“It’s been a scary few days.” Singer Tori Kelly said in a handwritten note shared on her Instagram page on July 27th: Four days earlier, the Grammy winner reportedly passed out while out for dinner in Los Angeles after feeling her heart pounding. Her associates took her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she reportedly found blood clots in her legs and lungs by her medical staff.
Now, almost a week later, her husband says she’s “smiling and feeling stronger,” but that she’s “not quite out of it yet.” How could a young, seemingly healthy person fall into such danger so quickly?
Although blood clots rarely get as much attention as other health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, they are a common and sometimes fatal problem. The CDC estimates that: 900,000 Americans experience them each year, And 100,000 of them will die. The National Clot Alliance puts the death toll even higher. up to 300,000 Individual yearly. (The number is difficult to determine because blood clots are often accompanied by other health problems.)
As the National Clot Alliance points out, this is significantly higher than the number of people dying from thrombosis. car accident, AIDS again breast cancer. But few of us who have experienced a blood clot firsthand even know what a blood clot is, much less how to recognize the warning signs.
“Being able to identify an active clot is important in therapy.”
Anyone who has had bleeding has experienced clotting.Tony Gilbert, communications officer Freemasonry Institute of Medicine“A blood clot is simply a clot that forms when blood clots,” says the nonprofit research center in Utica. explains. “Blood clotting is not inherently bad or good. It all depends,” he says.
For example, Gilbert says, “Hemophiliacs are unable to clot their blood properly, which means even minor cuts can have serious consequences.” And once a blood clot develops in the body, it can be life-threatening.
When Tori Kelly had health concerns, the Los Angeles Times reported that her doctor said: Blood clots found around lungs and in legs of ‘Never Alone’ singer “The medical team was working to determine if a blood clot was present near the heart of the Grammy winner,” he said. When a thrombotic crisis occurs, it can be a race against time to pinpoint where the clot is in the body and contain it.
Another high risk factor is increased estrogen from hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and childbirth.
“It’s important in therapy to be able to identify active clots,” explains Gilbert. “There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the adult human body, so it’s important to pinpoint blockages in that complex system.” He likens it to having to find the scene of a car crash that blocks traffic on a 60,000-mile highway. “Contrast agents to identify blood clots are like giant neon signs on the road that show us exactly where the problem is.”
A blood clot in a vein (usually in the arm, leg, or pelvis) is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). It can happen to anyone at any time, but inactivity can be a risk factor, even sitting on long flights. Even more dangerous are migratory blood clots. In the lungs it causes pulmonary embolism and in the heart it causes coronary thrombosis.. 20 years ago, NBC correspondent David Bloom dies in Iraq of pulmonary embolism. He died suddenly at the age of 39, probably from a blood clot in his leg, possibly from his frequent travels in cramped cars as a war correspondent.
Another high risk factor is increased estrogen caused by factors such as: hormonal contraception, pregnancy, childbirth. Blood clots are the leading cause of maternal death in the United States, That number hasn’t decreased in 20 years. Five years ago, Serena Williams revealed that she nearly died of a pulmonary embolism after giving birth to her daughter by caesarean section. Fortunately for her, her Ms. Williams was proactive about her symptoms. “I live in fear of this situation because of her medical history with this problem,” she wrote at the time. “When I was short of breath, I didn’t wait a second to let the nurses know… I was lucky to survive.”
Time is very important when it comes to blood clots, and it helps to develop proper guidance and good intuition. When I heard about Tori Kelly’s situation earlier this week, I was reminded of the day her friend Kira gently texted me that her arm was swollen and doctors recommended she go to the hospital. . She had been treated for breast cancer several years earlier, so she initially thought her symptoms might be related to lymphedema.
Instead, when I saw her in the emergency room, doctors were busy checking to see if a clot in the subclavian vein under her collarbone had moved toward her heart. “It didn’t hurt,” she recalls now. “She felt a little weird and looked a little weird.”
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Without a history of breast cancer, Kira might have wanted to postpone treatment until things got even more dire. “People at the ER told me, ‘Your case is the most serious issue we’re dealing with right now,'” she says. “I was like, ‘I feel good.’ And I was in the hospital for three days.” I couldn’t.”
Although the risk factors for blood clots are mysterious and symptoms can be difficult to identify, there are a few things you can do to minimize the chances of contracting a blood clot or being seriously affected. Blood clots can occur in anyone at any time, but people with heart disease, obesity, smokers, and a family history of blood clots are at increased risk.
Similarly, although the exact cause is unknown, early research suggests that people who have had COVID-19 are at a “significantly” higher risk of venous thromboembolism. Earlier this year, when I contracted COVID-19 and felt like I was hooked on a needle and fish were flapping, I had two X-rays to rule out pneumonia and pulmonary embolism. I had to take it twice. Like Kira, I had a history of cancer, so I already knew I was likely to have blood clots. In my case, the cancer had spread to my lungs.
Early research suggests that people who have had COVID-19 are at a “significantly” higher risk of venous thromboembolism.
So how do you know if you have a blood clot and when to see a doctor? , if you have tenderness, take it seriously. It could be an early warning sign of DVT. Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid heart rate, or sudden light-headedness and fainting may be signs of pulmonary embolism, similar to those reported by Tori Kelly. Trust your intuition. you know your body If you feel something is wrong, listen and check.
Blood clots can migrate rapidly and can have long-lasting sequelae after treatment. But quick action can save your life and eventually cure you completely. The Journal of Circulation assures:Most patients with DVT or PE recover completely Recovery occurs within weeks to months without significant complications or long-term side effects. ”
It’s been 4 years since my friend Kira’s close call and she is healthy with no further incidents or complications. And just days after her hospitalization, Tori Kelly told fans:I feel stronger now and full of hope” And she added, ”Unfortunately, there are some things that are still unexplained.”
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