Jo Spencer said: ‘As soon as I saw my left foot, I kind of thought I was going to lose it.
Woman loses both legs to blood clot
Blood clots can cause trouble for your body as they cut off blood supply in veins and arteries. The case of Jo Spencer, 55, head of Client relations for a financial firm, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, shows how blood clots can lead to dire consequences. .
While heart attacks and strokes are among the scariest consequences of blood clots, Jo lost her legs. The surgeons had no choice but to amputate her leg.
Despite having diabetes since the age of 7, Jo Spencer’s health is still very good. By May 2020, she noticed that the toes of her left foot turned blue-black. “As soon as I saw my left foot, I kind of thought I was going to lose it.”, Jo said. After the surgery to amputate her left leg, Jo began to experience pain in her right leg. Finally, the doctor called Jo’s husband and told him that they also had to amputate his right leg.
The color change in the leg and the pain Jo experienced could be red flags of a blood clot. The NHS advises people to look out for red or dark skin and any swelling in this area.
Other blood clot symptoms in the legs may include:
Sharp or cramping pain in one leg (rarely both legs), usually in the calf or thigh.
– Swelling of one leg (rarely both legs).
The skin around the painful area feels warm.
Red or dark skin around the painful area.
– The veins are swollen or painful to the touch.
Cold weather can promote harmful blood clots
Blood clots can sometimes appear with the good intention of helping to stop bleeding. However, gel-like blood clots that develop in your veins and arteries for no good reason can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Worse yet, the heat outside can contribute to this process and increase your risk.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) explains, whether it’s hot and sunny or cold and icy, your body must always try to keep its temperature stable at around 37.5 degrees Celsius. , the concern is that cold weather may promote harmful blood clots to appear.
UKHSA states: “When we start to get cold, the blood becomes thicker, which can cause clotting. Blood clotting can be one of the reasons we experience higher heart attacks and strokes during weather days.” colder”.
According to the NHS, both of these conditions can be life-threatening and require urgent medical attention.
In a previous interview with Express.co.uk, Professor Mark Whiteley, leading venous surgeon and founder of The Whiteley Clinic, also warned that cold weather could be dangerous to altitude. blood viscosity.
Professor Whiteley said: “Sudden changes in temperature, such as when entering a warm, central heating building after being outside in the cold, can cause heat stress on the body. This means is that the body has to work harder to maintain a constant temperature. This can directly affect the viscosity of the blood, making the blood stickier and easier to clot.”
UKHSA and experts aren’t the only ones highlighting this risk, with a study published in the journal International Angiology by Chinese scientists also warning that lower temperatures appear to be “significantly linked”. told” with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The study followed hospitalized patients with DVT in Shenyang (China) for a period of 10 years and found that low ambient temperature was associated with manifestations of DVT.
How to prevent blood clots?
Fortunately, medical directors from UKHSA have shared that physical activity can protect you against this risk. UKHSA writes: “Light exercise can also be helpful as this helps blood circulate throughout the body and can prevent blood clotting.
If you sit still for a long time, you will feel colder. If you can’t walk around, wiggle your toes and fingers. These actions may not sound like much, but even small measures like these can help you stay warm and healthy.