Your carotid arteries are some of the most important components within your body. Primarily, their function is to carry blood between your brain and heart, so having a blocked carotid artery could be the difference between life or death. The carotid is linked with the aorta artery, the largest and primary artery in your body that transports blood throughout the heart. All of your arteries and veins are linked, so if you experienced a negative diagnosis or sensed something could be wrong with your carotid artery, you would need to seek carotid treatment near New Port Richey (or wherever you happen to be).

Clogged arteries occur for multiple reasons and are the leading cause of illnesses like heart disease. They can indicate impending heart attacks, and an undetected blockage could lead to strokes that impair senses, cause brain, nerve, and heart damage, or even prove fatal.

The earliest signs of a blockage in your carotid artery include the following symptoms:

• Pain, pressure, or tightness in the chest.
• Numbness in the face or limbs, often suddenly.
• Trouble seeing out of one or both eyes, suddenly.
• Sudden loss of speech or stroke-like symptoms, such as loss of clarity and trouble formulating coherent, comprehensive thoughts.
• Dizziness, vertigo, or loss of balance.
• Severe headache with no cause – often called a “thunderclap” headache because of its suddenness and intensity.

As you can see, one of the key terms for carotid blockage and damage is “sudden.” People are often struck with symptoms without warnings beforehand. If there are symptoms beforehand, it’s often written off as a casual headache or indigestion.

What’s Involved in Treatment for Problems with Your Carotid Arteries?

Treatment for carotid artery problems will depend on the diagnosis. In some cases, the artery could cause high blood pressure, so treatment would be a change in a healthy diet, regular exercise, and medication to lower blood pressure. Lifestyle management is a big treatment option, while surgery is last.

Polmed Primary Care & Walk-In Clinic provides full-service carotid treatment near New Port Richey and surrounding cities. If you experience any of the aforementioned symptoms of carotid issues, give us a call at (727) 339-2054.