I’m going to go off track from sports again and talk about something personal to me. Coming from a marketers point of view, and as a woman I think that woman who are expecting should be made more aware of the complications and potential risks involved not only during labor, but after. Pregnant woman with health issues rarely gets any media attention or any attention at all, unless there is an incident like the swine flu that killed 28 pregnant women. Hemorrhage, DVT-caused pulmonary emboli, and uncontrolled blood pressure are the leading causes to death with pregnant woman. But because there is never any attention on stories like these how are woman supposed to know the dangers, and symptoms of pregnancy and after giving birth?
Linda Coale, a 35 year old healthy first time mom just had her first little baby boy, Benjamin. After trying for years to get pregnant, Linda and her husband Bill finally conceived and were very excited for this new chapter in their lives. In September of 2007 Linda gave birth to her little boy, by c-section. Linda was sent home, just like every other woman who just gave birth with no warnings about what to do after a c-section. A week after being home, Linda woke up in the middle of the night to feed Benjamin. This time was different for her though, she woke up with a lump in her leg and severe pain. She had called her doctor to see what to do, but it was too late. When her doctor finally got back to her she had collapsed dead.
Blood clots are blood that hardens from liquid to solid. They form when there is damage to the lining of a blood vessel, it can either be an artery or a vein. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that happens deep inside a body part, usually the legs. Regular blood clots rarely cause any serious problems, but deep vein thrombosis on the other hand, requires immediate medical care. A DVT can occur without symptoms, but that is not usually the case. As with the case with Mrs. Linda, the symptoms are painful, swollen, red and warm. Not every DVT case is deadly. It’s only deadly if the blood clot moves to the lungs, which in Mrs. Linda’s case it obviously did. Precautions could have been taken; the doctor could have just listed some things that she needed to do to prevent this:
1. Blood thinners: ones that are prescribed for you by the doctor
2. Wearing a sleeve like device on your legs during the surgery to compress your legs and keep blood flowing through your veins
3. Elevation of Legs
4. Moving around after surgery
5. Taking prescribed pain medicine
Linda Coale’s sister, Clare Johnson, has been trying to get the word out to woman about precautions woman should take after having a c-section when it comes to DVT. She didn't want any other family have to go through the pain and heart ache that her family and close friends have had to go through during this. Clare has been making an impact, where she has been asked to speak at hospitals and conventions about this topic. This story was personal for me because Linda Coale was like an aunt to me. Her family and my mom’s family grew up together; I don’t think I will ever forget the phone call my family received when she had passed away. All of this could have been prevented had she been more aware of the dangers associated with her pregnancy.
Just Kicking It,
Kristina
Linda Coale, a 35 year old healthy first time mom just had her first little baby boy, Benjamin. After trying for years to get pregnant, Linda and her husband Bill finally conceived and were very excited for this new chapter in their lives. In September of 2007 Linda gave birth to her little boy, by c-section. Linda was sent home, just like every other woman who just gave birth with no warnings about what to do after a c-section. A week after being home, Linda woke up in the middle of the night to feed Benjamin. This time was different for her though, she woke up with a lump in her leg and severe pain. She had called her doctor to see what to do, but it was too late. When her doctor finally got back to her she had collapsed dead.
Blood clots are blood that hardens from liquid to solid. They form when there is damage to the lining of a blood vessel, it can either be an artery or a vein. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that happens deep inside a body part, usually the legs. Regular blood clots rarely cause any serious problems, but deep vein thrombosis on the other hand, requires immediate medical care. A DVT can occur without symptoms, but that is not usually the case. As with the case with Mrs. Linda, the symptoms are painful, swollen, red and warm. Not every DVT case is deadly. It’s only deadly if the blood clot moves to the lungs, which in Mrs. Linda’s case it obviously did. Precautions could have been taken; the doctor could have just listed some things that she needed to do to prevent this:
1. Blood thinners: ones that are prescribed for you by the doctor
2. Wearing a sleeve like device on your legs during the surgery to compress your legs and keep blood flowing through your veins
3. Elevation of Legs
4. Moving around after surgery
5. Taking prescribed pain medicine
Linda Coale’s sister, Clare Johnson, has been trying to get the word out to woman about precautions woman should take after having a c-section when it comes to DVT. She didn't want any other family have to go through the pain and heart ache that her family and close friends have had to go through during this. Clare has been making an impact, where she has been asked to speak at hospitals and conventions about this topic. This story was personal for me because Linda Coale was like an aunt to me. Her family and my mom’s family grew up together; I don’t think I will ever forget the phone call my family received when she had passed away. All of this could have been prevented had she been more aware of the dangers associated with her pregnancy.
Just Kicking It,
Kristina