Deep-vein thrombosis

"Just as the body cannot exist without blood, so the soul needs the matchless and pure strength of faith"- Mahatma Gandhi

Today we reach the final item on Women’s Health Magazine’s list of Seven Warning Signs not to ignore.

Your calf is extremely tender in one location, noticeably swollen, and red or warm to the touch.

You might have deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT, also known as a blood clot. I know two people who have died of blood clots. One, the father of a friend, died of a clot a week after surgery. The other had a leaky heart condition and a clot traveled to her brain. Nowadays I notice that hospitals put leg pumps on patients to prevent clots while recovering.

Anytime blood starts to pool in your lower body and there is a risk of forming a clot. It could be hours sitting at a computer, on a long flight or in a hospital bed. I try to keep my feet at least slightly elevated when sitting – and it helps to stand up and walk around.

When a clot gets big enough to act as a stopper in the vein or artery, the area around it will start to hurt and swell. Smokers and women who take the Pill have a higher risk of developing clots.

If you suspect a clot, resist the urge to massage the area or to walk it off. If the clot breaks free, it can travel through to your lungs and cut off your oxygen supply or to your brain and cut off blood flow there.

Bottom Line

See your doctor, who will do a CT scan or ultrasound to look for DVT. If you have a clot, you'll need to take blood thinners--sometimes for up to a year--to dissolve it.