Broken Blood Vessel in Leg/Doctor question

[ktfabian]

Sorry if I'm in the wrong section, Pooh.  Please move me to where I belong, I couldn't quite figure it out.

I had my knee scoped about 2-1/2 weeks ago because it's been swollen since before Christmas and there wasn't much showing up on the MRI. The doctor found arthritis on the bottom of my knee cap and one other location, and a small tear of the miniscus.

About a week after the surgery, big bruises started showing up on my thigh and there's one right under one of the incisions, it looks like blood spilled right out of the incision and down my leg.  When I went to get my stitches out, the nurse pointed out the bruises to the doctor, but he just stood in the doorway of the exam room and didn't have anything to say about them.

Over the weekend, the bruises on my thigh all blended into one big massive purple area on the inside of my thigh around the bottom.  This area and the bruise below the incision became swollen and painful.  A trip to the ER on the advice of the ortho. covering for mine  ruled out blood clots.  I was told I had a broken blood vessel and that the bruising would probably get worse before it got better (It has as has the pain) and to see my orthopedic doctor Monday morning.

I called and was told my ortho is out of town for the week, and the woman in the office said I would have to wait until he comes back to be seen.  I asked what I was to do if it got worse, and she said they would probably have to fit me in with another doctor if they could but she didn't seem to sound like that was a possibility.

So, my first question is - Has anyone ever had a broken blood vessel like this and what did you do for it?

Also- I'm seeing my family doctor tomorrow, but I got grief from her receptionist when I pretty much demanded an appointment with her. I'm not comfortable with this mess on my leg not being seen by someone in the medical profession.  But I feel like the people in the doctor's offices I go to just don't want to deal with me anymore - you can hear it in their voices and how they are just about rude. Sometimes it takes them days to get a message back to my family doctor or to get a medicine refilled.

My husband thinks it's time I talk to our family doctor about the reception I'm getting from her office staff, and also he wants me to ask for a new orthopedic surgeon.  This last issue with the blood vessel isn't the first time he's blown something off that soon became a problem.  I'd like to find a new orhto., but the though of telling my story again is overwhelming.

Has anyone had a similar problem and how did you handle it?
Thanks, Tracy

[Linda196]

Tracy, I've never run into that type of problem personally, but I think there should be some recourse through the patient advocate at the hospital where the surgery was performed, and where the doctors in question are affiliated.

The first step is DOCUMENT! Write down everything, including daily measurements of the thigh to show if the swelling is still increasing, take pictures of the bruising (daily if it's changing) and write down every phone call to every doctor's office, and what was said by the person you spoke to (if you have the opportunity, record the calls, but be sure to tell the other person you are doing so before the call gets beyond "hello").

If you are taking any NSAIDS, it might be advisable to change to another form of pain killer, like a tylenol based one.

[Chana M]

Hi Tracy

This sounds awful, and unacceptable.  That the doctor just stood in the doorway and didn't examine the bruising or say anything at all!

I agree with Linda's advice about documenting everything, including taking regular photographs.  How wonderful that your husband is being so supportive and suggesting different doctors.  Maybe he'd be happy to help you write up what's happened so far, discussions with doctors and receptionists etc.  It's always useful to have someone else's viewpoint and he might help jog your memory.

Take care

[irish]

Everybody has a good idea here. You do need to document and you need to make an appt to talk with your doctor regarding the care and reception you are getting by the staff. At the same time you need to talk with the patient advocate or someone higher up if you are in a small hospital. I would see the doc first and see the advocate a day later or so.

This way everyone in the doc's office has a chance to blow off some steam if indeed the doc does talk to them about this. This way the advocate can come in and clean up after the doc and his staff. Sometimes the docs don't always get over involved in this things as many of them have little ability to manage staff, etc. It really depends on how your doc and his office are managed. Sometimes the administrator of a clinic is a good one to talk to. I am of the belief that the higher up you go the better you will be heard. Good luck. Irish

[kim31072]

I have had similar issues(with the leg not the dr)..mine showed up on the calf and was a large painful knot with minimal color until about 30 minutes later when the vein blew...I called the drs office before this happened(when I noticed it)and was in the process of getting ready and heading in when the bruise started to form...dr looked at it told me to elevate and ice it(to try to minimize the spread) and that it would worsen before starting to heal.

It did(alot and was very very painful)this has been over a month ago and you can still see remnants of the bruise(and from what I researched they can take months to fade)

I would be upset if I were you..I was freaked and I had not just had surgery..when I called the dr he wanted to see me then..come now..I think they were worried it was a clot as some of the meds I take call for close watch for DVTS and he wanted to rule it out.So I totally understand your frustration and being upset.

I hope you are able to work things out with the dr and get some answers soon.

Kim

[ktfabian]

Thanks, Kim, for sharing your experience.  I was beginning to think this was just another one of those things that my body has done that no one else's ever does.  Not that I'm happy it happened to you, but it feels reassuring to hear from someone who had it and had it resolve.

My thanks to the rest of you, too.  We haven't been taking pictures, but I have measured my leg that's bruised and the one that isn't. There was a 4" difference between the two right after I went to the ER, I'll measure it again tonight.   Things do seem to be resolving as I have more freedom of movement today, but it still hurts.

Before I saw my doctor today, I got hit with the news that my husband lost his job last night. 200 people were laid off permanently at his company, and he was low man on the totem pole seniority wise in his department.  So, my mind was a bit off doctor's and more on that when I got to the doctor's office.

But I did speak to my doctor about the trouble I've had with the ortho from the moment he took over this case through the current problems.  We spoke about how hard it would be to get another doctor to take over and finish this out right now, so I will start physical therapy with his prescription next week (another doctor in the office who was on call when all this happened said I could start next week) and will go for my 3 week check  up, armed with a request for my records.  My family doctor agrees that this will be the last interaction I'll have with this guy.  My husband and I have compared notes about the entire mess this has been, and we plan to write a letter to the doctor explaining exactly why we are unhappy with my care there and cc the other doctors in the practice.  I hadn't thought about the hospital or the patient advocate, but that's a good idea.  I have to pay a $50 co-pay for that ER visit.  Since it should have been resolved in the doctor's office, perhaps thay can bill him for my co-pay!

My camera battery is charging right now, and as soon as it's done, I'll ask Joe to take pictures. I wish I would have though to have him take them the day i saw the doctor and he didn't bother to come in the room despite the nurse calling out the bruises.

Thanks, everyone.  Once again, you've given me good guidance.  Once I can turn a situation from what's happening to me to what am I going to do about it, I feel much better emotionally and deal much better with the stress. 

My family doctor and I did talk about the reception from her office staff and the fact that they are understaffed and don't have the electronic equipment needed to run their practice properly.  She's part of a larger group that handles the staffing and computers, etc., and says she has taken issue with them as well.

With my husband's job, so goes our insurance, so she's already started filling me up on samples of my prescriptions to keep our out of pocket costs down. I've already applied for Medicare Part B.  Now I have to learn about part D.  Ugh!

Thanks again, Tracy