Any hints on dealing with thrombo phlebitis that is getting worse despite taking tablets? Should I be worried as only 2 weeks after ds2 born and worried about legs being so painful...

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Hi there

Just wondered if anyone had any hints on dealing with thrombophlebitis?

I saw the doctor a couple of days ago, who referred me on to a DVT clinic to get checked out as I fall into a high risk group (gave birth a couple of weeks ago) but they reckoned that the big red patch and lumpy veins on the back of my knee and spreading up my thigh were thrombophlebitis rather than DVT luckily. I'm being treated using antibiotics and neurofen, and was told to keep mobile but not exercise too hard (ie no swimming or running but to walk around plenty).

However, I have a 2 week old ds who can take 2 hours to do a single breast feed - I reckon that I am spending between 8-12 hours a day just doing feeds, not to mention trying to get a few hours sleep as well. Which means a lot of time not keeping mobile and with my feet up.

As a result I now have the same symptoms appearing on my other leg, albeit from mid calf up to knee this time, again red, hot, sore and painful.

I was just wondering if anybody had any experience of this and had any good ideas of how to help the symptoms beyond the tablets. For example, is it a good idea if I am sitting feeding baby on the bed/asleep to stick my feet up on a pillow rather than just have them up on the bed? Should I be using a bandage or tubigrip or support tights or something of that ilk and for how long a day? Will heat or cold make it better/worse? Anything else that I can do to help?

I tried asking the doctor but he was out of the door and onto the next patient; I know he was busy but he was a youngish guy and just didn't seem to appreciate that, having just had a baby, it is not always as simple as saying 'keep mobile' and then being able to do that! I've also had bad SPD for the last 5 months of pregnancy so haven't been able to do much walking for a long time which probably hasn't helped and is still a bit bad. And breastfeeding isn't something that I can just hand over to my dh .

Thanks for your help; sorry post has gone on a bit.

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I'd go to A&E with this tbh just because the thing on the first leg wasn't a DVT doesn't mean you can rule it out for the other leg as well. Get it checked out at a hospital to make sure.

Agree - go to A&E, you just can't take any chances - it is safer to treat as a dvt until they can scan and prove otherwise, than to leave it. DVT can be difficult to diagnose.

i say a&e too....and insist on advice

yep agree with above - needs a scan....

I would agree with the above - you really need it seeeing to. I had this after the birth of all 3 of my DSs. They wouldn't let me out of hospital until it went away. I had to wear support stockings (nice white ones!). However before and after having DS3 I took arnica tablets (rang the pharmacist at Weleda) and they really helped - thrombophlebitis only lasted a day rather than a week

I had this within a week of giving birth. It's also known as milk leg so definitely related to giving birth! It was very painful and a bit alarming because everyone was stressing about DVT. I ended up seeing three drs in 24 hours and eventually went back to the maternity ward for a full assessment. It was just phlebitis but you have to rule out DVT.

I actually think the surgical stockings I wore while in hospital for the birth might have exacerbated it because any tiny little wrinkle in them puts pressure on particular veins and I think that's how they got irritated. That's my theory anyway.

When I went into hospital four months after giving birth (for somethign unrelated) they gave me some lovely electronic stockings which sort of inflate and deflate once a minute or so to keep the blood flowing and prevent anything like that happening again (though that's not very helpful for home use!)

Obviously there's not a lot of walking you can do. I just kept my leg elevated (was told it should be above the waist which is not easy while bfing but it is doable though you look ridiculous) and slept with it up on a pillow to help the circulation. It does go eventually but takes time (maybe two weeks?)

Good luck - I really remember how painful it was though in retrospect, I was forced to sit down with my legs up more than I might have done otherwise and I think that's no bad thing with a newborn.

oh and also I was advised to draw a pen line round the affected area. That way it's easier to tell if it's spreading and how fast.

Thanks for all that - it's interesting to see that you were told to keep your leg elevated M&J as the Dr I saw looked at me as if I were asking a really silly question when I asked that - and he just said about bandaging leg if going on a long journey but nothing about support during a normal day. I had drawn a pen line around my leg the night before I went to the DVT clinic as it had suddenly spread significantly but it didn't really spread much further so they didn't seem bothered - guess I should have marked in where it had been the first night and then they could see the spread and maybe get taken a little more seriously!

I never did make it back to A&E - ds1 had the winter D&V virus on the weds that both dh and I caught and got knocked down by on Fri, still recovering today, so yet another couple of days of not being very mobile! And a temporary hiatus in taking tablets as I couldn't physically swallow anything more than a sip of water or two without it all reappearing. (sorry if TMI!)

I have a gp appointment on monday so will see what they say then and take it from there. will also try putting my leg up higher in bed to see if it makes a difference... And Mumof3, I'll try ringing the weleda pharmacist too to see what they recommend, would never have thought of that, although I would use arnica cream on bruises so I can see the logic!

Thanks again for all your help. I'll let you know if I have any further joy or info on Mon... In the meantime, I'll sit here being paranoid about every little twinge of headache or twinge (quite a lot given getting dehydrated with bug and sitting in funny positions to try to sort out bf) .