Worried You Have Deep Vein Thrombosis?

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a potentially life-threatening condition that happens when a blood clot occurs inside a deep vein, such as in your leg. These blood clots have a risk of breaking apart and moving up to your lungs, which is considered a medical emergency. Knowing how to check for DVT at home is an important part of ensuring you receive prompt treatment for this condition.

How To Check Yourself at Home

DVT might not cause any symptoms, which can make it hard to detect. In some cases, this condition does cause noticeable symptoms to occur. Checking for these symptoms with a self evaluation involves knowing what to look for. Keep in mind that DVT typically occurs in the legs, but it can also occur in another part of your body. You might also have symptoms that affect other parts of your body, rather than just your affected leg, especially if a blood clot has broken off and traveled through your veins.

Symptoms to Look Out For

What are the signs that you might have DVT? If you have this condition, you should watch for the following symptoms:

• Pain or soreness in the affected leg, which might start in your calf and spread to other areas
• Swelling in your leg, although both legs might have swelling in rare cases
• Discoloration or redness in the affected leg
• Skin that feels warm in the affected leg

You should see a doctor when you notice any symptoms of DVT, so that you can have treatment done as soon as possible. This helps lower your risk of having life-threatening complications occur. Treatment for DVT usually involves preventing the clot from getting larger, stopping it from breaking up, and lowering your risk of having this condition happen again.

Can DVT Be Treated At Home?

While you can check for symptoms of DVT at home, you should avoid trying to treat this condition on your own. In fact, not seeking medical treatment for this condition can be highly dangerous. DVT requires treatment to prevent blood clots from breaking off and making their way to your lungs, which is known as a pulmonary embolism. This complication can be deadly without immediate medical care. If you have any symptoms of a pulmonary embolism, such as shortness of breath, sudden dizziness, chest pain, or a rapid pulse, you should seek emergency medical care.

Precautions To Take During Covid When Scheduling an Appointment

You shouldn’t avoid putting off treatment for DVT during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s important to keep yourself safe from this illness. If you need to schedule an appointment, you can take certain precautions to lower your risk of getting COVID. These precautions include wearing a mask during your appointment, using hand sanitizer at the office, and avoiding touching your face. Keep in mind that medical offices are cleaned frequently to help prevent the spread of COVID and other diseases.

Schedule a Consult at Premier Heart & Vein Care in San Luis, California

If you need more information on vein treatments, please contact us to set up an appointment and meet our vein physicians in San Luis Obispo, CA. You can also visit us online to view our before and after results for vein procedures.