Elevate your legs when you sit or lie down, as often as you can. This will help decrease swelling and pain. Prop your legs on pillows or blankets to keep them elevated comfortably.
“The added weight of the uterus further compresses the vein.” She suggests sleeping on your left side to improve circulation, and avoid sleeping on your back. “Elevate legs at the end of the day and get a good pair of compression stockings if you get any swelling or varicose veins,” she says.
Raise your feet, especially when sleeping
It doesn't take much, raising your feet by a few inches by placing a pillow under your legs will help.
For years, if you had a DVT, your doctor would order bed rest. This was thought to lower the risk of a clot traveling through your bloodstream to your lungs. But recent research suggests that bed rest doesn't help people with DVT and that it may be fine for you to get up and move around.
But there are some clues that can help you figure out if you should see your provider: DVTs typically cause one-sided leg swelling, redness, and warmth that worsens over time. Leg cramps tend to occur at night, come on suddenly, and get better after a few seconds or minutes.
Typically, your body will naturally dissolve the blood clot after the injury has healed. Sometimes, however, clots form on the inside of vessels without an obvious injury or do not dissolve naturally. These situations can be dangerous and require accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
It takes about 3 to 6 months for a blood clot to go away.
If you have been diagnosed with a blood clot, or clotting disorder, you may be wondering, “Now what?” While recovery from blood clots can be difficult, overwhelming, and even life-changing, most people do recover completely from blood clots and go on to resume their normal lives and activities.
DON'T stand or sit in one spot for a long time. DON'T wear clothing that restricts blood flow in your legs. DON'T smoke. DON'T participate in contact sports when taking blood thinners because you're at risk of bleeding from trauma.
While a pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening, most patients survive DVT and need to learn how to live with the risk of recurrence. Your healthcare provider will probably prescribe anticoagulants, or blood thinners, which may be needed for as little as three months but can be lifelong treatment.
“Fortunately, you can do several things to reduce your risk of blood clots during long trips, such as moving your legs frequently or taking a break to stretch your legs,” says Ankur Chandra, MD, a vascular surgeon at Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines. “Activities like this help to improve the flow of blood in your legs.”
Stay active. Remaining sedentary for long periods of time can cause your blood to pool, which can lead to clots. Make it a point to get up every 30 minutes – 1 hour and move to get your blood flowing.
Do not sit so that you put steady pressure on the back of your knee. Prop up your legs on a stool or chair if your legs swell when you sit.
Preventing Blood Clots
Raise your legs 6 inches above your heart from time to time. Wear special stockings (called compression stockings) if your doctor prescribes them. Do exercises your doctor gives you. Change your position often, especially during a long trip.
Clot removal: Your physician removes the blood clot. During an open thrombectomy, your surgeon uses a balloon catheter to pull the clot out. During a mechanical thrombectomy, they use special devices to either break up the clot, dissolve the clot, or suck out the clot through a catheter-like vacuum.
Citrus Fruit
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for staying healthy and citrus fruits are an excellent way to include it in your diet. Citrus fruit such as oranges, grapefruit, and lemons contain many antioxidants that can lower inflammation, prevent blood clots, and improve blood circulation.
Organosulfur compounds such as leeks, onions, and garlic protect the heart because they reduce production of cholesterol in the liver. Hydration is also an essential component of adequate circulation. Dehydration causes the blood to thicken, increasing risk of poor circulation and development of a blood clot.
In such cases, getting up to walk around and get the blood flowing every hour or so is extremely beneficial. For someone who has experienced a DVT, traditional treatments have focused on anticoagulation or medication therapy to thin the blood, combined with bed rest.
Blood clots are a natural part of the healing process. When an injury damages a blood vessel enough to cause bleeding, your blood will form clots to slow the blood flow and prevent blood loss. Once your injury heals, the body naturally breaks down the blood clot that is no longer needed.
When left untreated, the blood clot in the leg can restrict blood flow to the arteries in the limb, making amputation a necessary and life-saving procedure.
Blood clots may form when blood flow in your veins slows down or becomes blocked. DVT becomes more likely if you have one or more of these risk factors: Being sedentary due to bed rest or sitting too long without moving, such as during travel. Family history of blood clots.