People who have vein problems have a difficult lifestyle. Sometimes they have severe symptoms accompanying their varicose veins, including a lot of cramping, burning or throbbing pain. Those who barely see a vascular doctor NJ are in danger of developing blood clots in their veins. In other words, they are likely to develop a condition called deep vein thrombosis or DVT. It is worse than superficial blood clots that can go away without treatment. A deep vein blood clot or thrombus may develop anywhere in your body, but it mostly affects the legs in those who have varicose veins or other health issues.
More about DVT
DVT may trigger leg pain and/or swelling and other times it can occur without symptoms. It is necessary to see a vein doctor in your area if you have varicose veins or another disease that could cause DVT. Sometimes the condition can happen after being immobile for too long, such as after being operated on, involved in an accident or confined in bed for weeks. It can be such a serious condition to have in your veins. If the blood clots disintegrate and move to the lungs via your bloodstream, they could cause a problem called pulmonary embolism. This is when the blood flow becomes blocked and causes a life-threatening problem. Meeting the best vein doctor NJ is much recommended when you have symptoms of DVT or are prone to it.
What are the signs of DVT?
If you have a vein problem such as varicose veins or another condition, always know that your risk of deep vein thrombosis is higher. So, when you notice the following symptoms, call your vein doctor the soonest possible.
- Swelling in one leg which is affected by DVT
- Warmness in the same leg
- Red and/or discolored skin on any area of your leg.
As aforesaid, deep vein thrombosis can be there without a single symptom and this can make it harder to know when to see a vascular doctor NJ. However, you might develop signs of pulmonary embolism that we mentioned above. These include:
- Abrupt shortness of breath
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Feeling chest pain or discomfort that gets severe when you either cough or take a deep breath
- coughing blood
- Having a quick pulse.
If you notice any of the above symptoms, call your vascular doctor NJ right away.
Why does deep vein thrombosis happen?
Anything that stops your blood circulation to be normal or prevents normal blood clotting can trigger DVT. When there is an injury to a vein or when you have pooling venous blood in your leg veins, this condition can develop. Surgery, inactivity and given drugs can also cause deep vein blood clots. So, what puts in greater danger? There are several factors that can increase your danger of having DVT. If you are prone to several factors, your risk of deep vein thrombosis is higher and should see a vein doctor. These are:
- Carrying pregnancy – The risk is higher if you have a genetic blood clotting disorder. Pregnancy raises the pressure in your pelvic and leg veins and may lead to varicose veins. The risk reduces when you deliver your baby. Tell your vascular doctor NJ about known risks of blood clots.
- Use of contraceptives of hormone replacement therapy- Birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy are associated with varicose veins and blood clots.
- Surgery or injury to a vein – If your leg is operated on or a vein is injured, blood clotting risk can increase.
- Remaining in bed rest for too long- You can stay in bed because of being sick, paralyzed, injured and so on. This can stop your legs’ calf muscles from contracting normally to force blood to flow as it should. Sooner than later this would cause blood clots that would require the attention of a vein doctor.
- Having cancer or certain cancer treatments – This can make you more susceptible to blood clots.
- Smoking cigarettes – This is known to affect blood circulation and blood clotting functions. Hence, smoking can trigger DVT.
- Obesity – Due to extra weight exerting pressure on pelvic and leg veins, you can develop a vein reflux disease that can later lead to blood clots. So losing excess weight makes perfect sense.
- Inherited risk of DVT, pulmonary embolism or blood-clotting disorder – Having an inherited disorder means that your blood clots much more easily, especially, if you are sick, injured or operated on. On its own, an inherited factor may not cause blood clots. All in all, tell your vascular doctor NJ about your family’s history with DVT, pulmonary embolism or blood clotting disorder.
- Certain diseases – One of these diseases is heart failure. It can bring about deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism because of restricted heart and lung function. So, be on the look out for pulmonary embolism symptoms if you have a heart problem. Having inflammatory bowel diseases is dangerous too, including Crohn’s disease and ulcers. If you are already being treated for any of these, your doctor already knows you have increased risk of DVT.
- Aged person – While deep vein thrombosis can happen to people of different ages, the risk goes higher when one hits sixty years. If you have a vein complication after sixty, start seeing a vein doctor to reduce your DVT risk.
- Straining your pelvis and legs – If you have to work when sitting down, such as when driving any type of vehicle for hours, or working in an office, your blood circulation might get affected. Hence, you can develop varicose veins and/or blood clots because being inactive makes your calf muscles unable to operate normally.
What are the complications of DVT?
The leading complication is pulmonary embolism. It happens when a blood vessel in a lung gets blocked by a thrombus that gets there from a different part of the body. The most common one is a blood clot that moves from the leg. This condition can be deadly and it is imperative to go to the emergency room if you notice its symptoms. Your vascular doctor NJ might warn you about pulmonary embolism during your regular vein treatments.
