Deep-Vein Thrombosis & Pulmonary Embolisms

Well, dad is back in the hospital. He has deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. Because of this, his chemo that was scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until further notice, and he will be in the hospital until his condition improves. They are planning to return to Phoenix as soon as possible after he is released.

Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein. It commonly affects the leg veins. There may be no symptoms referrable to the location of the DVT, but the classical symptoms of DVT include pain, swelling and redness of the leg and dilation of the surface veins.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is blockage of the pulmonary artery (or one of its branches), usually when a venous thrombus (blood clot from a vein), becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. This process is termed thromboembolism. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain in the chest during breathing, and in more severe cases collapse, circulatory instability and sudden death. Treatment, usually, is with anticoagulant medication, such as heparin and warfarin, and rarely (in severe cases) with thrombolysis or surgery.

Obviously this is a big concern for our family, and we ask you to please include dad in your prayers. We will keep this blog updated as we know more.