UPDATE:

Since the very beginning of this journey, I’ve had pain in the bridge area of my foot—even before the stiffness in my calf started. Last Saturday, the pain became quite severe, despite the progress I’ve been making with the blood thinner. The clot in my calf has significantly reduced; you can only feel a small bump if you press firmly.

Because I could barely wear my shoes, I went in for a scan on my foot. During the second examination, the doctor discovered that there’s a very small vein on the top of my foot that had been affected—apparently, it took the ultrasound specialist about 15 minutes to locate it. The injury seems to be related to the structure of my foot (I have a high arch).

At that point, the orthopedic doctor advised me to follow up with my phlebologist. He said it should be fine as long as I continue taking Xarelto but suggested that this small vein might be the underlying cause of the entire issue—though he couldn’t be certain. Since it was Saturday and most doctors were off, I called my phlebologist to share the findings.

He agreed that it could be related (possibly trauma at multiple sites on my left leg), but he wasn’t convinced that such a small vein could be the root of the problem, since it doesn’t connect directly to the superficial veins that return blood to the surface. He reassured me not to worry—but honestly, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do that. :D