Page 25 - Florida Sentinel 12-10-21

Health
4. Patchy Skin
The leg afflicted with the blood clot may also turn red and patches of discolored skin may develop along the thigh or calf muscle.
5. Bloody Coughing
Sudden and unexplained coughing may occur with bloody mucus within.
You can help prevent blood clots if you:
- Wear loose-fitting clothes, socks, or stockings.
- Raise your legs 6 inches above your heart from time to time.
- Wear special stockings (called compression stockings) if your doctor prescribes them.
- Do exercises your doctor gives you.
- Change your position often, especially during a long trip.
- Do not stand or sit for more than 1 hour at a time.
- Eat less salt.
- Try not to bump or hurt your legs and try not to cross them.
- Do not use pillows under your knees.
- Raise the bottom of your bed 4 to 6 inches with blocks or books.
- Take all medicines the doc- tor prescribes you.
Risk Factors
Estimated risk for develop- ing a DVT (blood clot in the leg) or PE (blood clot in the lung):
Blood Clots: High Risk
- Hospital stay
- Major surgery, such as ab- dominal/pelvic surgery
- Knee or hip replacement
- Major trauma: automobile accident or fall
- Nursing home living - Leg paralysis
Blood Slows: Moderate Risk
- Older than age 65
- Trips over 4 hours by plane, car, train, or bus
whenever you are admitted to the hospital
- Lose weight, if you are overweight
- Stay active
- Exercise regularly; walking is fine
- Avoid long periods of stay- ing still
- Get up and move around at least every hour whenever you travel on a plane, train, or bus, particularly if the trip is longer than 4 hours
- Point and flex your toes and make circles with your feet if you cannot move around while sitting for prolonged periods to get your blood circulating
- Stop at least every two hours when you drive, and get out and move around
- Drink a lot of water and wear loose fitted clothing when you travel
- Talk to your doctor about your risk of clotting whenever you take hormones, whether for birth control or replacement therapy, or during and right after any pregnancy
- Follow any self-care meas- ures to keep heart failure, dia- betes, or any other health issues as stable as possible
Tennis star Serena Williams battled it and it was the cause of the untimely death of rapper Heavy D and Tommy from the hit show “Martin.” And there are more people who are affected by this than we initially realized. The disease that is hiding is called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
Currently, the Surgeon Gen- eral’s Call to Action report high- lighted the scope and impact seriousness of DVT. The report stated that as many as 100,000 to 180,000 deaths occur annu- ally due to DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) in the United States alone. Although many of these events are preventable, there are a large proportion of DVT events that occur sponta- neously, without any signs or symptoms. This has led the De- partment of Health to make the prevention of this “silent killer” across the NHS a priority.
Some people do not know they have a DVT until the clot moves from their leg or arm and travels to their lung which can cause a pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary Embolism Symptoms
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include:
- Sudden shortness of breath or fast breathing
- Sharp chest pain that often comes with coughing or move- ment
- Pain in the back
- Cough (sometimes with bloody sputum/phlegm)
- Sweating more than nor- mal
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy or fainting - DVT Symptoms
Don’t let DVT get that far. Here are five of the top symp- toms to look out for:
1. Leg Pain
With large blood clots, pain and tenderness can occur in the leg affected—particularly when standing, climbing stairs, or walking.
2. Swelling
Swelling, particularly around the affected area (i.e., calf or thigh) may occur with a worsening clot.
3. Feverish Skin
Another common sign shows itself in the affected leg with skin that is warm to the touch or even feverish.
Active cancer/ chemother-
Bone fracture or cast
Birth control pills, patch, or
Hormone replacement therapy
- Pregnancy or recently gave birth
- Prior blood clot or family history of clot
- Heart failure
- Bed rest over 3 days
- Obesity
- Genetic/hereditary or ac-
quired blood clotting disorder
Blood Flows: Average Risk
- Active
- Younger than age 40
- No history of blood clots in
immediate family
- No conditions or illnesses
that heighten clotting risk
Practical Steps to Lower Your Risk for a Blood Clot
- Ask your doctor about need for “blood thinners” or compres- sion stockings to prevent clots,
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 13-B