Yes, when I think about it that's what makes the most sense.
Hmmm, the link between C. pneumoniae and DVT is intriguing. I'll pass this along to my doc. It's interesting regarding my case, as I was diagnosed with bronchitis the day before my leg really started to hurt. CRP leves were elevated, so my doc reckoned the bronchitis was due to a bacterial infection and prescribed antibiotics. We can only speculate if it was C. pneumoniae, as no further testing was done.
If you're refering to me, Beau, then not much blood work has been done at all after the initial diagnosis. It's all been INR levels since I got out of the hospital. I have an appointment with the doc on monday and I'm gonna ask for extended blood work that might help identify any underlying pathology. If there are tests that can be done to check for genetic disorders, those would be very worthwhile doing. Perhaps a referral to a hematologist is worth pursuing. I'm confident my doc can handle the dosing of blood thinners, but like you say it's well worth trying to figure out why the DVT happened in the first place. You're case is interesting, being the first in your predisposed family to actually have a DVT.
Another concern right now is preventing post-thrombotic_syndrome. Compression socks may prevent that. Damn those things are tight. I find it a bit odd that all pain/discomfort is located around the lower calf when the DVT is located right below the back of the knee. I guess it's a matter of referred pain, or what you call it.
I guess a risk factor for me is that I more or less sit on my ass 8 hours a day in my desk job. Methinks it's a good idea to start taking breaks more often and move around more, walking down/up 4 flights of stairs to the exercise room in the basement and do some chin-ups every now and then. Can't hurt to get the blood flowing.
In my case deadlifts aggrevated the pain/discomfort due to the already present DVT, especially later the same day and following day. That's presuming the DVT came about when my leg first started hurting badly, which seems likely, but what the hell do I know.
I assume that the oxygen/blood demands of deadlifting or squatting could make an already existing clot symptomatic. I don't think big clots are likely to happen in the midst of actively training--don't they usually happen when you're immobile, such as during long periods of sitting, etc., when the blood isn't circulating as robustly, hence all the mention of sitting on planes as a risk factor?
Sqwt, I knew I had a generic clotting disorder within 7 days of discovering the DVT. My suggestion to you would be to go see a hematologist as soon as you can. Of course getting your PT/INR to 2.5 is priority but they really should have done the blood work to screen you for genetic factors. Maybe they have you you just don't know the results yet.
The classic precipitants of venous thromboembolic disease are:
1. Venous stasis or venous turbulence (basically, derangements in venous flow);
2. Venous wall damage or dysfunction; and
3. Hypercoagulable state
This is Virchow's triad. Any part of the triad could have been responsible here. Somebody above said that looking for the etiology of the clot is important. Absolutely correct. But we shouldn't be surprised (only relieved) if said investigation turns up nothing. We diagnose DVT frequently. We seldom determine the precipitant in cases where it isn't already obvious on clinical grounds.
And here's a little bit of extra grief: because the DVT causes venous wall damage, a past history of DVT is a risk factor for future events. OP will have to be vigilant from now on.
Seems like I'm on coumadin indefinitely, yay!