I just returned yesterday from a trip to South Africa and Paris. The trip from S.A. home took about 35 straight hours of travel, with two 10+ hour flights (Johannesburg to Paris, Paris to JFK with a detour to Bradley because of bad weather). Last night I woke up with what I thought was a muscle cramp in my calf. At the time I couldn't put weight on that leg but the this morning I was able to walk, and in fact ran 7 miles. I have no swelling, just a sore spot below the knee. Now I'm wondering if it could be a blood clot. Has anyone had the same experience? Did you visit a doctor? Any advice would be much apprecated!

We are really not in a position to give medical advice on this board, but if you think there's any chance it's a blood clot, get to the doctor PRONTO!!

Hi SM,

Deep Vein Thrombosis is not something to be discussed here.

CALL YOUR DOCTOR, STAT.

As one who has had a DVT, I suggest the DR immediately. Mine was following a knee surgery and not a long flight, but I would urge you not to ignore those symptoms. Better safe than sorry!!

What????? You haven't left yet?

DVT is unusual in healthy people with normal circulation in the absence of predisposing factors (injury, recent surgery, etc.), and often it produces no symptoms, until and unless the clot travels to a location where it causes problems.

The symptoms of DVT (when they occur) can be difficult to differentiate from other conditions, especially muscle conditions. A visit to the doctor is the only reliable way to know for sure.

DVT has a received a lot more hype lately than its actual incidence justifies, but it never hurts to have a doctor look at it.

My husband walked around for several days with a sore leg before his DVT "popped" and sent blood clots to his lungs. Fortunately, he got immediate medical attention and came thru fine. But.... he's lucky it was not just one big clot that went to his heart.

It is very true that no one can of course medically diagnose your condition in this context, but I'd say, knowing a bit about this condition, and its causes, that if you have no history of blood clots in your family, (key factor with DVT) and particularly since you went out and ran 7 miles with no ill effects, you're just fine.

If you were unable to walk or put any weight on one leg after a couple of days following your flight, then you'd obviously want to see a doctor.

I've been on long haul flights like yours and I've had my leg swell up all the way to the knee, and have it last for some two days-nothing wrong with me, no DVT-but it is a circulation issue unrelated to DVT. I get it every time I take 15 hour plus flights. (plus I tend to drink sodium drinks on flights, which certainly doesn't help the situation).

Thanks everyone for your responses. I just want to reassure you that my intention was not to use this message board as a means of "self diagnosis." I simply wondered if others have had similar experiences.

SM,

You haven't called your doctor yet?

S,

Get to the hospital immediately. Your symtoms are exactly the same as my Dad's and a close friend. Both described what felt like a leg cramp below the knee. Both had clots. My Dad walked aroud like that for 3 days before I convinced him to get it checked. They do ultrasound to test. He did have a clot, was hospitalized for 5 days (at age 74) and had to take Cumidin for 6 months.

Don't mess around with this. Get to the hospital NOW!

While I cannot, and would never attempt to diagnose any illness over the internet (here, or on any website) - - especially not in adults, since I am a specialist in newborn intensive care...

...still, since I fly a lot, I think it wise (for myself) to know <i>typical</i> manifestations of deep vein thrombosis.

The &quot;point tenderness&quot; described is <i><u>not</u></i> typical. If there is unilateral pain, then asymmetric swelling (the affected foot and ankle of the painful side) <i><u>is</u></i> typical. And redness and feeling warm to the touch is relatively typical (this is a hallmark of thrombophlebitis, but DVT need not involve thrombophlebitis).

Understanding symptoms of illnesses that can be commonly associated with travel is just another good idea for the well informed. Expecting yourself to recognize physical findings of an illness is not wise, and that's the reason it is wise to seek professional assessment.

Last of all, many hospitals and insurance plans offer a nurse-triage hot line which can help you decide whether to see a doctor. With the history of being able to run seven miles after this episode of cramping pain, I think that such a call might be a reasonable first step. If you think you may have become dehydrated during your extended flying, then healthy repletion - - with fluids, potassium and calcium - - can surely only be useful, and very likely not hurt. Helps many kinds of muscle cramps.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers, M.D.
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

All I kind say is I would get medical attention immediately smeadows. I would not &quot;wait and see&quot;. Three different people in my family (by marriage) have had blood clots and consequently were hospitalized and put on Comudin for several months. Each family member had a different sympton. &quot;It never hurts to have a Doctor look at it&quot;. So true. But if you don't and you do have a blood clot it could kill you!

