Should i work with dvt

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Venous Thromboembolism Blood Clots. Section Navigation. DVT is an acronym for deep vein thrombosis which essentially is a blood clot also known as thrombus which forms in one of your veins. Most common area for the blood clot formation is the calf, which is your lower leg, however, the clot can form in any part of your body.

Thrombus usually forms due to lack of movement in a particular area of the body or increased blood viscosity which could be due to high cholesterol or diabetes.

This could be due to sedentary lifestyle, occupation or immobilisation after an injury or an operation. Yes, it can, regardless if you work from home or in the office, if you spend many hours at your desk without moving, you increase the risk of developing the DVT. DVT may present several symptoms. Most common symptom is pain in the affected area which usually is the calf. If you have DVT, pain usually worsens with activity because during an activity, muscles need more blood supply, however, blood clot restricts the blood flow resulting in pain.

You may also feel tenderness and pain while touching the affected vein. Area around the DVT may also swell up and become red and hot. You may also experience a throbbing sensation in the affected limb. To reduce the risk of developing the DVT it is suggested to make some lifestyle changes. Be more active throughout the day. Having regular walks is one way of reducing the risk of DVT. If you are working from home or at an office and spend many hours at a desk, ensure to have regular breaks where you can stand up and move about even if it is for a few minutes.

Doing it multiple times throughout the day will reduce the risk of development of DVT. Also, try to manage your weight and reduce or quit smoking if you can. Try not to exceed recommended alcohol intake and moderate eating foods which are high in saturated fats which are usually deep-fried fast foods. Ensure to drink plenty of water as dehydration can increase the risk of developing the DVT.

If you suspect that you have the DVT, you must seek medical advice from Functional Medicine Associates as soon as you can because if the blood clot breaks free, it can move to your lungs where it can become life threatening. If your GP will diagnose you with the DVT you will receive an appropriate treatment which will help to dissolve the clot.

This might take a couple of weeks, and you might be asked to stay at home. In most cases, where it is diagnosed in good time, DVT can be treated well.

However, if the thrombus would dislodge, it may travel through the blood vessels and move into your lungs causing a condition known as pulmonary embolism which is a life-threatening emergency. The larger the number of fragments found, the more likely it is that you have a blood clot in your vein. However, the D-dimer test isn't always reliable because blood clot fragments can increase after an operation, injury or during pregnancy. Additional tests, such as an ultrasound scan, will need to be carried out to confirm DVT.

An ultrasound scan can be used to detect clots in your veins. A special type of ultrasound called a Doppler ultrasound can also be used to find out how fast the blood is flowing through a blood vessel. This helps doctors identify when blood flow is slowed or blocked, which could be caused by a blood clot.

A venogram may be used if the results of a D-dimer test and ultrasound scan can't confirm a diagnosis of DVT. During a venogram, a liquid called a contrast dye is injected into a vein in your foot.

The dye travels up the leg and can be detected by X-ray , which will highlight a gap in the blood vessel where a clot is stopping the flow of blood. Treatment for DVT usually involves taking anticoagulant medicines. These reduce the blood's ability to clot and stop existing clots getting bigger.

Heparin and warfarin are 2 types of anticoagulant often used to treat DVT. Heparin is usually prescribed first because it works immediately to prevent further clotting. After initial treatment, you may also need to take warfarin to prevent another blood clot forming. These medications include rivaroxaban and apixaban, and they've been shown to be as effective as heparin and warfarin with less serious side effects.

You'll also be prescribed compression stockings to wear every day, which will improve your symptoms and help prevent complications. Read more about treating DVT. If you need to go into hospital for surgery, a member of your care team will assess your risk of developing a blood clot while you're there. If you're at risk of developing DVT, there are a number of things you can do to prevent a blood clot occurring, both before you go into hospital. These include temporarily stopping taking the combined contraceptive pill, and while you're in hospital, such as wearing compression stockings.

When you leave hospital, your care team may also make some recommendations to help prevent DVT returning or complications developing. These may include:. When taking a long-distance journey 6 hours or more by plane, train or car, you should take steps to avoid getting DVT. Drink plenty of water, perform simple leg exercises and take regular, short walking breaks.

