Blood clot advice

Hi. I had my second round of fec 23/5 towards the end of the treatment I was getting pain in my elbow joint on the chemo side, the nurse said this was normal. Over the following days the pain became worse and by Sunday my arm was swollen. I ended up in a&e where they diagnosed a blood clot in my armpit. So I'm now on daily blood thinning injections. The issue I'm having is that my arm is still really painful and it's still swollen. Just wondering if anyone knows of this is normal??

  • Hi Sarn

    So sorry to hear that your arm is still swollen and painful. Have you made an appointment with your GP or nurse? 

    I'm sure some others will be along shortly to offer some advice or share their own experience. I do hope your pain goes away soon! Please do come back and let us know how you're getting on.

    Best wishes,

    Kirsty

  • Hello Sarn,

    I belong to the nurse enquiry team and Kirsty asked us if we could add anything to your thread.

    I’m afraid I don’t really know what would be normal in this situation. It can take a while for a blood clot to break down. Until it does, or until other veins nearby enlarge so they can act like a bypass and take away blood from the arm, then I think that the swelling and pain will persist but I am not sure for how long. So I think it would be a good idea to get some advice about this from your own medical team either at the hospital or your GP surgery.

    Perhaps it would be a good idea to ask your pharmacist about some pain killers in the meantime.

    I hope this sorts itself out soon.

    Best wishes,

    Julia