Testing for blood clots

[jane7176]

I to a ton of sitting as I work as a writer. I mean there are days where if I get into something I might sit for 15 hours (just with a short walk to the kitchen or the bathroom) since I write freelancing from home. I've been like this for a good 6 1/2 years now. I'm turned 35 a couple months ago. I don't take birth control. I don't eat junk food, but I wouldn't call my diet lowfat either since I use butter, went through a period of eating red meat often, etc. I've started to notice slight hardness or swelling in my legs lately. There is a deep dull pain in my right leg, feels sometimes behind the thigh, other times I feel it in my lower leg behind the calf. It's not exactly in the same spot all the time but tends to settle in my right leg. I am going to see a doctor because I'm due for a checkup anyway, and I've started getting headaches daily. It probably should be obvious to me that this is too much sitting and I could be at risk from my sedentary lifestyle, but I was just counting my blessings so far since I figured I'm fairly young and I have been brushing off the symptoms I've been having. I'm still somewhat in denial about the amount of sitting I do. Could someone tell me do you really think I am at a high risk at this point? Also, how does the doctor go about diagnosing or testing for blood clots? Do you have to complain about a certain area or is there a way to check the entire body? I'm assuming the latter would cost a fortune for an average person. I have insurance but have never had any extensive tests before. Just looking for some thoughts of yours and some info on what to expect when I go to the doctor about it.
Thanks.

[jane7176]

Dr Kaur,
Thank you very much for replying. It is good and helpful information and I appreciate learning the different classifications of pain in the legs. I will be making an appointment soon and will update. I don't do much exercise, but my pain doesn't seem to be relieved by rest so this may be a key.

Thank you again.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Leg pain may indicate problems in the muscle (e.g. hamstring muscle tear), tendon (e.g. tendonitis), bone (e.g. arthritis) or nerve problems (e.g. sciatica or neuropathy). If leg pains fail to resolve with over-the-counter medications and ice or warm compresses, your doctor might need imaging procedures and nerve conduction tests to rule out other causes of leg pain. The other cause is of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) which means the arteries aren't able to supply the calf muscles with enough blood and oxygen to meet their needs. The pain from PAD is brought on by exercise, and relieved by rest.

My advise is to consult a physician and rule out the above medical conditions by thorough investigations as without physical examination and investigations, pinpointing a diagnosis is tough.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.