Health update

Well, I thought I would brief you all on my situation. I got back
from the doctor's office today and here is the gist of things:

• The blood clot is random and not hereditary
• The blood clot is going away if not already gone ( he checked my arm and there is no pain or swelling etc.
• I will still be on blood thinners (anti-coagulants) for 3-6 months to be safe
  
• I CAN eat:eat2: normal vegetables that contain vitmain K, just in regular servings...no more seconds of collards, spinach, broccoli, mustard greens etc.
• I cannot take one particular supplement any more because it is concentrated and HIGH in vitamin K which assists in making your blood clot.
• I may have a "lupus anti-coagulant antigen" that works in the opposite way; another type of immune problem that causes your blood to thicken too much therefore causing potential blood clots. They won't know until they get the results from all the blood tests that they are going to run. May be on Coumidan for extended period of time...I will know in a few days.

So that is where things are at the present time. The good thing is that the thinners are working and the little clot has dissolved or is dissolving rapidly and I should be back to my normal routine in a day or so.:yay: I will keep you all posted. Thanks for the prayers and words of encouragement.

 

Good news indeed, and maybe more good news to come.

If you go on the anti-coag, Warfarin is the generic version of Coumadin. There seems to be some controversy about whether W. is as effective as C. But I've been on W. for over a year now with no problems, which INR blood tests confirm. Also, W. as generic should cost less. But neither is very expensive.

Other things that affect W.'s effectiveness include agents that lower cholesterol, alcohol, antiinflammatory drugs NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen), cranberry juice, garlic, and green tea.

I carry a home-made wallet-size i.d card with a big red cross on the front. It has name, dose of medicine being used, and the name and phone number of my doctor.

While on anti-coags you must be more careful to protect against cuts since you will bleed more freely with inhibited clotting. I have even re-arranged the kitchen knives in our drawer since it could have been easy to reach in a pick up one blade first.

Dave

 

I asked my Dr. about my routine, he said that I should resume with no problem. Just to be careful not to get into any fights where bruises might occur and or try not to wreck my bike any time soon. Other than that he said I should be ok with my normal activity. He said that getting a small scrape, nick or cut should not be a problem either, that they won't bleed as much say as a gash that cuts beyond the subcutaneous layer of the skin. If all the tests come back clear I should be off the warfarin at the end of 6 months. I said if they are clear then why continue? He said it is always done that way just to be on the safe side. So this may be just a random hiccup in nature so to speak. We'll see. Why do you have to stay on it? Does it run in your family?

 

I have to stay on it because the diagnosis was that there was no diagnosis (ideopathy). There was no discernable cause. No trauma, no surgery, family history, no chemical reason... nothing detectable. Without a known cause, it could happen again. Or not. A 1:3 chance of happening. Not willing to take the chance. Minor inconvenience for a small daily pill vs. chance of a life-threatening second instance.

BTW, Doc said my cycling and tennis probably helped keep clot fragments from getting lodged in my heart as happened in my lungs.

Dave

 

Wow, guess it is good to be active then eh? Well that is good to know, I know I will continue to be active as long as I am able. Now about that cranberry juice thing...I better ask my Dr. about that...I like Cranberry juice and I don't relish the idea of not being able to drink it. It has so many good things that it can do for you... like biking! Speaking of which, I talked to my "bike buddy" today and she is dying to get out again, but she is a fair weather gal. She wants to ride but doesn't like the cold so doesn't want to ride. She is in a pickle. I told her to get some cold weather gear but she looked at me like I was crazy! All I need to do is get a tube in my rear tire and I am ready to go.

 

Show her pictures in the Michelin Man / Woman contest. It has a list of clothes for riding outside in this weather.

 

Thanks for the update Honeybee. Prayer does indeed work!