Blood Clot in my Leg or DVT PT III

      I don't remember much about first waking up in CCU, except the confusion of a strange place and a bunch of tubes. So, from here on until I get to my wits about me is pure heresay. My wife tells me I was a total illpill and demanding a bunch of stuff, which is probably true. I'm not much for one to stand by and let someone dictate how I'm suppose to act or feel. But, there was nothing I could do about it, and was completely out of it.
      That first day in CCU is a blur, but the second day, the doctor came in and updated me on my condition. My pressure stayed so high, I was either going to stroke or I was going to lose my leg or both. A one hour surgery took three hours.
      I had a Popliteal Aneurysm and had to have a stent and a graft and also had several small clots in my right leg. I was on a  Heparin drip for three days and now on a Coumadin regimen for 90 days. I was in the hospital for 5 days and told I couldn't take my herbal supplements because it would alter the effects of the Counadin. Green veggies are out because of the Vitamin K factor that causes clotting. Shock! No brocolli or apraragus, and  brussel sprouts. The greener the veggy the more Vitamin K content.
     I'm still due for a complete artery scan of all of my artries and from what I've read probably have another aneuryam somewhere. They found another small one in my left leg at the same place, but they don't seem to concerned about it and an ultrasound was done on some of my body before I left the hospital.
     I now have some slight numbness in some parts of my leg at times, like it has gone to sleep, but when I get up the feeling comes back. I don't know how long that last or it will ever go away. I know my doctor told me that my life will totally change now that I have this and to be ready for a lifestyle change.
     Here is a text book description of what I had:

Arterial Embolus

The popliteal artery, like any other peripheral artery, can be affected by embolism. Macroemboli have a tendency to lodge in the popliteal artery at the bifurcation into the tibioperoneal trunk and anterior tibial artery. An embolus in the lower extremities most often has a cardiac source. Other sources include aortic aneurysms and proximal arterial plaque or ulceration. Regardless of the source, acute arterial embolism almost always requires urgent treatment.

Patients with arterial embolism present with acute symptoms. The five cardinal signs and symptoms of arterial ischemia are pain, pallor, pulselessness, paresthesia, and paralysis. With an occluding embolus, the patient will experience acute rest pain. The lower leg and foot will appear pale and have no pulses. If the condition is left untreated, it can progress to paresthesia and paralysis. Noninvasive arterial examination may be performed prior to angiography. With acute occlusion, there may be a total lack of Doppler signals at the ankle; thus, an ABI cannot be obtained. Color duplex US can also be used to depict thrombus, but the patient will usually proceed to angiography due to the acute clinical presentation. Thrombus in the popliteal artery appears as a complete angiographic occlusion producing the classic “meniscus sign,” a filling defect or abrupt vessel cutoff

 

 Angiogram obtained in a 52-year-old patient who presented with acute bilateral ischemia of the lower extremities shows abrupt occlusion of both popliteal arteries (arrows)

 

 

     That's about it for right now. I will continue this as I go along for the treatment and my new change of life.