Read more about preventing DVT. When you're inactive your blood tends to collect in the lower parts of your body, often in your lower legs. This is usually nothing to worry about because when you start to move, your blood flow increases and moves evenly around your body.

However, if you're unable to move for a long period of time — such as after an operation, because of an illness or injury, or during a long journey — your blood flow can slow down considerably.

A slow blood flow increases the chances of a blood clot forming. If you have to go into hospital for an operation or procedure, your risk of getting a blood clot increases. This is because DVT is more likely to occur when you're unwell or inactive, or less active than usual. As a patient, your risk of developing DVT depends on the type of treatment you're having.

You may be at increased risk of DVT if any of the following apply:. You may also be at increased risk of DVT if you're much less active than usual because of an operation or serious injury and have other DVT risk factors, such as a family history of the condition.

When you're admitted to hospital you'll be assessed for your risk of developing a blood clot and, if necessary, given preventative treatment. If the wall of a blood vessel is damaged, it may become narrowed or blocked, which can cause a blood clot to form.

Blood vessels can be damaged by injuries such as broken bones or severe muscle damage. Sometimes, blood vessel damage that occurs during surgery can cause a blood clot, particularly in operations on the lower half of your body. Conditions such as vasculitis inflammation of the blood vessels , varicose veins and some forms of medication, such as chemotherapy , can also damage blood vessels.

Your risk of getting DVT is increased if you have a condition that causes your blood to clot more easily than normal. These conditions include:. During pregnancy, blood clots more easily. It's the body's way of preventing too much blood being lost during childbirth.

DVTs are also rare in pregnancy, although pregnant women are up to 10 times more likely to develop thrombosis than non-pregnant women of the same age. A clot can form at any stage of pregnancy and up to 6 weeks after the birth. Having thrombophilia a condition where the blood has an increased tendency to clot , or having a parent, or brother or sister, who's had a thrombosis, increase your risk of developing a DVT during pregnancy.

LMWH is an anticoagulant, which means it prevents the blood clot getting bigger. It's given by injection and doesn't affect your developing baby. The combined contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy HRT both contain the female hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen causes the blood to clot a bit more easily than normal, so your risk of getting DVT is slightly increased.

There's no increased risk from the progestogen-only contraceptive pill. Anticoagulant medicines prevent blood clots getting bigger. They can also help stop part of the blood clot breaking off and becoming lodged in another part of your bloodstream an embolism.

Although they're often referred to as "blood-thinning" medicines, anticoagulants don't actually thin the blood. They alter proteins within it, which prevents clots forming so easily. Heparin and warfarin are 2 types of anticoagulants that are used to treat DVT. After this initial treatment, you may also need to take warfarin to prevent another blood clot forming.

The dose of standard unfractionated heparin to treat a blood clot varies significantly from person to person, so the dosage must be carefully monitored and adjusted if necessary. You may need to stay in hospital for 5 to 10 days and have frequent blood tests to ensure you receive the right dose. LMWH works differently from standard heparin. It contains small molecules, which means its effects are more reliable and you won't have to stay in hospital and be monitored.

In rare cases, heparin can also cause an extreme reaction that makes existing blood clots worse and causes new clots to develop. This reaction, and weakening of your bones, is less likely to occur when taking LMWH. Warfarin is taken as a tablet. You may need to take it after initial treatment with heparin to prevent further blood clots occurring.

Your doctor may recommend that you take warfarin for 3 to 6 months. In some cases, it may need to be taken for longer, even for life. As with standard heparin, the effects of warfarin vary from person to person. You'll need to be closely monitored by having frequent blood tests to ensure you're taking the right dosage.

When you first start taking warfarin, you may need to have 2 to 3 blood tests a week until your regular dose is decided. After this, you should only need to have a blood test every 4 weeks at an anticoagulant outpatient clinic. Warfarin can be affected by your diet, any other medicines you're taking, and by how well your liver is working. Warfarin isn't recommended for pregnant women who are given heparin injections for the full length of treatment. Rivaroxaban comes in tablet form.

It's a type of anticoagulant known as a directly acting oral anticoagulant DOAC. It prevents blood clots forming by inhibiting a substance called factor Xa and restricting the formation of thrombin an enzyme that helps blood clot.