I have a painful and inflamed blood vessel in my left leg. Could this be due to a blood clot?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 77-year-old male. I exercise randomly. I have an inflamed blood vessel in my lower left leg that started hurting last night, about 20 hours ago. Such inflammation had never occurred before. I took a picture of it in the mirror since I cannot see it well otherwise. I can send it to you if that helps.

I was wondering what I should do besides going to the local hospital's crowded emergency room. I use some ice to cool the inflammation. Hypochondria is not my bag, but a blood clot could occur to me.

I have neuropathy in both feet. When the numbness started moving up my legs, I went for an FDA-approved Sanexas instrument treatment. The 24-session treatment increased blood flow in both feet, as proved by swollen but not painful blood vessels in the feet. I also take 81 mg of Baby Aspirin every day.

My blood pressure is normal, with 160 mg of Diovan a day. For neuropathy, I take Pregabalin 2x50 mg (generic for Lyrica).

Please guide.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The picture you have shared seems to be of varicose veins (attachment removed to protect patient identity). But as the leg is inflamed and painful, and you also have a history of peripheral neuropathy, you need to get a color Doppler of your leg done so that if there is any clot in your leg vessels, it may be dissolved as soon as possible. Meanwhile, it would help if you wrapped a crepe bandage on your legs for pain.

It is also better to take a painkiller, Tonoflex-P (Tramadol and Paracetamol), for pain. After doing investigations, kindly share, and I will guide you further. The investigation required is a CBC (complete blood count), PT (prothrombin time), APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time), INR (international normalized ratio), and color Doppler of the involved leg for DVT (deep vein thrombosis). It is better to take a broader, more complete picture of the entire vessel-involved area.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Color Doppler is just like an ultrasound of the leg veins. It is not a painful procedure. The sonologist views the veins of the leg through sound waves. Suppose the pain is not severe. You can, of course, delay it for some time. But if it is hindering your lifestyle very much, you need to get it done as soon as possible.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you.