DVT Question

[Cecilia]

Is it possible that an MD could misdiagnose a DVT as bursitis in my shoulder?   I am in my 3rd week of HRT and a few days after starting HRT my shoulder started hurting so much I can't sleep at night.  I tried Flexoril,  Tylenol with codeine,  and a ton of Advil liquid gels.  Nothing is helping.  I saw my MD and he said I have bursitis.  How can something like that be so painful that I feel like a hot poker is being shoved through my shoulder?  And for over 2 weeks now and not getting better. 

[VickySGV]

Having had both DVT's and bursitis I can give you this way of looking at it. 

DVT's or Deep Vein Thrombosis occurs in the largest veins that are near the major leg bones leading into the groin area where a single main vein goes up and meets thoracic veins into the heart.  The blood clots formed there are not necessarily very painful, but you will notice marked swelling on the side away from the clot, and that can be painful.  Mine was discovered in Fall of 2015  by use of an Ultra Sound Scan and I have been on blood thinners since. A subsequent  bacterial infection in January 2017 lead to a follow-up Ultra Sound on my leg, and in 14 months the clot was not dissolved by had not changed in size.,

Bursitis is caused by liquid forming in the Bursa tissue that  acts like a cushion between the ends of the bones and it presses hard on nerves in the area that are near the bone. One forrm of a bursitis is what is called Water On The Knee which happened in my case.  My doctor inserted a total of 4 needles into my knee to drain off the fluid.  Your Bursitis as your doctor sees it, is in the cushioning tissue in your shoulder socket, and that is on the way of your nerves going from your hands to your spinal column. 

Hope that helps.  Trust your doctor on this one, if you do have a DVT, they will quickly take you off HRT,  I had been on HRT for 6.5 years when my DVT happened, and they do take time to develop.

[Jani]

Yes, what Vicky said.  Bursitis is painful.  I've had a mild case in my shoulder.  Nothing to take lightly.  I used OTC acetaminophen and ice packs to cool the area and reduce the inflammation.   No needles in this girl!

Jani

[Rachael]

I have arthritis in my shoulder, and when I started hrt 29 days agao it bothered but not to the extent you are talking about. By today things are getting back to normal and the pain is subsiding.

I had blood clots in my leg in 2009 it hurt bad, they said it was in the smaller veins again as mentioned it was shown by ultrasound, I had a pretty red stripe up my leg it still hurts at times in the same spot. 

Like VickySGV, and Jani423 said trust the doctor. But keep in mind doctors only know about the symptoms that you tell them about and if it doesn't get better bring it up again. 

Hope your pain goes away. 

 

[VickySGV]

15 hours ago, Rachael said:

I had blood clots in my leg in 2009 it hurt bad, they said it was in the smaller veins again as mentioned it was shown by ultrasound, I had a pretty red stripe up my leg it still hurts at times in the same spot. 

I too went through the SVT situation nearly 40 years ago, and that one was super painful since it was nearer the skin surface as I was told then.  I actually had thought the SVT was a return of the Bursitis since they were in the same leg.  OUCH!!  Ultra Sound was not used then, and they had to use three different X-ray / Dye methods to find it.

[Laura Beth]

In 2010 I had a number of blood clots in my upper right leg and it hurt to the point I could hardly walk. I have also had what the doctor called a bone spur and frozen left shoulder as well as having a nerve pinched within my neck causing great pain and numbness within that shoulder and arm as well over my many years. Cancer and farm life has taken it toll on my body over the years but I keep moving forward one day at a time.