I nearly died in Thailand yesterday

[SingaporeSteve]

Mods, if you wish to move this to health its OK by me but suggest leaving it here for a few days as this could affect any of us. I personally had no idea I was a strong risk candidate.

 

Today I have had confirmation of a serious illness that many will have heard about but perhaps think its unlikely to happen to them.

 

Just for profile, I am mid thirty's, no history of illness, no cardiac problems in family etc, reasonable fitness. Drink and smoke in moderation.

 

Last week, I had a pain in my leg that started off in my calf and moved up to my knee. My inside leg just above the knee started swelling but nothing to obvious just a tingling pain. BKK Pattaya hospital diagnosed it as a insect bite and prescribed me antibiotics. After 5 days no improvement and after doing some internet research, I was sure it was something to do with veins such as Deep Vein Thrombosis as the symptons were very consistent.

 

To cut a long story short, I looked up a blood specialist at Bumrungrad on their doctor search engine, made an appointment for yesterday evening and drove up to Bangkok. Within 2 minutes of looking and feeling my leg, he advised he suspected I had a blood clot in my saphenous vein however he needed to do a ultrasound to confirm it. Given it was already about 7pm, he arranged for the ultrasound to be done on Wednesday which was the first date the nurse said I could be fitted in. He was sufficiently concerned that he became very nervous and twitchy as if he has to give very grave news ::

 

I was immediately whisked off and injected with a blood thinning drug which I will have to keep taking daily for three months at least. Another doctor also saw me as a second opinion and she was even more concerned than the first one and insisted that the nurses change the radiographer (Sp) who does the Ultrasound and bring the test forward to this morning citing the fact that this was a life and death emergency (in my broken Thai) - you can imagine how I was feeling by now - I asked why the problem with the radiographer and the second doctor replied - that she wanted the hospitals best (and in her words Thailands best radiographer to do the ultrasound personally !! ) - heated discussion with nurses ended up advising that the radiographer in question was fully booked for Tuesday so out comes mobile phone and the second doctor calls her on her mobile at 8pm at night and gets her to agree to see me during her lunch break (hows that for service ) - her comment while waiting for the phone to connect, "we went to medical school together - she is the best in Thailand", other younger doctor sitting there mesmorised by how un Thai she is being.

 

OK so today after being given the Ultrasound the doctor confirmed that I have MULTIPLE blood clot (thrombosis) in my lower thigh although not in deep vein. They believe it has already moved up from the calf and was quite near to another artery connecting to the main vein. Passing comment tonight from the Hemotologist (Sp) was that there was every likelyhood that had I not come in that I might now be dead !!!

 

Now the interesting part - last flight I did was to and from UK about 4 weeks ago, and thanks to my previous employer forgetting I had a home leave ticket and my TG gold card upgrade, I was travelling first class both ways. Previously, 1 year ago I was doing between 4 and 8 flight sectors a week in the job I did but that was ages ago and would never have figured in my mind as a possible cause. The doctor thinks its as a result of the flight from the UK - loads of other blood tests last night (8 little pots of blood for god sake, I thought I was going to run out of the magic red stuff at one stage ) and he is convinced no underlying alternative cause.

 

On flights, I drink nothing but water and no more than 2 glasses of red wine. move around, get up quite a bit and stretch so this has come as a big surprise to me.

 

So moral of the story, if you feel any pains in your legs and feels like muscle tightening around veins, for gods sake go and get it checked out with a specialist hemotologist - the doctor I saw originally had no idea, although interestingly the nurse that looked at me first looked pretty concerned. First doctor never even asked me if I had been on flight recently and was adamant its not vein related or it would show around your feet :: - Now all this time, i have been able to walk (with slight pain in knee area), drive and function normally with no real symptons other slight fever and the twinge in my leg. The fever I put down to heat ( I often am out in the sun on my building project for long periods so thought nothing of it).

 

Be carefull guys !!!

[OCgringo]

also an asprin before flying,

 

I had a less serious thing my last flight to BKK ,

a clot in my eye which screwed up my vision in one eye

 

also went to Bumrungrad , first the eye doctor , then the heart doctor and finally a blood specialist,

where they did a full blood check.

 

results were fine except a little high cholesterol.

 

Yes get it checked out , Bumrungrad is not cheap in Thai terms , but real cheap in Western terms

 

OC

[shygye]

I hope you now quit smoking. Glad you are on the mend.

 

Surprised an emergency situation would not automatically bump you to the top of the list. ::

[Coss]

My Dad had that, medicine was Warfarin (sp?) which is rat poison, he hadn't smoked or drank for 30 years, he's now 70. But lack of exercise was his problem (and mine). He got his after a 3 hour car trip.

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[thai3]

 

I always wear those flight socks, saw an thing where they tested various methods on the TV and the socks were the most effective. Amazes me how I see people scrunched up in seats who never get up for 11 hours, asking for trouble. I expect some are more at risk than others no matter what you do though-peter

[Torneyboy]

Hi

 

Timely reminder to all ..move around the cabin and strech those legs!!

 

Glad you are ok btw

[Hugh_Hoy]

I had a similar experience many years ago. Started out like a slight sprain...after a week, soreness developed to mid-calf...and began getting red and very swollen. Internist sent me immediately to an imaging center for an ultra-sound. No going home first. Said that if clots were found, somebody could bring my toothbrush to the hospital. No clots in the leg. "Just" a case of phlebitis. Symptoms are very close and good doctors don't dismiss those symptoms.

 

Hugh

[pe7e]

I'm pleased to see you are OK now, must have been frightening

[New Petchburi Pete]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal; but, glad that you're on the track to recovery. Blood clots are indeed very dangerous.

 

I also was misdiagnosed at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital on one ocassion.

 

For long flights I recommend an enteric coated aspirin for two days before flying; and also another aspirin for each day traveling.

[SingaporeSteve]

shygye said:

 

 

Surprised an emergency situation would not automatically bump you to the top of the list. ::

 

 

So was I !!! Thats why I said why wait for this expert - cant somebody else do it? Reply was that they were already assuming it was a clot to be on the safe side which is why some pretty nurse plunged a needle into my stomach filled with Fraxipirine to thin my blood. Apparently the ultrasound is just to confirm their suspicions but they were both sure it was a clot even without the scan.