The other night, I woke up to a stabbing pain in my thigh near my knee. I couldn't straighten my leg out, as it was only comfortable to bend it at a full angle like I was making the number 4 with my other leg. I stood at the corner of the bed like a number four for quite a while, bending, stretching, and trying to work the pain out. I figured maybe it was muscular, since it wouldn't go away. When it wouldn't, I thought maybe going up the stairs would help, so I hobbled up the stairs a few times, which is difficult when you're standing like a number 4. After several minutes like this I decided that maybe I was officially now getting a blood clot in my leg and was going to die in my sleep if I ignored it. I contemplated waking up the husband to let him know, but, then, the pain slightly subsided, and I went back to bed. Magic. Since then, it's been a dull ache. Yesterday, I had a stabbing pain at the other end of the vein in question, near my ankle. I figured I'd just ignore it until it became unbearable, like most other aches and pains.
Today, since it's still aching, I went to the doctor, who sent me in for an ultrasound to rule out a clot or a deep vein thrombosis. Turns out I don't have one, and the circulation in my legs looks okay. The veins causing problems are mostly all superficial and just plain ugly. The deep veins are mostly likely fine.
They'll hurt, and I might have phlebitis, which is a nice old lady disease.
Phlebitis Causes
Superficial phlebitis can be a complication due to a medical or surgical procedure. Injury to a vein increases the risk of forming a blood clot. Sometimes clots occur without an injury. Some risk factors for phlebitis include the following:
- Prolonged inactivity - Staying in bed or sitting for many hours, as in a car or on an airplane, creating stagnant or slow flow of blood from the legs in a dependent position (This pooling of blood in the legs leads to thrombus formation.)
- Sedentary lifestyle - Not getting any exercise
- Obesity
- Smoking cigarettes
- Certain medical conditions, such as cancer or blood disorders, that increase the clotting potential of the blood
- Injury to your arms or legs
- Hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills
- Pregnancy
- Varicose veins
The other night, I woke up to a stabbing pain in my thigh near my knee. I couldn't straighten my leg out, as it was only comfortable to bend it at a full angle like I was making the number 4 with my other leg. I stood at the corner of the bed like a number four for quite a while, bending, stretching, and trying to work the pain out. I figured maybe it was muscular, since it wouldn't go away. When it wouldn't, I thought maybe going up the stairs would help, so I hobbled up the stairs a few times, which is difficult when you're standing like a number 4. After several minutes like this I decided that maybe I was officially now getting a blood clot in my leg and was going to die in my sleep if I ignored it. I contemplated waking up the husband to let him know, but, then, the pain slightly subsided, and I went back to bed. Magic. Since then, it's been a dull ache. Yesterday, I had a stabbing pain at the other end of the vein in question, near my ankle. I figured I'd just ignore it until it became unbearable, like most other aches and pains.
Today, since it's still aching, I went to the doctor, who sent me in for an ultrasound to rule out a clot or a deep vein thrombosis. Turns out I don't have one, and the circulation in my legs looks okay. The veins causing problems are mostly all superficial and just plain ugly. The deep veins are mostly likely fine.
They'll hurt, and I might have phlebitis, which is a nice old lady disease.
Phlebitis Causes
Superficial phlebitis can be a complication due to a medical or surgical procedure. Injury to a vein increases the risk of forming a blood clot. Sometimes clots occur without an injury. Some risk factors for phlebitis include the following: