Blood Clots – written by “Dallas C.”
Blood clots, its a scary word, you dont know what it means. Hearing these words can be very devastating, you think of a clog in the sink. You realize that it cuts off the water supply. A blood clot, is basically the same thing, just in your body and can be a lot worse than you may realize.
Blood Clots
The early signs of a possible blood clot are swelling in the area, being warm, red and or painful to the touch.Other signs are the tissue may be white, or cool, and may also have a loss of sensation and or movement.You may also be in considerable amount of pain as well.
The complications that go along with clots can be very serious. They could lead to heart attack and possible stroke.Another problem could be that the clot could break off and then begin to move around the body.If this happens, you could lose use of the limb or could have problems with the lungs per say.
For the first year or so, you would have to have a test called PT test. What this measures is the thickness of the blood. Its a simple test, most offices just prick the end of the finger and get the sample that way. In the beginning the tests for this disorder can be very extensive. It can be a little scary because there are several tests that need to be run to determine the severity if any of the issues with the blood flow. Another test is called a bleeding time, basically this test involves maing a small incision in the fore arm and then timing how long it takes you to stop bleeding. This test takes the longest because you are sitting there anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.
By not smoking, keeping your cholesterol low, keeping your blood pressure under control, this could prevent blood clots from forming. Now this is no gaurantee, but its a beginning.The are other things that could be done as well. The doctor could put you on a blood thinning medication. If this is the case follow the instructions as directed. Remember blood clots is a blood disorder that can be cured. It can be life threatening, but it’s also something that can be controlled.
