blood clots? Anyone ever get them?

My younger brother had an IV in his hand for surgery and developed a blood clot. This was about three weeks ago and while it has gone down alot, it's still bothering him. He has another doctor's appt coming up but has anyone ever had one? How long do they take to go away? I am really worried for him!

I just want to say I hope he is ok. I've been black & blue for a few weeks after an IV, but that was about it. I actually still have scars from it. What did the doctor say?

i believe that there is a shot they will give him to break up the clot

my fh was bed ridden for a month and they gave it to him to stop them from forming

I don't want to scare you...but as treatable blood clots can be...they can be fatal...if they break up and go to the lungs...


my father had one in his leg...and it was very serious...he will be on blood thinners for the rest his life...which also means he has to be careful about bleeding...(he can not use a razor blade ever again...only electric)


I really don't want to scare you...but my dads family doctor just told him to stay off his feet for a week...thank goodness that the post office (where my dad worked) required anyone off work for a week to see their doctor to make sure hey were OK to work...the PO dostor checked him into the hospital immediately for surgery....

Now here is a question that I can answer for you. I had an extensive blood clot in my leg (actually still have, but it has diminished significantly) and it is definitely something that needs to be treated. Was your brother given any sort of anti-coagulants either in the hospital or to take at home? If not he may need them. As Erica said in her post, blood clots can be fatal and require careful monitoring and usually medication as well. Did your brother speak to or see a vascular surgeon? While your regular physician can treat you, it's a good idea to see a vascular doctor since they are the experts on blood clots.

If your brother has swelling from the clot it may take some time to go away. Unfortunately, it all depends on your body and there is no specific time table. I was an extreme case and for me it took more than 2 months for the swelling to go down even a little bit and more than 6 months for most of it to go away. I still have swelling every now and then but it's not too bad. I just make sure I spend time with my foot and leg elevated, which helps to alleviate some of the pressure.

If you have any questions please feel free to FM me. I hope your it goes away quickly!



Edited to add: Tell your brother to stay away from foods that are high in Vitamin K (mostly green leafy veggies such as lettuce and broccoli) and to be careful about taking any over the counter pain relief medication. He should check with the doctor first.

Thanks girls! The doctor has told him to take Advil I think (they said it thins your blood) but I don't think they thought this was serious enough to put him on blood thinners. He's also only 21 so maybe that's a reason????

They said it has gone down but it will just a while. I am just scared of it moving up but he is getting it checked out!

I'm glad that he is getting it checked out...while it can be not serious...it can be really serious...

and it can happen at any age...a woman I used to work with...her DIL got a blood clot while pregnant...what made it serious is that she needed a c-section and if they gave her blood thinners she could bleed to death...so she had to sit and wait...for the wound to heal...or the clot to move...

that was an extreme case...and I think usually if they catch it...it can be easily treated...

When he goes to the doctor I will let you know what they said. Thanks for the info!