Problems with blood clotting 'D-Dimer' Levels

One evening in mid-July 2019 I had chest pain. It really felt quite scary and as if I had been kicked in the chest. Since I had both PoTS and a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome [TOS] I wondered if it could be related to either of those, and then I had another wave of severe pain and felt that it would need to be a 999 call. The operator said that there might be a long wait, but an ambulance turned up in 5 minutes. Although I apparently looked pale and clammy my observations and ECG were both normal. However as I begun to tell the story of my medical history the ambulance crew felt that I definitely needed a trip to A&E.

Whilst at A&E I had repeat Obs and ECG which continued to be normal. It took three people to get any blood samples from me, and this significantly delayed things. Fortunately my bloods were normal and especially the cardiac ones, but there was a blood clotting factor called 'D-Dimer' which was abnormally high in me and so they had to do a CT scan to rule out the chance of a blood clot in my lung. They never considered that my subclavian artery is occluding both sides, as per my TOS, so they might have not got an entirely accurate picture. Anyway, the CT scan was normal, and I was sent home. It was thought important to tell my TOS consultant about the D-Dimer as a normal result is below 250 and mine was 470. I was asked to do a repeat test which had to be done in ambulatory care - an area where you go if you are able to walk and have problems that can be dealt with in an outpatient situation or setting. Unfortunately the next test showed that my D-Dimer had increased to 650, so I was sent back to A&E and made contact with my surgeon's colleagues as he was away, and in the end the outcome was that I wouldn't need blood thinners [as I had thought], as the CT scan was negative and because my problem was neurological.  Nevertheless it was worrying because there was no other proof that I didn't have or not have a blood clot elsewhere. A D-Dimer can also indicate infection. I had a chill which lasted 24 hours and I was then fine. I had never recalled having problems with my D-Dimer, but after some considerable emailing and trying to find out answers, I did find out that the surgeons were not concerned by the high D-Dimer, and that this would not affect my surgery, which was my main concern. However it all took far too much of my time and I often felt at cross-purposes with the medical team and doctors not listening to my concerns about my occluded subclavian artery. They maintained in the end they were treating me for neurological problems. I sincerely hope that my arteries are OK.