@Beth-Ro:
Why did that doctor give you the option of slicing it in the office or you poking a needle in it at home? couldn't she have done the poking, saved you some pain and NOT made you be off the bike for 6 weeks? doesn't soudn very logical to me?

If you are squeamish, DON'T READ!

Good question...brace yourself...
The needle treatment took several sessions (read "days") soaking in a hot tub, then applying a hot-hot-hot washcloth to the clot area, then rolling it around between my fingers to massage it and loosen it up. After three or four days of this "treatment" I was then able to slide the needle into the vein, parallel to my skin, and gently work the needle in a tiny circle inside the vein to further loosen the clot. After all that I managed to pull the clot out. Once it came out I had instant relief. I used antibiotic cream for a week and rode my bike every day throughout the process.

The doctor couldn't do the needle thing in the office because it took days to work on the clot before it was loose enough to pull out. Had I opted to have it taken care of in the office, I would have gone home with a linear incison in a place that is "bendy" and therefore hard to heal. Oh, and it would have cost about $300.00 for that in-office "surgery".

In the end, it was my choice... ...pun intended.

Now let me tell you about my childbirth experience without drugs