Quote:
Originally Posted by hautbois
That's a sad story. Unfortunately, blood clots can be fatal if they break up and travel (they usually end up in the lungs though). Her blood clot may have formed in the heart itself. The good news is they can be treated if diagnosed early. My DH has a clotting disorder and will be taking an anticoagulant the rest of his life to prevent the clotting. He has had clots in his legs (DVT) and lungs (PE).
Symptoms of a clot in the legs are swelling, warmth and redness, and pain when standing or walking. Symptoms of a PE include shortness of breath and chest pain (especially when breathing deeply).
I wonder if the woman in the story above was being treated for the clots. Doctors can run blood tests to determine how much the blood clots and prescribe appropriate medicine to prevent the blood from clotting. Sometimes aspirin alone is enough. When my DH experiences these symptoms, he goes straight to the dr. If the scan shows a blood clot he begins treatment right away. Leg clots can be treated at home (with injections), but a PE requires hospitalization. Thankfully he hasn't had a clot in several years. He had the beginnings of one in his leg last year, but we caught it in time and the medicine cleared it up before it became serious.
Some ways to prevent blood clots? You guessed it. Healthy weight and regular exercise (daily walk will do the trick). BCP and pregnancy hormones do increase the risk.
Wow, thanks for the information. I'd never heard of this and was thinking about it all night. I didn't ask many questions when my friend was telling me the story because I was thinking more about the poor little boy who lost his mommy, so young. It wasn't until our friends left for evening that I started thinking about how it actually happened.
This has struck me deep. Just another reason I MUST become healthy and stay that way. I've never experienced clots or any of the symptoms, but I'm not going to wait to see if it'll ever happen to me... So very sad.