Woke up at 3 am with pain searing through my chest. It was like fireworks or comets or flamethrowers. Mr Pique took my temperature and measured my blood oxygen and pulse. All normal. Decided it was just gastritis--the meds I've been on have torn up my stomach and I forgot to take a pepcid before bed. Took a pepcid. No improvement. Didnt care if I lived or died, it was that bad. Pain gradually began to subside as mr Pique and I debated whether or not to drive half an hour to the horrible local emergency room, as my pulse was a steady 78 and my blood oxygen was in the 90s. As I recovered I googled and discovered that a common complication of surgery is gall bladder disease. The thought of a blood clot never crossed my mind.

So at 8 am we went to the local urgent care to find out if I have a bad gallbladder. They did a blood workup and took a chest xray. Apparently whatever test they do for blood clotting showed that mine was. A lot. In fact my clotting number--i don't know the right term--was exceedingly high. The urgent care doc called over to the emergency room at the hospital so they'd be ready for me.

As soon as we arrived I was whisked off on a gurney, they put in an IV, hooked me up to an EKG, a bunch of other monitors, and brought me some warm blankets. The nice young male nurse looked at my bloodwork and said there was a good chance of a clot with numbers like that. I started to cry.

Blood clots are one of the biggest risks of a total knee replacement. I have to wear stretchy socks designed to prevent DVT, take baby aspirin twice a day, get up every 2 hours and walk, keep my legs elevated, run compression pumps on my calves... And I had gotten very tired of doing these things after over two weeks of it, pain and exhaustion being big disincentives, and had gotten lax about it. Worst of all, because of gut pain, I had cut my aspirin dosage in half (with a doctor's approval). Now I felt I hadn't taken the blood clot risk seriously enough, and now here I was, in the horrible local hospital, during flu season (it's always staph season in this hospital). I was scared and I blamed myself.

They wheeled me down to radiology and did a dye contrast CT.

No clot. No heart attack. Gall bladder was a possibility but unless I got symptoms again, they weren't going to ultrasound my gall bladder. "Come back while you are symptomatic " said the doc. "Then we can give you something to make the symptoms go away, and if they do, we know it's your gall bladder."

The something? Mylanta. Bought some on the way home.

Diagnosis? Acute gastritis. Common result of major surgery. Not sure I could take another attack like last night's. The mylanta better work.

Meanwhile, it was a good kind of scare. I put my compression socks back on, went for a walk, and have resolved to return to two aspirin a day and to keep moving, no matter how much I want to be a vegetable.

Oh my goodness, that's so scary! I'm so glad you're ok. Just keep taking care of yourself!!!

Pain meds did such a number on my insides, I just duked it out with Tylenol as soon as possible...

Holy cow. How terrifying!

I'm so sorry you had to experience this!

Yikes. Glad yer ok.

Jf

So glad it wasn’t more serious, pique. A few years ago I had a similar scare...what I thought was a heart attack (involving an overnight in the ER) turned out to be acid reflux! That ended my tea obsession.

Awful, awful, awful!

By chance, I myself experienced something similar but with far less consequences today an hour or so after taking a TBSP of MCT oil (cf, keto diet thread) for the first time.

By chance (?) this followed taking Actonel (for bone density) as I do only once a month. Known to be capable of eroding the esophagus and stomach lining, you're supposed to take it first thing after waking with a tall glass of water and being sure to stand or sit afterwards for a minimum of half an hour.

I mention this in case there was a connection.

Anyhow, after the MCT, an ache began in the pit of my stomach, rising to a crescendo of pain which lasted over two hours. The only reason I didn't call an ambulance was that I was in too much pain to talk or move. I thought I must have GI bleeding from either the MCT oil and/or the Actonel.(Have heard it can be very painful). I already had a bad conscience about taking ibuprofen while on blood thinners (for AFib) but my newly chronic headache keeps me up without it. It sure seemed I'd made my bed in that regard.

Anyhow, in retrospect, I figure I too suffered an attack of acute gastritis. Looks like one isn't supposed to begin with a full TBSP of MCT oil for one thing (the bottle said to ), nor on an empty stomach. Then too I was haunted by Quirt's doctor's words about MCT oil being dangerous.

Man! Pain hurts, doesn't it? I heard myself moaning the whole time as if I were another person.

It must have been horrible to also have the fear of blood clots while experiencing your traumatic pain, pique.

I'm puzzled, though. After my "total knee" I was prescribed Coumadin (classic blood thinner) - and they monitored blood levels of it for weeks. I thought it was standard practice (my brother who had his done in Japan was also given blood thinners).

Did you develop that "thick" blood and clot risk, DESPITE taking blood thinners?

If so, they must have been mystified. Poor pique!

Glad you’re OK, Pique!

So glad you're OK, pique! I had a blood clot about 5 years ago (complications from a drug I was taking) and it was no fun. You have to stay on a blood thinner for months, you need to be monitored, etc., etc. Fortunately in my case I was able to stop the blood thinners afterward and all is fine now (knock on wood). I just take a precautionary pill for long airline flights.

quote:

Originally posted by rontuner:
Pain meds did such a number on my insides, I just duked it out with Tylenol as soon as possible...

Total hip is supposedly an easier surgery as far as pain. I've never been on heavy hitters this long before. But I've got the opioids down to once or twice a day. Movement and ice often work well enough.

quote:

Originally posted by RealPlayer:
So glad it wasn’t more serious, pique. A few years ago I had a similar scare...what I thought was a heart attack (involving an overnight in the ER) turned out to be acid reflux! That ended my tea obsession.

Joe I had no idea that that is why you quit drinking your beloved tea. Was tea the cause? Or is it just forbidden because you have the condition?

quote:

It must have been horrible to also have the fear of blood clots while experiencing your traumatic pain, pique.

I'm puzzled, though. After my "total knee" I was prescribed Coumadin (classic blood thinner) - and they monitored blood levels of it for weeks. I thought it was standard practice (my brother who had his done in Japan was also given blood thinners).

Amanda, when did you have your knee done? My doctor doesn't prescribe coumadin. The new protocol is to use baby aspirin. And to get the patient up and moving. My doc explained that the switch was made possible because they no longer keep tkr patients hospitalized so long. Usually his patients spend one night in the hospital. Two if you are from out of town. It's being bedridden for days at a time that made coumadin necessary. Now you are urged to get up and walk at min every two hours.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
So glad you're OK, pique! I had a blood clot about 5 years ago (complications from a drug I was taking) and it was no fun. You have to stay on a blood thinner for months, you need to be monitored, etc., etc. Fortunately in my case I was able to stop the blood thinners afterward and all is fine now (knock on wood). I just take a precautionary pill for long airline flights.

Yes, they are bad news. Glad you were able to get off them!

Jeez! That was frightening.
Hope you enjoy clear sailing from here on.