Best wishes that you will find you do not have a clot..but please get medical attention today. If not for your sake for the sake of your loved ones.

I can't believe the alarmist posts I'm seeing here. You don't just run off to the doctor for every ache and pain. Most pains in the leg are not DVT. The symptoms described here could be DVT, but probably aren't (they don't sound typical).

The only voice of reason I see here has an MD at end. Coincidence?

Well again AnthonyGA we strongly disagree with each other because I had an inlaw that had very similar symptoms that smeadows has and guess what??? I will leave it to your imagination.

Sometimes people get a headache and die fifteen minutes later of a stroke. That doesn't mean that if you know someone who had a headache and died of a stroke that anyone else getting a headache is also about to die of a stroke.

Put more simply, the case of your in-law is purely anecdotal and does not necessarily accurately reflect the real risks of DVT and its complications. Most people with a pain in their legs don't have DVT.

I don't think anyone is being alarmist. If the OP thought it was serious enough to ask a group of people on the internet - it is serious enough to, as rex suggested, at least pick up the phone and call the ask-a-nurse hotline.
And the, &quot;only person with an md after his name&quot; has suggested seeking medical advice. Which is to be expected of a responsible member of the medical community.
Most people may not die of a sudden pain, numbness or severe headache but I don't think anyone here has examined the OP, so it's wise to get it check out.
If someone just wants to know the symptoms of any illness they would be much better advised to go to the website for the National Institute of Health or the CDC.
To inquire at a travel website is just about as logical as calling a psychic hotline.

After a trip back to California from England, I had symptoms like you described. I was quite worried about DVT so did go see my doctor. He outlined symptoms as Rex did, which were not what I had. It turns out I had a muscle pull, probably from lugging a bag around a little too much. That being said, I was glad I visited my physician and feel it was money well spent.

AnthonyGa, you know as much as the rest of us , I believe ...which is pretty much nothing...unless you are hiding the fact that you are a doctor?

If someone is worried enough to post on the internet that they wonder if they might have a blood clot, the most normal and correct advice would be to see/talk to a doctor right away.
Some people don't feel anything until it is too late with blood clots, not everyone feels the same pain/symptoms ...so instead of wasting time posting questions on the internet and even waiting for answers, call your doctor smeadows!!
( picture me with my hands on my hips and tapping my foot...with one eye sort of squinty - it works on the kids every time

I don't usually post here but on the Asia board, but I saw this topic and felt I had to tell about my experience with DVT.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the chance of it being a blood clot because smeadows could run 7 miles, had no swelling and had just a sore spot. The absense of common signs such as swelling and diffuse pain do not rule out DVT as a possibility at all.

How do I know? I've had 4 instances of DVT, confirmed by ultrasound and radioisotope venogram. I had NONE of the symptoms of DVT. My ONLY symptom was that my left foot had a few more visible veins than my right...nothing dramatic. No swelling, no pain, no fever, no rapid heart rate, no discomfort of any kind whatsoever. The first 3 doctors who saw me could see the slight difference in the number of visible veins in the left foot, but said it was normal. I just felt something wasn't right..I had never noticed it before.

The fourth doctor took me seriously enough to agree to do an ultrasound and a venogram to put my mind at ease. Results showed not one, but 5 fixed clots and significant collateral vein development - meaning they were old clots and not going anywhere.

The cause of the clots was likely a combination of a desk job with too few breaks to walk around and the presense of Lupus Anticoagulant in my blood...sounds like it would have the opposite effect, but it doesn't. It's a fairly common thing to have...my doctor told me that it is likely that 10% of the general population would test positive for Lupus Anticoagulant. Many people have no symptoms, never have clotting trouble. But, it can be the underlying cause for miscarriage and DVT. Often people don't know they are positive until they have some clot related event.

There are many other predisposing conditions that could make you susceptible to DVT...and you'd never know it until you had DVT.

It is possible to have DVT with atypical symptoms, or no symptoms at all. It is also possible for clots to resolve on their own...most in fact do. It wouldn't hurt to check though...I've been told to go to the ER for any calf pain, swelling, visible veins that are unusual for me, feelings of hot or cold, or any difference in feeling between left and right legs...anything, really...and to watch for a month after long travel (over 4 hours) or after being sick in bed (for 2 days or more).