Upper Extremity Blood Clot

Hi everyone! I had my third pacemaker put in with dual leads and got a blood clot during surgery. I am on Xaralto and just curious how long it took any of you for your clot to go away. Also are you still taking blood thinners, or were you able to get off of them?

2 Comments

My experience

by Shepheart - 2013-11-09 10:11:25

Hi dixiegirl,

I got my pacer in October 2012. Two weeks later I noticed jugular vein distention. The doctors found that I had a couple of clots near the lead entry points. I was already on warfarin for Afib, so the dosage was increased for a few days. Over the next few months veins in my left shoulder and arm kind of bulged. After about 5 months my left arm was noticeably swollen but without pain or discomfort. One doctor told me there could be scar tissue around the clot site.

Last July I had a CT scan and was put on xaralto (rivaroxaban) instead of the warfarin to see if it would make a difference. It took about 2 months but the swelling of my arm has gotten much better. I will remain on the xaralto because of my Afib.

(During the CT scan a nodule was seen on my lung so now I may have another different issue to deal with.)

Shepheart

Thank you!

by dixiegirl - 2013-11-11 11:11:07

Thank you for your response. So sorry to hear about the scan, hopefully they can get it resolved and you will be back on track. It is frustrating living a life where your health weighs in so often, and once one thing clears up, another appears. Hopefully through time we both can report back with good news. My hemotologist said that I will prob have to stay on the blood thinner because there is a chance that it could clot again. We shall see. When I wake in the mornings is when it hurts the most. Sometimes I can taste blood, but I never spit any up.

God Bless
dixigirl

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