Suspected Dvt in left leg

[Roiesin57]

My left calf is very swollen & hard. There is no redness, pain & I'm not short of breath or feverish . I do suffer from swollen ankles but this feels different as it's quite large & hard. It's been like it for a few weeks now.
Would you deem it an emergency to go to A&E with at the weekend when it's likely to be very busy? Or wait to see the gp on the week. We can get face to face appointments at our doctors. What can the gp do though? I'd have to have a leg xray to see if there is a clot there, so I'm thinking I may as well cut out the middle man

The GP would do a D Dimer blood test to check.
However, if you feel it may be a DVT you need to go to A& E rather than wait.

A and e ASAP

Only AE can rule this out on a weekend.

If its been like it for a couple of weeks I doubt something is going to change this weekend. I would wait until Monday and see the GP

Have you checked for an insect bite and tried some antihistamines?

I don’t really understand why you would leave it for a few weeks but then treat it as an emergency on a weekend day and go to “Accident & Emergency.”

111 and follow their advice

@SeaToSki yes it's not a bite. I've been reading up about dvt & the risk is if it breaks off & travels to the lungs. Walking, exercise & leg elevation helps with swelling. And to be honest I went on holiday to a very hillt town in September & the swelling improved. Now I'm back in my sedentary job it's getting worse again.
I think I'll call the gp on Monday. He might be able to make a hospital appointment for me rather than me taking up valuable a&e time or me sitting there for hours

@MarmitePizza yes you're right, hadn't thought of it like that. I think it's me going into panic mode now I've read up about it.

I’ve had a few of these, complete with pulmonary embolisms (where they’ve gone into my lungs). Personally, I’d go to A&E and just prepare myself for a wait because I know when I’m not right. But if you decide to wait & you find yourself feeling at all breathless, or you have chest pains or your head starts to hurt then get yourself to A&E immediately. Don’t sod about calling 111 or worrying about waiting for your GP. Treat it as an emergency.

@Nagado thank you, I have none if those symptoms, just this hard swelling so I'm waiting til Monday, unless anything changes. I've been like it for weeks & thought it was fluid build up, as it goes down a bit after leg elevation or quite a bit of walking X

Get a tape measure and measure each calf. Look at the blood vessels in both feet. Are the veins on the swollen side more prominent?
Ring 111 and tell them all the signs and symptoms.
I would always get a suspected DVT assessed straight away because of the risk of pulmonary embolism which can be fatal.
111 can arrange for you to be seen quickly.
They will ask if you are on the pill, could be pregnant, any long haul travel, recent illness or bedrest.

when I had one it was really painful - I made an appointment with emergency GP (was a Saturday), was offered an ambulance which I declined, and once at the GP immediately sent to A&E - in a wheel chair (Emergency GP based at the hospital.
Call 111.

If it's not a dvt what else do you think it might be? Any new medications etc?

If you've got a swelling/tenderness in one calf only then without a very clear alternative obvious cause you're likely going to end up needing a dvt ruleout first. i.e GP might agree possible gravitational oedema, but lets exclude the dvt first by being reviewed in A&E.

In my area the dvt clinic is in A&E, but only runs from 9-5, outside of that they will ask you to return the next day if clinically well, they may start anticoagulants before it's been properly diagnosed depending on how you present/whether you have any risk factors - (recent surgery, long distance travel, hormonal contraceptive/replacement, chemotherapy, bedridden>3days, previous dvt).

If you measure the calf at the widest point on each leg and there's around 3cm or greater difference this is also quite concerning.

If it is a dvt the risk is that a bit breaks off and travels to your lungs/heart/brain causing either a PE/heart attack/stroke.

The safest advice, and certainly what you'd get if you called 111, is to attend A&E for a face to face assessment now. Ultimately you've left in a while now already, if you went to A&E in the morning they would be better than not going at all. Either way, if you develop any sudden changes like a persisting chest pain, shortness of breath don't ignore those - either make your own way to A&E if anyone can take you straight away or 999.

OP please phone 111. I had a very minor ache in my calf (plus a few risk factors). Call to 111 had me into my GP and Ambulatory Care the next day.

No one thought it was a DVT but it was.

The speed with which the NHS (which was utterly awful for everything else) shows how serious DVTs are.

Please don't muck about. If there is even a small chance of a DVT seek medical advice urgently. You don't want a bit of the clot ending up somewhere that is incompatible with life.

With both of my dvt's in my leg it was extremely painful. No redness, but swollen. Elevating the leg made no difference.
Both times I was immediately sent to hospital by my doctor, but not through a&e, with relevant paperwork for test etc.
I don't think it's a dvt, but if I was you I'd go to a&e to be safe.

Embolisms can be fatal. Even though you’ve waited this long you shouldn’t wait any longer if that’s what you think it really is.

If you suspect a DVT go to A and E , they can be fatal if left untreated , I had one in 2004 that went to my lungs and I developed a pulmonary embolism .. a further DVT in 2019 has resulted in me being placed on anti coagulation treatment for life .
They will perform a d dimer blood test .. if negative you absolutely don’t have a clot but if positive they’ll want to scan your leg ..

Go to A and E, you don’t always (and often don’t) get all the signs of a DVT, but you really don’t want to miss it. You aren’t taking up valuable A and E resources. A DVT is an emergency and much better to rule it out than miss it. At least call 111, don’t wait until Monday.

Call 111 at the very least.

The first time my son had symptoms, he went to a GP, they immediately called an ambulance and he ended up on the cardiac ward in hospital for a week. The second time he went straight to A&E.

When my DH had a DVT it started off a limp on the Thursday, it was in his right calf, no swelling or redness, it was hard though and the limp got worse and by Sunday he was really struggling to walk, I persuaded him to call 111, they were really good, a doctor spoke to him and said he suspected a clot and got him booked into the assessment ward at our big hospital thus by passing the long wait in A&E. he had blood tests, an injection, ( anti coagulant?) he was scanned the following day, he did have a clot behind his right knee.

In my area GP do nothing for possible DVTs it's an A&E job!

You need to get it assessed ASAP!

Something’popped’ on my calf on Christmas Day and made it very difficult to walk. Back at work and it swelled up hugely. I phoned the GP who sent me to Ambulatory care who referred me for a Doppler scan, had a dvt. The swelling has not reduced so the dermatologist referred me to the lymphodema clinic and I now have compression wraps. Get yourself seen!

Please go to a and e please. My friend died at 48 from a clot that travelled to the lung, left three children. First call I got she was dead

Go to A and E. I did when I had one and was immediately admitted to hospital.