Hospital today about my leg (Happy ending)

This morning I got a call from the doctor. Apparently, my blood tests they did on Friday came back with 2 alerts.

1) Uric Acid is slightly too high. This is basically gout. However, I'm not showing any physical symptoms and apparently Uric acid levels can increase when losing weight, so I'll avoid the foods the suggest to avoid, and hope that it goes down.

2) And more frighteningly, the D-dimer test (the main reason for the blood tests, to check for thrombosis) came back with slightly higher than normal reading. It does prove 100% The presence of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) because it can also be an indicator of infection, and some other things, but it does lead you to further testing to prove either way.

So firstly off to the doctor, so she can speak to me, then she sent me off to the hospital for a repeat of the blood tests, and more depending on results. Gave more blood, and had to wait around for the results...about 2 hours! :( Results were as high as Friday, which meant I was off to the DVT clinic for further assessment!

By this stage I was starting to panic, but also grateful that I had gone to get my leg seen to and not just jumped on a plane to South Africa!!

At the DVT it was a string of question, tests measurements, literally prodding and poking of my leg. The usual doctor squeezing as hard as they can and asking if it hurts... Let me squeeze you like that and see how you feel!!

Anyway, I failed all the tests for DVT except 1 which, gave me a negative score, meaning it's NOT DVT!! Phew!!

Further investigation and feeling of the red discolouration on my left shin, led the nurse to diagnose the high score on the D-dimer and the red discolouration as a skin infection called cellulitis (no fat jokes please :p). Treatable with an anti-biotic! Hopefully, thus means the suspected blood circulation problems are not actually the case, and DVT is not as high a risk, and I can soon get on a plane and fly home to see my family, especially my Dad! What a result!

Obviously DVT is always a risk for anyone on long haul flights, especially fatties like me, but it will be comforting to know that I don't have any other symptoms making the risk higher. I may even go with the doctors suggested injections she can give me before flying to further reduce the risk. Either way...this year, I'm heading home!!