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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling In The Right Arm?

Hi - Three years ago I was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which caused a DVT in the Rt. Subclavian vein. In an effort to remove the clot a contrast dye was used for imaging. I am a Type 2 diabetic-which they were aware of before injecting the dye. My diabetes is controlled with metformin and I typically have an A1C of around 6.2-6.4. Due to the amount of contrast dye my creatinine level went from 0.8 to 4.3. I ultimately changed hospitals where I had another clot removed and a rib resection. I was on coumadin then Xarelto for about 13 months then prescribed aspirin 81mg 1x/day. Fast forward 3-years and a new/old clot was identified in an MRI for an unrelated issue but in the same vein. I was placed on Xarelto and 2 weeks later developed noticeable swelling of my right arm. Subsequently I had a venogram with an intervention. A angioplasty was performed in the right subclavian vein where there was a build up of scar tissue and old clots. This is temporary and I will be reviewing options. One concern I have is I switched to Coumadin because the Xarelto made me nauseous. Recently I had my INR checked along with other blood work. My INR is 2.4(thereapuetic) but my eGFR is 53 and my creatinine level is 1.4.During the previous three years my creatinine level has been1.2 never going back to 0.8. After my surgery my eGFR was 53 but this was never brought up. Should I look into my kidney function more and could 53 be a normal low end of a range for me. Thank you, Steve Smith
Mon, 17 Sep 2018
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General Surgeon 's  Response
Hi,

The swelling in the right arm is due to disturbances in the venous return from the clot.

The eGFR sounds compensated normal low end of the value for your renal system and nothing to worry till the creatinine remains below 1.5 mg/dl.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Bhagyesh V. Patel,
General Surgeon
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What Causes Swelling In The Right Arm?

Hi, The swelling in the right arm is due to disturbances in the venous return from the clot. The eGFR sounds compensated normal low end of the value for your renal system and nothing to worry till the creatinine remains below 1.5 mg/dl. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Bhagyesh V. Patel, General Surgeon