d dimer test causing anxiety please reply

i went to the ER about 2 1/2 weeks ago with chest pains. they did a full work up and found nothing except my d dimer was elevated. they then did a ct scan with dye of my lungs and found no pulmonary embolism or sings of clots in the lungs and sent me home and said to follow up with my own doctor.

now the last couple of days my leg has been hurting me and im wondering if its a blood clot (since my d dimer test was high) or is it anxiety playing with me. my family doc said if i had a blood clot my leg would be swollen and red and very painful. i got the pain but nothing else.

at the ER they did no ultrasound of my legs just a ct of my lungs and that makes me wonder if i have a clot in my legs since they didnt check em , that with the elevated d dimer test.even though my family doc isnt worried about it , its bothering me.

i tend to take things like this and focus on them till they drive me crazy.


please help.

Hi twisted, love the name! If I were you, I would consider having the test re-done. There are several factors that can cause a false positive result on a d dimer test. I don't think that it is necessary to fast, but an especially greasy/fatty meal before testing can result in an elevated level.
If it is still high, talk to your doctor about possible reasons/treatment to help set your mind at rest. I hope that you can get the answers that you need soon, and in the meantime, try not to worry about it. The leg pain is most likely a regular ache from over-exertion, or change in the weather. What do they say?...don't look for a zebra in the farm pasture! Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Scaredy Cat

I had the very same pain once and went to my Dr. who said the very same thing as yours did just from a physical exam ~ no redness nor swelling etc ~ no DVT.

In about half of all cases, deep vein thrombosis occurs without any noticeable symptoms. If you still have the pain and any other cause for concern do talk with your Dr. re further testing.

Remember many things can cause pain in your leg so try not to get caught up in the "what if?" thinking. 

As SC mentioned there are many other conditions that can cause an elevated d-dimer.

Good luck and remember to take a deep breath and just be in the moment.

Kindly,

Kitt

thanks for all the messages... its been 2 days and it still hurts. radiating pain from hip to the bottom of my foot. no swelling or redness. when i told my doctor he didnt even look at my leg and just said it would be red and swollen and thinks its more of my anxiety. also said "d dimer is a junk test" i also read that some dont have signs and i guess thats what is playing on me as well.

i have had more trips to the ER then id like to admit and get strange glances from the people that work there.i even get the feeling that my DR thinks i over think things to and doesnt look deep enough into it.

i know i tend to concentrate or fixate on these issues and i try to tell myself that.

i forgot to mention my Dr put me on a new med,lamotrigine to help my anxiety.im not bipolar but i read thats what that med is used for but i put trust in him he knows what he is doing.

thank you for all replies and ill keep you up to date.

George

the exact same thing just happened to me yesterday. my anxiety was so bad and i was so exhausted from not sleeping that when they first wanted to do the test, i left the hospital. i went back and had the CT with contrast done and it turned out to be nothing. hearing that i could walk out of the hospital and just drop dead scared the living wits out of me. anxiety does have a lot to do with my chest pain. its all about managing the pain and my anxiety all at the same time.