The leg pain led me to the emergency department where I found out I had blood clots in my leg. Once diagnosed, the path was simple: get stable on the blood thinners and let my body do its thing to fix the problem.
Well, I got the blood thinners that night, but that didn’t stop the pain. The blood thinners only put me in a place where I can’t have any catastrophic problems with the clots. Your body still has to do the fixing and re-routing of blood through veins.
My emotions were eased by knowing I didn’t have much to fear, but the pain in my leg didn’t go away. It took until the fourth day after starting the thinners to start feeling better. By the fourth day, the pain was not so sharp or unbearable. I could, and still can feel it. I’ve been told that I will feel it for a long time. I’m just glad I can move around more without terrible pain.
The other twist to the story is the blood thinners themselves. I am getting Coumadin as a pill. Each person may need a different amount based on diet, body type and other factors. So, you need to take it for a few days and get your blood tested where the doctor will adjust your dose. That is not too bad, but while you are stabilizing on a does, you want to make sure you are stable, so you need to be on another drug given via a shot. For that, my wife gets to give me a shot of Lovenox every morning and evening. They are not too bad, but I hope the Coumadin stabilizes soon.