Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 6/28/2006

Question
Hi

I was wondering if you could put my mind at rest.  I had general anasthesia on 1st February 2006.  Whilst the nurse took the cannula out of my hand, i was in a lot of pain for weeks afterwards in the vein.  Now its been almost 6 months i still have blood clots in the vein which can be seen easily and if i press hard on them they hurt a little.  Just wondering if this can be dangerous and how long do they take to go away.

Thanks for your advice

Answer
Elaine
I suspect the pain is linked to the canula and if the vein feels hard then the vein thrombosed (has a clot in it as you mention). This is not dangerous to you, however if it is still sore then I would suggest rubbing on some ibuprofen topical gel for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. Not much else that can be done except wait for time to heal the area.
I hope this reassures you.
Kind regards
Dr Ian Jackson