Post cs blood clot anxiety - please calm me down :(

[saratustra]

First of all sorry for long post.
Day six after having my little girl via ELCS, she is perfect and I'm chuffed but I wish anxiety let me enjoy it more. I had a high risk pregnancy due to huge fibroids, Raynaud syndrome, arthritis, 39 years old - factors I never considered to be a real risk before getting pregnant but there you go - big high risk sticker on my files and thousands of appointments.
I was extremely anxious about PPH as I was told it was likely to happen for me by every single midwife and consultant I saw, I lost 1.2 litres which is nothing dramatic so happy with that. Now that that risk is gone, the fear of blood clots is taking over. Again I was told I'm high risk due to age and Raynaud's so I was given tinzaparin from week 28 (and have 6 more weeks of it) and I'm as active as I can. Still can't help but symptom spotting and can't tell what's a real symptom anymore (am I out of breath? Is this a leg cramp? You get it...) this is ruining my first days with my DD :(

I don't have many friends in England so I find myself compulsively googling every concern... mistake! Any calming words would be much appreciated x

Hi Sara!

I sympathise - I had a horrific birth and lost almost 4 litres of blood during an EMCS, and now are on blood thinning injections daily until 6 weeks (my little girl is 3 weeks now) and I've only got one kidney.

My anxiety about getting a blood clot was super high straight after birth but it's got better as the days go on.

My consultant said look out for shortness of breath, pain in legs and dizziness.

Congratulations on the birth of your little one!

Agree with symptom spotting I meant to add - I found that I was almost convincing myself I had symptoms when I didn't!

Autumn, thank you for replying - what a stressful experience, that sounds horrific! 4 litres! I hope you're doing ok now.
I've never been this anxious before pregnancy, it's nerve wracking. I guess I just have to relax as much as I can and as you said, it will get better with time.

I had the same anxiety after my section 8 weeks ago, was symptom spotting every little thing and I had way less reason fear a blood clot as I had a low risk pregnancy, am 27 etc. All I'd say is if anything really worries you then contact someone about it and be checked out just in case (ring 111 etc, if really worried then straight to a and e) Anxiety is a total sod but it sounds like you're doing fab! Enjoy your beautiful baby :)

Did they give you compression socks as well as the blood thinners? I’m in the same boat, high risk of blood clots, been on tinziparin since 32 weeks. It doesn’t massively worry me. I only wore the socks for a week after I got home but I think if you’re nervous, wearing them for the full 6 weeks will set your mind at ease.

You say you lost 1.2L which is more than the “average” so you’ll be anaemic which can also cause slight breathlessness. However, I agree with pp that if something seems wrong, get it checked. They would rather see you for nothing than not see you and you be ill.

Keep as active as possible, tough I know! I got an infection in my wound and I’m only just feeling better at 5 weeks 4 days out.

Try not to let worry spoil the early weeks, but don’t ignore symptoms if you think they’re serious enough to be looked at

Yes I'm still wearing my compression stockings - they're filthy! One midwife told me to take them out once I was out and about, other to keep them for 6 weeks and that's what I'm doing obvs. I'll wash them :)
Thank you for your replies, good to know I'm not alone on this

Congratulations on your baby.

I'm the opposite to you - I was low risk and nobody even mentioned clots to me. I foolishly listened to all the advice about cluster feeding for hours on end and as a result developed a clot in my leg. It was painful and terrifying. So please please follow the advice closely of the medication, the compression socks (I found it easier to just keep them on once they areon in the morning - if you need more pairs, most pharmacies sell medical grade ones and can fit ou for them), remain as active as possible, avoid sitting in a cramped position etc.

My clots were unmistakeable - my leg turned almost black and was swollen to nearly double its size. There was very little doubt that something was badly wrong.

If you are on blood thinners and remaining active, then of course vigilance is important but your huge level of anxiety probably is not. Can you speak to a midwife, HV or doc to to soothe some of your fears? I know that mentally it can be a shock to suddenly be injecting yourself daily (after my clot, I was injecting for half a year and then again throughout all my next pregnancy) so I know the adjustment it takes to go from reasonably healthy adult to suddenly carting around needles with you.

Be assured that you have received the best medical advice for you and follow it as closely as possible. Any doubts or possible symptoms, seek medical help right away.

Best wishes.

Also hyper-focus on something like this can be an early symptom of post natal depression, so don't be afraid to ask for help for PND if you think there is any risk of it. Your phrase about not being able to fully enjoy your baby is a possible symptom of PND. Please speak about your feelings and ask your HV or midwife to screen you for PND. There is great help for it.

Just reading your reply sycamore! Thank you for sharing your experience, it sounds really scary. I've been warned about PND as my consultant thought I was at risk, I think you're right and should seek help on that front, as I'm finding myself focusing on different fears consecutively - it started after I made the decision of an ELCS given my health issues and the midwife, trying to talk me out of it, told me I was more likely to die in a CS, their last 3 deaths were sections, etc... I started having panic attacks and I haven't been able to control my health anxiety ever since. Thanks again for the advice x