Blood Clots and Walking

[LuvinLife 0]

I am scared of blood clots. I know walking helps with the circulation, but when are you considered to be be out of "danger" zone?

My legs are achy and I know i'm being a little dramatic about it. Just wanted to see what your thoughts on this were.

[dontgoggilme 0]

i'm not sure when the time of being free and clear of risk for clots is. i had to stay in the hospital overnight and they had this massaging air things hooked up around my calves to minimize clotting risks. they also gave me a shot in my stomach of a blood thinner. they said the shot was standard. but i was told that blood clots usually don't happen and that as long as i'm moving around and walking i should be fine. they even told me i didn't have to wear the massasger things if i was walking. so just keep walking. =)

[pmommy 0]

I think the biggest risk of blood clots is within the first week but they can appear up to several weeks after surgery.

I'm pretty paranoid about them too.

[onikenbai 33]

Did you have to put on those oh so comfy compression stockings? I had to put them on before my surgery and I wasn't allowed to take them off for five days. Clot potential is minimized by walking often and keeping your feet up while you're sitting down. So lounge on that couch! That's an order!

FYI if you got a shot of thinner during your surgery (which the vast majority of people do) stay clear of your dentist for the next three months if possible. It has a very long residence time in the body and the bleeding during your cleaning will be crazy. You may even find that your gums will bleed very easily when you brush your teeth for a while after surgery.

[Ohm 0]

I think I may be able to add something to this thread. The risk of deep vein thrombosis is multi-factorial and immobility is only one of those factors. If you want to do ALL you can to avoid DVTs then there are various dietary and lifestyle changes you can make, but even if you take every single step to the very highest level there is still a chance of DVT – this is because we are human and as such we are a melting pot of varying characteristics and we have no control over our genetic inheritance.

DVTs are the result of clots (clumps of red blood cells sticking together) and then getting stuck in the vein, usually in the legs. These clots can lodge in other places, not least the brain, where they will result in a stroke (the seriousness of which depends upon the size of the clot and the location – and degree - of the blockage).

The initial question is “why do these blood cells stick together?”. Well, under optimum condition, they don’t. They are usually little plate shaped discs and they are smooth. However, smoking and/or a high cholesterol diet can cause deposits of plaque to form on the inside of the blood vessels and it is rubbing against these plaque formations that can roughen the blood cells surface. When the surfaces of the blood cells are sufficiently roughened the blood cells can find it hard to slip smoothly past each other and they tend to clump together to form clots.

These plaques on the inside of our blood vessels can be anywhere, and just like furniture in hallways and corridors, they narrow the space available for moving about. The presence of the plaques inside the blood vessels increases the chances of a clump getting stuck and also promotes the formation of the clots themselves.

If the clots get stuck in the legs the result in pain and swelling, which is unpleasant, but it is at least treatable with blood thinning drugs that can limit the tourniquet effect and eventually dissolve the clot. If the clot is simply dislodged but not dissolved you run the risk of the clot becoming lodged somewhere more dangerous like the brain.

Clots are more likely to form when the circulation has slowed. The major promoter of circulation in the lower limbs is healthy and vigorous exercise. As the largest muscles in your body (the thighs and the “gluteus maximus” or bum) contract rhythmically the blood speeds on its way in as quick and motivated a manner as possible. However, during and immediately after a surgical procedure you are necessarily immobile, thus decreasing the possibility of vigorous exercise and creating circumstances most likely to produce DVT.

Smoking damages the vein wall and the platelets or red blood cells become roughened and sticky when they rub against the blood vessel walls - thus smoking increases the risks of clots in the blood vessels.

Finally, if you become dehydrated your blood will become thicker and stickier and more likely to clot. Optimum hydration decreases this psoblem.

So, if you want to avoid DVTs you can do various things:

1/ DO NOT SMOKE – this is the most important single factor – if you already smoke then give up

2/ Eat a low cholesterol diet – not just before surgery but habitually

3/Eat plenty of raw plant material (plant sterols have been found to be effective in lowering cholesterol) and whole grains, especially porridge oats

4/ Take regular moderate or vigorous exercise – this will help to lower your serum cholesterol – walking is ideal, but so is jogging, running, cycling and swimming (if you use your legs a lot), racquet sports, etc – anything where you use your large muscle groups, especially your lower muscle groups

5/If your medical practitioner prescribes medication for the management of your cholesterol – Take it exactly as prescribed – some of us are genetically predisposed to cholesterol problems

6/ When you are in hospital make sure that you wear those incredibly sexy (!) compression stockings

7/ Avoid crossing your legs when sitting down, especially if you are going to be sitting for a long period of time

8/ Avoid dehydration – when you are dehydrated your blood becomes thicker and more viscous and more likely to clot.

And of course, always do exactly what your doctors and nurses tell you to do when in hospital. You may not be able to negate the chance of a DVT, but you can significantly reduce your risk.

I hope this helps.

Edited March 14, 2010 by Ohm
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