If you are wondering, yes, Deep Vein Thrombosis a thing.
Long haul flights. Gotta love 'em.
I was taking my daughter to meet her mum in the US. Kids being kids, she spent most of the flight on my lap and I couldn't move for hours at a time. Warning bells anyone?
About a week after getting back to Australia, everything normal after a great holiday, I got home from work and noticed my leg was swollen.
After some investigation I noticed too that the back of my leg, behind the kneecap, was glowing warm and had little bumps on it.
This is odd thought I so I got on the web and looked up (on a reputable government website) the symptoms of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT):
From that same website (https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/deep-vein-thrombosis):
Symptoms of DVT
The symptoms of a DVT may include:
- pain and tenderness in the leg
- pain on extending the foot
- swelling of the lower leg, ankle and foot
- skin that is red and warm.
And add to that shortness of breath. Bingo, thought I and straight to emergency I went.
Good thing too. The clot had reached my lungs and I could have died at any moment. People do. The good news is that the prescribed medication to thin the blood is now derived from the venom of one of Australia's most dangerous snakes, the Taipan.
I'm still waiting for my superpowers to kick in.
So... in this age of lots of travel, be aware hey? And take care.
〰➰〰
Images courtesy of pixabay.com
@drwom
@ryivhnn