Pam
Blood clots sound pretty serious, right? They sound particularly serious when they are in those long lists of side-effects listed after those medical infomercials. Just because blood clots can be serious (depending on the circumstances), does not mean you have to be super paranoid about getting one. As long as you educate yourself about what blood clots are, where they come from, how to spot them and their related ailments (hematomas I’m looking at you), and what some of the risks are, you’ll be right as rain.
1. What is a Blood Clot?
You might be wondering to yourself about what a blood clot is – or not. The word gets thrown around as a potentially dangerous side effect with several medications, but what is a blood clot? Believe it or not, it’s essentially what it sounds like. A blood clot is blood that has gone from a liquid state, to more of a gel-like – or even fully solid – state. Usually, if you cut yourself and bleed, you want your blood to clot on the outside so you stop bleeding (i.e. it turns into a scab). Blood clots become dangerous when they form inside your veins, because they can’t always dissolve on their own, and vein or artery obstructions are not good.
