The main reason of blood clots is either a bruise or a deep cut. Whenever you get a cut on your skin, you might have noticed that the blood clots after a given period turn into a scab.
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| Credit:waytosteelhealth.org |
It not only gets irritating but makes you uncomfortable when it comes in contact with your clothes—due to its rough texture. Nonetheless, these minor blood clots aren’t something you need to worry about!
What you should be rather concerned about those blood clots, which are formed, deep inside your body—thrombosis—are not only dangerous but fatal! They can lead to pulmonary embolism, heart attack, strokes and the list goes on.
According to Dr. Luis Navarro, founder of the Vein Treatment Center; “When blood clots form in this deeper system, they can be painful and very dangerous.” Therefore, blood clots must be identified appropriately and not taken lightly. The more you delay, the riskier it becomes.
Following are some symptoms of fatal blood clots. Try to memorize this checklist and immediately see a doctor if, God forbid, you have them!
Bulging Limb
If any of your limbs are swollen or bulged out, it’s high time you schedule a meeting with your doctor! It might be due to the formation of blood clots or vein thrombosis under your swollen limb. It can affect blood circulation, so your vital organs receive insufficient oxygen -leading to a stroke or cardiac arrest.
Stay cautious if one of your hands or feet become abnormally bulgy and also cause pain.
Arm or Leg Ache
Pain in leg or arm, which feels like a severe cramp, is something you need to worry about! It is usually a symptom of thrombosis if it has a painful and tender touch.
Note that a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is due to the formation of blood clotting in one or more of your deep veins. It more often occurs in legs. Therefore, one must not confuse it with just another cramp.
Red Threadlike Streaks on Skin
If you notice red thread like streaks running through your veins, it should not be taken lightly by considering it as a mere bruise. According to researchers, these stripes appear to be reddish and make the skin over it warmer than normal.
Breathing Difficulty
Another symptom of an acute blood clot is shortness of breath. If one finds it difficult to take a long deep breath, it’s a sign that lungs have some blood clots formed in it. Also, it might also happen along with heart pounding, dizziness or even an irregular sensation inside the chest.
Chest Pains on Breathing Deeply
If breathing becomes painful, especially around the chest, it’s a clear and valid reason to see your doctor without any excuses. In fact, pulmonary embolism can occur if this is not treated on time. It happens when a blood clot is broken, and a part of it is traveled from legs to the lungs—causing artery blockage. You need immediate medical attention without any delay!
A hematologist, Dr. Jack Ansell, said while discussing on pulmonary embolism; “can be life-threatening and in 10-15% of cases, cause sudden death.” Being a member of the National Blood Clot Alliance’s Medical & Scientific Advisory Board, he further said; “The first sign of a pulmonary embolism can be death.”
Now, do you know how important it is to know the difference between a blood clot and thrombosis?
Inexplicable Coughing
When one starts coughing out of nowhere, they need to worry! If that person is not suffering from a cold or any such problem which causes coughing, doctors recommend an immediate check up. Moreover, an individual may also have an irregular heart rate and find difficulty in breathing. One must check all of these symptoms. If they coincide, get your doctor have you diagnosed.
Light-Headedness or Passing Out
Having difficulty in breathing might also lead to light-headedness. One feels dizzy and may even faint or pass out without any apparent reason. If you have any of these symptoms, consult your doctor.
Rapid Breathing
In some cases, heart rate becomes abnormally fast that it makes you breathe rapidly—despite prolonged immobilization. If this happens along with other symptoms mentioned previously, you must not delay in visiting your doctor.
Rapid Heart Rate
As described earlier, if a person’s heart rate exceeds the normal range, it indicates something suspicious. That too, without any physical exertion or exercise. One must get checked if it adds up to other signs as stated above.
Now you must be wondering what steps you should take once these symptoms are identified. Well, keep reading further:
The Questions To Remember
Upon realizing any of these symptoms, immediately see a doctor. When you visit your doctor, make sure to ask the following questions:
• Do you think it could be a blood clot?
• Do I have to go through diagnostic tests?
However, you obviously don’t need to ask them if your doctor explains everything to you already. We still hope you return from your doctor happily!
What causes the blood clot to occur?
There are a lot of things that can cause blood clots. Immobility for a very long time and smoking are one of the main reasons behind the formation of these clots. Moreover, taking certain drugs like, birth-control pills, frequently can also lead you to the formation of clots in your blood.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol and even a simple injury can be the reason behind the formation of a blood clot. Sometimes a trauma can also coagulate the blood at one place and results into a clot.
Blood clotting can also be genetic. Doctors have found that there are some inherited blood clotting disorders which can lead to severe symptoms.
Cures and preventions
We can prevent blood-clotting by a lot of means. First of all, start taking a little more care of your body so that you don’t ever come across any disease. Exercising daily and working on your bad habits is the foremost thing to add in your life.
Even doctors claim that these things can decrease the rate of getting any disease by a thousand times. Keeping a check on your diet, not consuming too much cholesterol and adding water to your diet can reduce the rate of getting a blood clot by many times.
Getting some blood-thinners in your body
Blood thinners are one of the cures for the permanent removal of blood clots. And the best thing about them is that they are natural and have no side-effects towards your body. You don’t have to go to any fancy shop to buy them and can find them right in your houses. Ready to know what they are?
The most efficient blood-thinners are water and ginger-garlic juice. Water has thinning qualities in it. If we keep our body hydrated all the time the blood doesn’t clump, and there occurs no extra thickening in platelets.
Similarly, ginger and garlic also help in the removal of blood clots. These contain a compound called gingerol in them, which provides warmth to your blood, and thus the blood flows smoothly.
Use of Anti-Oxidants
Eating fruits and vegetables decreases the oxidation process in the blood, and there occurs no formation of free radicals inside the body. It results in the smooth flow of the blood and removal of any clot in it.
Moreover, having green tea, dark chocolate and vitamin C in your diet can also help you in the better flow of your blood. All these work as anti-oxidants in the body and help prevent clotting.
What to avoid
After reading all of the symptoms mentioned above, you must be scared and wishing to avoid blood clot formation in the first place. No worries! There’s a solution for this problem too:
Avoid immobilization or sitting in the same position for more than four consecutive hours. The key is to keep moving as immobilization increases your risk of blood clot formation. Therefore, if you have a long flight or job duty at a desk, try to take out some minutes for a small walk. Apart from that, you could even stretch out if there’s no space to stand or walk.
Also, you must stay vigilant enough and see a doctor immediately after identifying all (or some) of these symptoms coinciding. Even if there’s no apparent problem, you must get yourself checked by a physician on a regular basis.
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