Another complication of deep vein thrombosis is called postphlebitic syndrome (postthrombotic syndrome). This is when damage to leg veins due to blood clots reduces blood flow in affected parts of your body. As result, you can notice that your legs are persistently swollen (edema) and painful and might develop skin sores and staining.
How is DVT diagnosed?
Once you make it to the doctor’s clinic, he or she will carry out a good investigation to know if you have deep vein thrombosis. The vein doctor will ask about your medical history and current symptoms. As well, he or she will do a physical exam to detect areas of tenderness, swollenness or skin staining. Depending on how likely they think you have blood clots, your vascular doctor NJ may suggest carrying out given medical tests. These might include the following:
- An ultrasound test – This is done with a transducer device that is placed on the areas suspected to have blood clots. It releases sound waves that travel via the body tissue and these are then converted by a computer into moving pictures on a video screen. If there is a clot, your vein doctor will see in the pictures. More ultrasound tests might be done over many days to check if there are new clots or if the ones found earlier are diminishing in size.
- A blood test – This test will be looking for a substance called D dimer in the blood. It is ever found in people who have deep vein blood clotting problem.
- CT or MRI scans –Any of these is able to generate images of your veins and might show if there is a blood clot. People who have DVT without knowing might be discovered when CT or MRI scans are being done for totally different reasons.
- Venography –During this test, the vein doctor injects a dye into a big vein in either your ankle or foot. Then an X-ray makes an image of your leg and feet veins to locate any available clots. After this, your vascular doctor NJ might do ultrasound to confirm his or her diagnosis.
How a vein doctor NJ treats DVT
If they get a positive finding, doctors will usually begin treating a patient for deep vein thrombosis. This treatment is aimed at stopping the clot from increasing in size and breaking loose as it can travel to the lungs and cause pulmonary embolism. As well as this, the vein doctor wants to limit your chances of developing yet another case of DVT in the near future. Generally, you will be treated via:
- Blood thinners – These drugs are anticoagulants and can be injected or taken as pills. They reduce your blood’s ability to clot and are not able to disitegrate the existing blood clots.All they can do is to stop the clots from growing in size and minimize your risk of getting extra clots.If you will receive an injection, it will either be given under the skin or intravenously(injecting into an arm vein). Sometimes the vascular doctor NJ will give you an injection for a few days and then put you on warfarin and related drugs for thinning blood. Alternatively, they can prescribe only pills like eliquis, xarelto and so on and these should be taken for ninety days or longer. To make sure that you treat your DVT effectively, follow the instructions given by your vein doctor
- Filters – This is inserted into a big vein like your vena cava in the abdomen to keep blood clots that disintegrates from reaching your lungs where they can cause pulmonary embolism. A filter is only used if a patient cannot be put on blood thinners.
- Clot busters –These are used to treat severe cases of pulmonary embolism or DVT. So, drugs that are capable of breaking up your blood clots faster are prescribed by the vascular doctor NJ; these are called thrombolytics or clot busters. You might need to get these drugs intravenously or via a catheter that is placed directly into the blood clot. Unless your case is severe, clot busters will be avoided as they are known to trigger a lot of bleeding.
- Wearing compression stockings – This is a basic way to treat DVT-related leg swelling. So a great vein doctor like Caroline Novak will give you medical-grade compression stockings that will fit right above your knees.
Can one prevent blood clots in deep veins?
If you want to avoid blood clots in your deep veins, there are simple actions you should take. These include the following:
- Take regular breaks when working. This is a good thing to do if you have to sit down for several hours when working. It will let your calf muscles do the work they are designed for, which is contracting in order to pump blood upward toward the heart and lungs through the veins. At the same time, you can boost circulation in legs by not crossing your legs. And if you have to travel miles and miles by car, then it will be nice to halt just to take a walk around. And if you are traveling by plane, you may stand or walk occasionally to reduce leg strain. In case this is not possible, you can try to work out your lower legs by raising and lowering your heels as your toes remain on the floor. Then raise your toes while your heels remain on the floor. This can reduce your chances of seeing a vascular doctor NJ due to DVT or DVT-related conditions.
- Eliminate bad behaviors –If your lifestyle entails smoking or eating unhealthy foods, it will be wise to change it. Ensure that you eat healthier foods to lose weight and then quit your smoking behaviors to reduce your risk of DVT. If you need advice, seek it from your vascular doctor NJ.
- Stay active –If you have to, wakeup early and do a morning jog, walk up to the bus or train station, climb up or down those steep stairs and so on. Even without going to the gym, these activities can help you steer clear of deep vein thrombosis and related vein issues.
If you are recovering from surgery or have to take a bed rest for a long time, your vascular doctor NJ can advise you on how to avoid blood clots or do something to help.
Final Word
If you are taking blood thinners, check with your vein doctor frequently as they need to do a blood test that will show how well your blood is clotting. If you have been immobile for a while, try to start moving to reduce your risk of develop new clots. Above all, always wear your compression stockings if your vascular doctor NJ suggests it.