Canada Med Stop

Usually, blood clotting is a good thing. When you get hurt, your blood clots to prevent you from losing too much blood from your injury. However, if clots happen in a vein deep within the body, this is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and it can be very dangerous.

DVT may show no symptoms, so it’s important to understand whether you’re at risk and what you can do to prevent it.

Are you at risk for deep vein thrombosis?

Knowing how to recognize deep vein thrombosis and whether you are at increased risk can save your life! Factors for increased risk include the following:

• Having a family history of blood clots
• History of hospitalization or surgery
• Injury (for example, trauma sustained from a car accident), especially injuries to a vein
• Use of birth control methods that contain estrogen and pregnancy, including up to three months after giving birth
• Cancer (or if you’re undergoing treatments for cancer)
• Obesity
• Being bed-ridden or sitting for long periods of time, especially with your legs crossed

If you relate to any of these factors, talk to your doctor about ways to protect yourself. Don’t panic, deep vein thrombosis is preventable! For example, lifestyle changes like a healthier diet and more physical activity can alleviate obesity and long periods of sitting.

Reduce Risk after Knee Surgery

If you have a heart condition like atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) or have just completed knee surgery, you may be given medication like XARELTO (rivaroxaban) to reduce your chances of experiencing DVT.

Buying medication on top of existing treatments you need may be extremely expensive, but you can alleviate some of this cost by ordering from a licensed pharmacy outside the U.S. with Canada Med Stop. In fact, contact Canada Med Get in touch today to see if you qualify for a XARELTO® coupon!

Signs of a Blood Clot

The tricky thing about blood clots is that they often don’t show any symptoms. This is why doctors are so focused on preventing them from happening. If symptoms of DVT in the leg do occur, you may notice:

• Swelling, pain, and tenderness in the affected leg
• Redness and discoloration in the skin
• Enlarged veins
• Thickened vein (“cord”) may feel firmer

What is a Pulmonary Embolism (PE)?

Sometimes, DVT symptoms can go unnoticed and your first interaction with one may come in the form of pulmonary embolism (PE). This is when the blood clot breaks loose and obstructs a lung artery. This can permanently damage your lungs, cause excessively low oxygen levels in the blood, and damage your other organs. It can be life-threatening, especially if you have a particularly large clot or if you have multiple clots.

Sometimes, PE also has no symptoms. Otherwise, you may experience chest pain and shortness of breath, or you may cough up blood.

Caring for your veins!

While DVT and PE can happen to anyone, you also have the power to prevent it from happening to you. Quitting smoking, moving around more, and eating a healthier diet can do wondrous things for your overall health, not just your circulatory health. And if you’ve had a recent medical procedure, were in an accident, take birth control or are pregnant, talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your risk for DVT and PE. Remember, prevention is key!