Blood clots in the large deep veins can be deadly. Avoid triggers and watch for symptoms to decrease your chance of getting them. Here are some tips. . .
Suspicious symptoms for venous thromboembolism (VTE) are swelling in the leg with pain and redness. It is especially dangerous if a part of the blood clot in the leg breaks free and travels to the lung. A large blood clot to your lung can be fatal. This is called a pulmonary embolism.
Coughing up bloody sputum may be a sign of (non-fatal) pulmonary emboli. But, sometimes there is no difficulty breathing or warning before a big blood clot goes to the lung and the patient falls over dead. Scary, huh?
Let’s prevent VTE.
- Quit nicotine. It damages blood vessels and increases your risk of forming a blood clot.
- Walk every 2 hours. Contract your calf muscles by pointing your toes to the ceiling and then the floor. This will mobilize blood in the calf blood vessels so that it won’t make a clot.
- Beware. When sedentary, like after surgery or a long car trip, blood can pool and make a clot.
- Tell your doctor if you have a history of a blood clot as you may have a blood disorder that makes it easier to make clots. Blood tests may be ordered. In this case, medicines like hormones and birth control pills may be avoided as these can increase your blood clot risk further.
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