On Coumadin for a Blood Clot - Suggestions on staying active?

[Bonnie Crawford]

Had knee surgery 3 weeks ago and will be on crutches for 6 wks total.
Knee was doing ok til Thursday when I got off the last of 4 recent plane
flights.Had horrible swelling in my knee and a good amount of pain.
After icing and elevating it hadn't improved so my doctor told me to go
to the ER. We get there Thursday night at midnight where they found I
have DVT (deep vein thrombosis) aka a blood clot that could kill me if
it moves to heart, lungs or brain.

Haven't gotten much time to process this but the basics are:
I'm injecting myself for the next week with Lovenox and am also on
Coumadin (a blood thinner) for the next 6 months and I'm supposed to
stay away from most outdoor activities other than walking and swimming
(pool only) while I'm on the blood thinners.

Can anyone help? Do you know anyone that's been through this treatment?
How have they stayed healthy while on this stuff? What activities do
they do to keep active? Any info, stories, tips would be greatly
appreciated!

I've lost 155lbs and finished several triathlons including a 1/2 IM and
was planning to do IM CDA 06 so I'm really concerned about how (and if)
I can maintain fitness while I rehab my knee from the surgery and
*hopefully* get rid of the clot and off the blood thinners.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Tom Henderson]

Bonnie Crawford <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Had knee surgery 3 weeks ago and will be on crutches for 6 wks total.
> Knee was doing ok til Thursday when I got off the last of 4 recent
> plane flights.Had horrible swelling in my knee and a good amount of
> pain. After icing and elevating it hadn't improved so my doctor told
> me to go to the ER. We get there Thursday night at midnight where they
> found I have DVT (deep vein thrombosis) aka a blood clot that could
> kill me if it moves to heart, lungs or brain.
>
> Haven't gotten much time to process this but the basics are:
> I'm injecting myself for the next week with Lovenox and am also on
> Coumadin (a blood thinner) for the next 6 months and I'm supposed to
> stay away from most outdoor activities other than walking and swimming
> (pool only) while I'm on the blood thinners.
>
> Can anyone help? Do you know anyone that's been through this
> treatment? How have they stayed healthy while on this stuff? What
> activities do they do to keep active? Any info, stories, tips would be
> greatly appreciated!
>
> I've lost 155lbs and finished several triathlons including a 1/2 IM
> and was planning to do IM CDA 06 so I'm really concerned about how
> (and if) I can maintain fitness while I rehab my knee from the surgery
> and *hopefully* get rid of the clot and off the blood thinners.
>
> Thanks for your help!
>

Some info on the drug at:

http://my.webmd.com/drugs/drug-4069-Coumadin+Oral.aspx?drugid=4069&drugna
me=Coumadin+Oral

It sounds like the two main concerns are injury (if you start bleeding
while on this stuff, you're not going to stop!) and to a lesser degree
high blood pressure. Ask your doc if a bike ride on the trainer is
acceptable. They probably want you to avoid ALL strenuous activity until
the clot is completely dissolved. My boss at a former job had this
happen to him while his foot was in a cast. The clot broke up and
damaged (temporarily) portions of his lungs. They put him in a hospital
bed for the first couple of weeks and wouldn't even let him walk across
the room to the bathroom. Eventually he was allowed to slowly increase
his activity levels and he's fine now.

Listen to the doc and follow his/her instructions. You might lose
fitness, but there are far, far worse things that could happen.

 

[Sam]

Sounds like you need to get HEALTHY first
"Bonnie Crawford" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Had knee surgery 3 weeks ago and will be on crutches for 6 wks total. Knee
> was doing ok til Thursday when I got off the last of 4 recent plane
> flights.Had horrible swelling in my knee and a good amount of pain. After
> icing and elevating it hadn't improved so my doctor told me to go to the
> ER. We get there Thursday night at midnight where they found I have DVT
> (deep vein thrombosis) aka a blood clot that could kill me if it moves to
> heart, lungs or brain.
>
> Haven't gotten much time to process this but the basics are:
> I'm injecting myself for the next week with Lovenox and am also on
> Coumadin (a blood thinner) for the next 6 months and I'm supposed to stay
> away from most outdoor activities other than walking and swimming (pool
> only) while I'm on the blood thinners.
>
> Can anyone help? Do you know anyone that's been through this treatment?
> How have they stayed healthy while on this stuff? What activities do they
> do to keep active? Any info, stories, tips would be greatly appreciated!
>
> I've lost 155lbs and finished several triathlons including a 1/2 IM and
> was planning to do IM CDA 06 so I'm really concerned about how (and if) I
> can maintain fitness while I rehab my knee from the surgery and
> *hopefully* get rid of the clot and off the blood thinners.
>
> Thanks for your help!

 

[Eric]

sounds like you need some rest. But hey, the Tour de France is coming, I
can't think of a better time to be sidelined and stuck in front of the TV.
Being sick or injured is a toughie for me: stress builds, I eat ice
cream, gain weight and feel like a bloated piggy, and turn into a
grump-butt.
I had to miss IMC in 1997 for health. If you make it there do your best.
To me, feeling like I gave my all is more important than a good time. If
you miss, you'll get another shot. Just take a mental vacation.
Eric


Bonnie Crawford wrote:
> Had knee surgery 3 weeks ago and will be on crutches for 6 wks total.
> Knee was doing ok til Thursday when I got off the last of 4 recent plane
> flights.Had horrible swelling in my knee and a good amount of pain.
> After icing and elevating it hadn't improved so my doctor told me to go
> to the ER. We get there Thursday night at midnight where they found I
> have DVT (deep vein thrombosis) aka a blood clot that could kill me if
> it moves to heart, lungs or brain.
>
> Haven't gotten much time to process this but the basics are:
> I'm injecting myself for the next week with Lovenox and am also on
> Coumadin (a blood thinner) for the next 6 months and I'm supposed to
> stay away from most outdoor activities other than walking and swimming
> (pool only) while I'm on the blood thinners.
>
> Can anyone help? Do you know anyone that's been through this treatment?
> How have they stayed healthy while on this stuff? What activities do
> they do to keep active? Any info, stories, tips would be greatly
> appreciated!
>
> I've lost 155lbs and finished several triathlons including a 1/2 IM and
> was planning to do IM CDA 06 so I'm really concerned about how (and if)
> I can maintain fitness while I rehab my knee from the surgery and
> *hopefully* get rid of the clot and off the blood thinners.
>
> Thanks for your help!

 

[Kenneth Burres]

You have a dangerous condition and perhaps would be best advised to go
virtual and
get machines that have minimal impact.... rowing machine, cycling
trainer, and elliptical
that are PC interactive and train in a cool and safe environment...
using a PC to
help you train. NetAthlon is the software. www.fitcentric.com. I used
it after
cardiac surgery with coumadin 5 years ago. Worked great for me. I even
have a swim machine.
>
> I've lost 155lbs and finished several triathlons including a 1/2 IM and
> was planning to do IM CDA 06 so I'm really concerned about how (and if)
> I can maintain fitness while I rehab my knee from the surgery and
> *hopefully* get rid of the clot and off the blood thinners.
>
> Thanks for your help!




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