Common anticoagulant medications include enoxaparin (Lovenox), warfarin (Coumadin), and heparin. They are very effective in many cases. Anticoagulants often require frequent blood tests to help fine-tune the dosage of medication you need. Since anticoagulants can cause complications, such as excessive bleeding, your doctor may not prescribe one of these medications if you have a low-risk clot (such as a clot below your knee that’s not causing any symptoms). [2] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source Discuss the possible risks and benefits of using anticoagulants with your doctor.
If you’re on the couch watching TV, get up and walk around or do light stretches during commercial breaks. If you’re at your desk at work, set a timer for every 60 minutes and do the same for 2-5 minutes. If you’re on a long plane flight, get up once an hour and move around the cabin to prevent clots. If you’re stuck in your seat for a long period of time due to turbulence, do seated exercises like rotating your ankles, lifting your knees, or alternating between raising your heels and toes. [5] X Research source If you have vein blockages in your legs, your doctor may recommend a series of leg movements and stretches to do regularly—such as ankle rotations, pedal pumps, heel-toe rocks, knee-ups, and calf massages. Getting up and moving around regularly is good for your health whether you have blocked veins or not. [6] X Expert Source Patricia Ladis PT, CBBALicensed Physical Therapist Expert Interview. 19 March 2021.
Compression stockings help to reduce the swelling that is commonly caused by blocked veins, and also help to prevent future blood clots in the area. You’ll probably be told to wear them during the daytime for a period of months or even years. Keeping your feet elevated as little as 1–2 in (2. 5–5. 1 cm) above your hips while sleeping or lying down may help reduce both the swelling and the likelihood of future clots. Try sticking a pillow under your feet while you sleep, for instance. Compression and elevation can also help with blockages in your upper body (such as in your arms). Ask your doctor to show you how to use compression sleeves, and keep the affected limb above your heart as much as possible.
“Moderate intensity” cardio means that you can still speak, but you’re breathing hard enough that it’s hard to carry on a conversation and impossible to sing a song. Fast walking, light jogging, and easy biking or swimming are usually considered moderate intensity cardio. Strength training can include free weights, machines, exercise bands, hand weights, or body weight exercises. Exercise improves your circulation, which helps stop the growth of any current blood clots and the development of new ones.
When your body is properly hydrated, your veins are better lubricated. This makes the growth of new or existing blockages less likely. Beverages other than water also provide hydration, but you should limit or eliminate your alcohol intake, as per your doctor’s orders. Alcohol can interfere with any anticoagulant medications you’re taking.
Common vein blockage-fighting foods include: omega-3-rich foods like salmon and walnuts; flavonoid-rich foods like dark chocolate; anti-inflammatories like garlic and turmeric; antioxidant-rich foods like grapefruit and pomegranate; and other foods such as grapes, cherries, cranberries, pineapple, kiwi fruit, apples, sweet potatoes, and beans. Foods like spinach, kale, and other dark leafy greens contain large amounts of vitamin K, which is essential to your blood’s ability to clot. Especially if you’re on an anticoagulant medication, it’s important for you to consume a consistent amount of vitamin K every day. Work with your doctor to plan your vitamin K intake.
You might, for instance, be advised to take a 500 mg omega-3 supplement 1-2 times per day. Omega-3 fatty acids have anticoagulant properties. You may be at an elevated risk for blood clots due to a high homocysteine level. Taking a prescribed daily dosage of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folic acid may help reduce your homocysteine level. Ginkgo biloba supplements may help thin your blood, but should only be taken with your doctor’s recommendation.
Blood clots in the abdominal area can cause severe pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and bloody stools. Blood clots in the arms or legs can cause swelling, tenderness, and discoloration. Blood clots in the brain can cause speech and/or visual impairment, disorientation, dizziness, weakness or paralysis, and seizures. Blood clots in the heart can cause radiating chest pain, shortness of breath, an irregular heartbeat, and heavy sweating. Blood clots in the lungs can cause radiating chest pain, shortness of breath, a rapid pulse, and a bloody cough.
Possible DVT symptoms include swelling (usually in just one limb), pain, and sometimes redness or discoloration of the skin near the clot. While DVT can occur anywhere, it’s most common in the legs. You’re at elevated risk of developing DVT if you are currently hospitalized, have recently had surgery, are elderly or immobile, are overweight or obese, have a family history of blood clots, have or have had cancer, are pregnant or have recently given birth, are taking hormonal birth control or hormone replacement medication, or have recently been injured. The blockage causing your DVT can break free and travel to your lungs, causing a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE). Symptoms of PE include chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughing up blood. However, with prompt treatment, this is far less likely to happen.
Duplex ultrasonography, which is similar to a standard ultrasound but can more accurately track blood flow. D-dimer blood test, which checks a sample of your blood for clot fragments that have broken free. Contrast venography, which involves injecting a contrast dye into your bloodstream and then undergoing a series of X-rays.
Heparin. This is an anticoagulant that thins the blood and helps loosen the clot. It can be delivered by injection or IV and requires close monitoring afterward, which means you may have to stay in the hospital for 3-10 days. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). This option works similarly to traditional heparin but requires less rigorous monitoring. This means you may be able go back home instead of staying in the hospital. Warfarin. This is an anticoagulant that comes in pill form and works more slowly and less aggressively than heparin. You may be prescribed a daily warfarin dose for days, weeks, or permanently, and you’ll need to have blood testing done as often as 2-3 times per week while on warfarin. “Clotbusters” like TPA. Unlike anticoagulants, clotbusters actively work to break up a blood clot. They are delivered by IV, are reserved for the most serious cases, and require close monitoring in the hospital.
The filter itself is basically a soft mesh device that lets blood pass through but prevents the clot from passing by and potentially lodging in your lungs. You may need to have the filter in place for an extended period of time or very briefly, depending on your condition. However, these filters usually aren’t left in place permanently. Once your doctor thinks it’s safe to remove the filter, they will take it out basically the same way they put it in, through a catheter in your neck. It’s rare for these filters to cause any pain or discomfort. You probably won’t even be able to tell that it’s in there doing its job!
Moving around at least once per hour and elevating your feet at night. Wearing compression stockings during the day. Following a weekly cardio and strength training exercise program. Staying hydrated by drinking water. Eating foods and taking vitamins and supplements that may help prevent the growth of blood clots.
