The Not So Scary Facts About Blood Clots

As a young resident covering night shifts, I remember my first 'code blue.' I was nervous but the staff was competent and confident. We did CPR, we pushed meds, and we did everything as we were suppose to, yet the patient died anyway. He was about the same age as I am now and died of a blood clot to his lungs. I've been thinking about him a lot lately, having recently developed a blood clot myself...pretty scary.

Blood clots are more common (and more dangerous) than you might think but don't let that scare you! Read on, learn what to watch for and don't be scared.

First of all, your blood is supposed to clot-its what keeps us from bleeding to death when we injure or cut ourselves. Generally that's a good thing but sometimes a blood clot can abnormally form inside a large vessel-like in a big vein of your leg or pelvis. The danger with these venous blood clots (often referred to as a DVT or deep vein thrombosis) is that they can travel within the vessel and get lodged in the lungs (called a PE or pulmonary embolism). Once in the lung, a clot will block blood from getting the oxygen it needs to keep you alive.

Blood clots, particularly DVT's, tend to develop when the blood flow is stagnant or blocked (like when you sitting in your car for several hours or riding on a long airplane flight). People with clotting disorders are particularly at risk.

When a blood clot develops in a deep vein, it often causes: swelling in the leg (typically one leg will be swollen and not the other), pain, warmth and tenderness-especially in the calf. Often the leg can even be discolored.

The typical patient with a blood clot presents with pain and swelling in the calf, usually a day or so after a long trip. This combination of symptoms is highly suspicious for a DVT and a visit to your provider (or even the emergency room) is a must.

Once diagnosed, blood clots are usually treated with a blood thinner such as Coumadin. These days, I tend to use some of the newer blood thinners such as Xaralto (my companion for the last six months) or Eliquis. These meds will stabilize the clot so that it is less likely to travel to the lung and cause problems. A typical course of therapy lasts six months.

So how do you avoid getting a blood clot? Stay active! If you find yourself on a long car ride, make frequent stops-get out and walk around. Do the same on a long flight; get up, stretch, walk around and get that blood flowing.

There is a lot of great information on the Internet, mayoclinic.org, webmd.com and a really terrific article from Healthline.com: "How to Tell If You Have a Blood Clot: Signs, Symptoms, and More." As always, if you have questions, go talk to your provider.

Stay healthy and see you at the clinic.