Because patients are in and out of the hospital so fast these days, it’s likely that any post-surgical trouble you experience will occur when you’re at home. That’s why it’s essential that you and your family be aware of the warning signs of a clot in the leg or a clot that has gone to the lung. You may have a clot if you have swelling or tenderness in the leg, especially in the calf. Signs of a clot in the lungs include sudden chest pain—especially pain that gets worse when you take a deep breath—and coughing up blood. If you have any of these signs, call your doctor immediately’. Don’t wait for your doctor’s office hours if this happens in the middle of the night. If you can’t get to your doctor, go to an emergency room and tell the doctor there that you need to be evaluated for deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Early treatment with anticoagulant medications generally takes care of the problem with excellent results. But if diagnosis—and therefore, treatment—is delayed, it’s possible that a large clot to the lungs could be fatal.
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