Vein blocked by blood clot in leg, coumadin therapy started

[Rick Murchison]

Aging ain't for wimps!
Hang in there, Don.
Prayer lamp lit in Alabama.
Rick †

 

[Wreck Wench]

Just sent you a pm...there are nutritional therapies that help circulation as well as enable the body to respond better to medical treatments and heal faster. Mircronutrition is the key to enhancing such an approach and should be given consideration as it is non-invasive, natural and what the original 'doc' ordered! (You know the one that also gave us the ocean we dive in and the world we live in.)
-ww

 

[The Chairman]

Mircronutrition

Yipes! Sounds like a lo-cal diet!

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support...

Hi Don:

I'm glad that you at least have an answer to your leg pain, and hope that you are able to recover quickly. You may want to discuss with your doctor whether you had any predisposing factors for development of a major vein clot, or if he or she thinks it was a "random" occurrence. Plus, you'll get to learn the alphabet soup of blood clots: DVT, PE, INR etc. At least you have the support and sympathy of the ScubaBoard community!

Slingshot

Good suggestion, thanks. I'll bring it up if he doesn't.

I just wanted to suggest that you talk to your doctor about your stroke and heart attack risks.

Thanks. I've long been one for prophylactic aspirin - especially on dive day mornings, but I think that this coumadin blood thinner (great rat poison) covers that pretty well. I had to ask the nurse to stop pinching flesh when she gave the shot as I bruise so easily now, and that was before the dose increase. I will bring it up tho.

I'm glad the office girl who liked to pinch is no longer with us. :11: I carry the coumadine receipt in my shirt pocket and will get new dog tags with this included, but if she comes by for a visit - got to tell her quickly.

 

[tedtim]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support...

Don,

I have been diving for only four years. Made it to DM and that is about as far as I plan to go. I have been taking coumadin since 1999 as a result of a third blood clot in the same leg. The first one was a result of some major knee surgery I had 27 years ago. The second one happened after a very long drive moving my family (ex military too, but Canadian) in 1994. The third one happend out of the blue in 1999. The docs offered me the choice of three months on coumadin, or a low dose for life. I took the low dose approach because we could not find a common cause for the clots.

Different docs have different views on diving while taking anti-coagulants. Here is a link to the use of anticoagulants and diving http://www.scuba-doc.com/antcoag.htm. Straight answers do not come easily from the medical community.

I look at this as a risk management issue. I have a blood test every four to six weeks and the medical folks call with the results. For the past two years I have not had to adjust the coumadin to maintain the range of the PTT. It is lower than that for resolving the clot. I also see the specialist every year, and have my doc review the results on an annual medical. Neither have told me to stop diving. They see no reason for restricting activities because of this. All things considered, I am willing to manage the risk. My regular dive partners know about the situation.

I hope that your treatment resolves your situation and that you can get back into the water soon.

 

[drbill]

Sorry to hear the news, but am sure you'll be back in the water with all that determination you possess. And "even cowboys get the blues" now and then!

 

[SubMariner]

Don,

The good news is that the clot was discovered & treatment begun BEFORE it travelled anywhere. I don't know if you recall, but last year I posted about Pearce having not only a bad DVT in one of his legs, but serious clots in BOTH lungs as well.

After several doppler tests came back clear at the end of last year he was allowed to return to diving, but remained on coumadin for until this April (basically a year).

We're all glad you are ok. And sure you'll be back diving in the not-too-distant future.

And just a note to you stoics out there: STOP IGNORING THIS KIND OF STUFF CUZ IT CAN BE DEADLY!

 

[El Orans]

Hope you'll be okay!

 

[Diver0001]

Just sent you a pm...there are nutritional therapies that help circulation as well as enable the body to respond better to medical treatments and heal faster. Mircronutrition is the key to enhancing such an approach and should be given consideration as it is non-invasive, natural and what the original 'doc' ordered! (You know the one that also gave us the ocean we dive in and the world we live in.)
-ww

You sound like my wife....LOL she's always kicking around with magic potions too.

I'm sure that 9 times out of 10 these things are somehow linked to diet but in my mind there are two steps to this. First fix the problem then fix the diet/life-style. short-term/long-term.

(depending on what you say next we'll see how much like my wife you really are... )

Don,

Hang in there, brother! Something like that would freak the bejezus out of me so I can imagine (a little bit, I hope) how you feel.

R..

 

[MtnDiver]

Don,

Sad you hear about your problems. Hopefully you'll be back blowing bubbles before too long!