Although blood clotting is natural process of our body to heal wounds, this may cause harmful effects when happens inside your body. Just like a protective shell that heals when you cut your finger, a blood clot is a mass of blood that is moving along your bloodstream. American Society for Hematology enumerates the following as the few risk factors for blood clots:
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Being sedentary for more than 4 hours (a long plane trip)
- Smoking
- Oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
- Cancers
- Injuries
- Certain surgeries
- Being over age 60
- A family history of blood clots
- Chronic inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis)
When blood clot that is being pumped along your veins can get stuck and block tissues in your legs, arms or even your brain or other organs, this can cause those parts of your body to slowly die from a loss of oxygen-rich blood. Here are the 8 warning signs that you may have a blood clot as well as when to seek medical attention, so be cautious.
8 signs you possibly have blood clot
1. Swelling
Imagine a garden hose that was blocked with the water continuously flowing, a blood clot puts pressure on the vein behind the clot. This action can build and push outward, causing the stretching of the surrounding tissues. This case of swelling from blood clots occurs mostly in the legs.
2. Unexplained pain
If you feel a pain like a weight resting on your chest rather than an intensely piercing pain, this pressure or a dull pain that may accompanies with other symptoms is a possible sign that you may have a blood clot.
3. Skin appearing blue or pale
Blot clot causes blockage of blood vessels resulting in lack of blood supply. This action causes the skin to turn pale then blue as the oxygen leaves the blood.
