What can Clots do to you !?

So, Have you ever thought of clots, that what are those and how can they affect you and your life? What can they do to you and how can they change your life to some extent?

What are Blood Clots?

A blood clot is a clump of blood that has changed from liquid state to either gel-like or semi-solid state. Clotting is the healthy response of the body to any injury, such as cuts, intended to prevent you from losing too much blood, but can also be harmful when the clots obstruct the blood flow through healthy blood vessels.

When a clot forms inside one of your artery or veins, it doesn’t get dissolved on its own. Thus, this situation can be very dangerous and even can be life-threatening.

An immobile blood clot generally won’t harm you, but there is a high risk that it might move in your body and become dangerous. If a blood clot breaks down and travels in your body either through your arteries or veins, to your lungs or heart, it might create a serious medical emergency.

Blood clots do not discriminate. They can affect anyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, or race.

How can clots be a real danger?

Blood clots can cause you a number of problems and can even cause death in some serious cases. The clots can travel throughout the body with the blood flow and can cause problem in any part of the body.

But most of the problems start at the Legs and that is known as DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and can even lead to travelling of clots to lungs through the heart and cause PH (Pulmonary Hypertension), which is a serious problem. We can know the seriousness of this by one of the Pro Football Player, Hall of Famer, Harry Carson, who himself was a patient of this thing and had suffered it in a way or two.

Harry Carson had clots in his calf as well as in his lungs and he was recovering from it, basically taking the blood thinner. He had them because of less activity and more travel in his tight schedule. Although he came to be fit again but he had a clot in his calf again and thus, there is no doubt that clotting can’t happen again.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs or symptoms of a blood clot in the leg or an arm may include: Swelling, pain or tenderness not caused by injury, skin that is warm to the touch, red, or discoloured. The signs or symptoms of a blood clot in the lung may include: Difficulty breathing, chest pain that worsens with a deep breath, coughing or coughing up blood, a faster than normal or irregular heartbeat. People who experience any of these symptoms should contact their physician or seek immediate medical help. A blood clot in a person’s leg can grow or break off and travel to their lung, which can be life-threatening.

It's better to hurry and take necessary steps rather than tossing up the precious life.

Know your Risk

Being immobile for an extended period of time can be a specific risk factor for people, like actors, athletes and many more professionals who are required to travel frequently. Other major risk factors for blood clots include: Surgery, physical trauma or injury, hospitalization, cancer, being overweight, being age 55 or older. If you’re a woman, additional risk factors include pregnancy, childbirth, and the use of estrogen, including hormonal birth control. There can also be a reason that this trait is inherited from the generations in which the person’s blood has a more chance of making clots than a normal person has.

Road to Recovery: Keep Moving and Stay Positive

Blood clots do not discriminate. They can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, gender, or fitness level. Each year in this country, about one million people are affected by blood clots, and about 100,000 of these people will lose their lives, which is greater than the number of deaths due to AIDS, breast cancer, and motor vehicle crashes combined.

“Most of all, no matter whether your recovery seems easy or difficult to manage, always live life as well as you can. Always live your best life”

For anyone recovering from a blood clot and facing any type of struggle, whether it’s physical or emotional, Carson also stresses the importance of staying fit and maintaining a positive attitude. Thus, we can battle with it staying positive and fit.