he fell short.
Well my after mentioning it to my husband he insisted I demand that the doctor do something about that leg immediately. So I made the appointment and he went with me. While in the waiting room another patient was wearing a cigarette smoke clothing apparel and it threw me into an asthmatic attack and so the doctor immediately took that as a priority once again over the knee and leg. I had explained me initial reasoning for my scheduled appointment but he wasn’t too concerned.
My husband decided it was a matter of urgency and I needed to see another doctor. So i set up an appointment to visit with a different doctor. I mentioned to this new doctor all of mt health concerns and my immediate one was my leg and if they can’t figure it out then we’ll head on down the road to someone who’s willing to find out what’s going on with my leg and my knee.
Immediately she said we’ll run a series of tests and send you directly to see a Radiologist and get a Doppler test done on that leg because she felt she had a good idea what was going on. So my husband drives me to the radiology place and the radiologist asks me a series of questions and looks very concerned. She says as she’s leaving the room that she needs to speak with my doctor and see if she wants to do any more tests.
Well, everyone is scurrying around asking me to get dressed and if I’m ready to go. And I say yes sure they started explaining that I needed to go to the hospital asap and they will be expecting me. We were confused so of course we asked for am explanation. We were briefed but I asked if I could speak to someone that could explain better. They said that I needed to go now and insisted that I not stop anywhere along the way. They totally spooked us.
We headed on over to the hospital, checked in and a short time later a whole bunch of doctors came in at the same time. It reminded me of the television program I loved to watch called “HOUSE”. They started asking me a series of questions like what brought me there, what am I feeling in my leg, how long have I been feeling it, stuff like that. All of them looking at me with astonishing eyes like I’m an alien from outer space and has just entered their warp zone or something. It was a very weary feeling.
Soon they said just don’t move stay still, don’t get up, don’t turn, don’t do anything but remain still. I asked them why, I mean I still wasn’t sure exactly what was happening. They explained that I had a blood clot from the top of my groin all the way to down to my ankle. It was a large blood clot called a DVT. Then they said they needed to verify the reason for it so more tests needed to be ran.
The scenario they put before me was they were explaining the dilemma they were facing on having to make a decision. Either they put in a screen in the top of my groin to try and filter the large blood clots from entering the rest of the blood stream which they realized would eventually block the screen due to the size of the clot at considering it’s current state thus clotting up the other leg or they may have to possibly amputate the left left leg completely. But the decision was needed to be reviewed by other doctors as well. I told them they had best come up with a solution that doesn’t involve removing my leg first off. And as far as the screen solution it was an oxymoron and I didn’t agree with that either.
Well the doctor’s started me on Levenox, stomach blood thinners to get the process going and the importance of not moving is due to rapid movement of the blood traveling throughout the bloodstream carrying the blood clots that they were breaking down at a super thinning rate including the rat poison called Coumadin or Warfarin also included with the Levenox. So it was vital that I remained as still as possible constantly. I was hospitalized for approximately three and a half weeks I believe. A few family members visited a couple of times including my mother. But my friends were my support group at that time. They came daily to check on me and pray with and for me.
Well the tests they ran in the beginning as well as prior to my leaving showed only small blood clots in my lungs and around my lungs which was causing some chest pains sharply shooting straight through to my back causing shortness of breath (SOB). But had the clots made it to my brain it would have killed me was what the doctors so often felt the need to remind me of. Thankfully that was not the case. Someone was looking out for me.
So after leaving the hospital with my Levenox injections and Coumadin for life, (rat poison) I was doomed to take, my husband drove me home, made me comfortable, and went to Whataburger (my favorite burger joint), and picked me up a Whataburger all the way with cheese , onion rings on the side, and a ice cold vanilla shake. A few family members called to see how I was doing and every couple weeks visited me.FYI: My son was in Afghanistan serving his country, my daughter was out of state in college, and my youngest son was still in high school at the time. I didn’t explain to them the details as not to worry them only giving them the basics.
My husband had to give me my stomach shots three times a day because I couldn’t do it myself. That meant he came home from work throughout the day during his breaks since I was forbidden to get up from the recliner except to take potty breaks and bathe. Yay me! Finally after about a week after I returned home and had my husband taking care of me, a home health care nurse began to come to the house to tend to my medical needs .The bedridden, don’t move too much instruction was a six weeks prescription, then I was able to move around but only short distances. By that time I had atrophy in my muscles causing shakiness and temporary instability. It took awhile to build that back up but I prevailed as I always had.
The home health care nurse continued to come for about two years due to the damage it caused to my leg and the physical issues it restricted me from, like driving and such. Plus I had other health issues not to mention new ones I had developed through all of that down time.
I have learned to live with with the pain and occasional passing of the clots through the lungs. Sometimes I have good days where my leg doesn’t even hurt much, then there’s days where it swells up and feels like it’s on fire and has pins n needles and it aches. It can be the pain behind the knee, the calf, or even the thigh, sometimes the whole leg hurts. Gotta take the good with the bad, right?
I went to see a specialist on veins and they told me there’s a virtually painless procedure they can provide that seals off that vein that causes my pain. Well I got to thinking about that. At first, it sounded like the perfect solution, but as I began to ponder on it I came to the realization that if they seal off that vein with the damaged valve that causes my circulation issue and the blood re-routes itself to travel then it may get clogged again but from the new route.
The way I see it is this, right now the vein has been damaged to the point where it has expanded and the valve in the leg is inoperable only allowing the blood to drop to the lower extremity but is unable to retrieve the blood upward to the upper extremity. Now in my opinion, since the vein is wide, the clots have more trouble clogging that vein and may sit till the thinners dissolve or break it down. But if the vein is sealed and it is to go to a thinner vein and if a clot is formed it may possibly get jammed and thus cause issues as it did before. So I decided, for me and my body that it was best I sided against it rather taking my chances. Even though I have a thin calf and my chubby calf, and tolerate the pain even if I have to take pain medications on occasions to deal with the pains. I feel I may be saving myself from far more problems than necessary in the future.
NOTE: This is my personal story on how I came to find out about how I acquired Factor V Leiden thrombophilia and the decisions I decided best for me as an individual making my own decisions and is in no way a critical means or meant to upset or change anyone in any way. “To Each His/Her Own” is my thought. Everyone makes decisions on what’s in their own best interests.
Copyright © 2015 by Josephine Rojas. All rights reserved.
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