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.
I have a buddy on the stuff because of some heart problems he had in his early-30’s… despite being in excellent shape! He has run several marathons (he had run none before the surgery and blood-thinner) and started to dabble in tri’s and adventure races.
The biggest concern for him seems to be that something that would have been a slight bruise, pull, or injury is now compounded because of the Coumadin and bleeding under the surface.
be careful. Other than that you should be fine, that is after you get your MD’s approval on restarting your training. I figure since you are out of the hospital your blood clot is gone, right? If so, I agree with the previous poster as far as using any anit-coagulant therapy is that you will bruise, you can bleed rather easily and you need to get your blood tested every 2 weeks just to keep up on your bleeding times. Take it easy to start off with, go by how you feel, etc. Any lightheadedness/dizzyness, etc. contact your MD. Good luck.
I don’t think I’d worry about staying in shape. If a clot gets to your brain you’ll worry about walking again. Take it easy, watch your diet and stay in the pool. There is always next year if you don’t blow it this year. I’ve come back from serious illness a half dozen times but you have to take care of yourself now. Life isn’t fair but shit happens.
I have been on Coumadin since I had open heart surgery 4-1/2 years ago to get a mechanical aortic valve (I had a congenital bicuspid aortic valve that had started to calcify). I take 5mg /day and get my INR blood levels checked every 6 weeks.
Both my primary care physician (a triathlete) and my cardiologist have supported and encouraged my participation in triathlons to promote my aerobic health. In their opinion, the increased blood flow at the elevated heart rates during my training actual helps to prevent the formation of a blood clots on my mechanical valve.
I am fortunate that I do not bruise easily and am not a “bleeder”. I continue to bust my knuckles working on my cars and do carpentry work at Habitat for Humanity every Saturday morning…
The biggest danger I face is from a closed head injury causing bleeding in the brain. That is why I have a good bike helmet and never ride without it.
I had to go off Coumadin for a week and do the Lovenox injections when I had a colonoscopy/polypectomy earlier this year. Something of a pain/inconvenience, but really no big deal
My biggest limitations at this point are more due to age (52) than anything to do with my mechanical heart valve or Coumadin.
My best advice would be to talk to your doctor about your particular situation.