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PING: Dale, 6ix and thinline
Last Post 10/23/2014 08:57 PM by jacques anquetil. 9 Replies.
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/22/2014 10:14 AM |
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Article in VN re: DVT's and PE's.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/10/news/road/pulmonary-embolism-silent-killer-cyclists-know_350026 |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 10/22/2014 11:44 AM |
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Yeah, saw that. The other symptom of DVT is a red, swollen, angry vein which prompted me to call my doc. He ordered an ultra sound or something that detected the clot. Blood tests confirmed LF5 and a life time of anti-coagulants.
1.7 last Monday so my dosage got upped a tad. Doc, who also races cross, said he wants me at 1.9 but not much higher during race season. 1.8 is the therapeutic level, 2.0 is target under most circumstances. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/22/2014 12:06 PM |
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Huh....my doc says 2.0 is therapeutic and wants me around 2.5.
I have been watching the oh-so-incredibly-cheesy TV show Arrow with my oldest daughter (loosely based on the old Green Arrow comic books). During one show last season, the hero has his blood get all messed up and is incredibly thick. I turn to lil' CK and say "They need to give him some rat poison." Sure enough, one of the characters goes and grabs exactly that and says "This will solve the problem!"
I laughed my ass off!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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thinline
Posts:325
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| 10/22/2014 12:37 PM |
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I was on Xarelto (sp?) for about 4 weeks if memory serves, before undergoing cardioversion for atrial flutter last July/August 2013. Once I got cardioverted they let me off that but kept me on a drug to repress my heart rate for about 2 more weeks. That was weird because they said "have at it" for exercise, but my heart rate would stay artificailly low for the work I was doing so my muscles weren't getting the level of oxygenated blood they needed. It actually tore my conditioning down a bit for a while there.
As to the Xarelto, I see some commercials touting how great it is followed by others from law firms saying "Have you or a loved one been prescribed Xarelto and suffered . . . . Call now for a free consultation."
Glad to be off it with those kinda mixed messages!
Hope y'all are well and getting in some miles. The season is rapidly coming to its conclusion here in VT. Still sneaking in the miles when I can. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 10/22/2014 04:11 PM |
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My doc and I discussed Xarelto and I couldn't see any reason not to switch. With Warfarin a shot of vitamin K reverses the effect if I need to undergo surgery or am at risk of bleeding out (of course that presupposes the available of an injectable dose of vitamin K, right CK?), plus Warfarin has been around forever so the side effects are pretty well established.
I think 1.8 is the bottom end of the therapeutic level. If I weren't racing I think he'd have me up a bit. I've heard 2.0 from a couple of docs as the ideal number but individual propensities to clot or other factors (long air travel or prolonged sitting, perhaps) play into the level a doc recommends.
History on Warfarin that is interesting (at least to me). Some cows in the US and Canada were dying of hemorrhaging after minor cuts and scrapes. Some researchers at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation discovered a slime in some feed that caused the blood to lose it clotting properties. After they isolated the chemical responsible they named it Warfarin after the foundation and it was a dandy rat poison. Someone figured it would work great as an anti-coagulant in heart attack patients. President Eisenhower was one of the early patients using the drug. 50+ years later good old rat poison has potentially kept me from dying of a pulmonary embolism. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/22/2014 08:15 PM |
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My doc and I discussed Xarelto and I couldn't see any reason not to switch. With Warfarin a shot of vitamin K reverses the effect if I need to undergo surgery or am at risk of bleeding out (of course that presupposes the available of an injectable dose of vitamin K, right CK?), plus Warfarin has been around forever so the side effects are pretty well established.
No schitt....did I tell you that Coagulation Clinic at the hospital didn't even have any Vitamin K? "Oh, we don't have any meds here". Seriously? WTF?!?!?!
BUt yeah, going over to the next-gen of thinners just doesn't make sense. It has some big advantages (no dietary restrictions, no regular monitoring) but as you note, is more difficult to reverse. And when you tend to engage in risky activities such as riding your bike on open roads or racing, being able to reverse your thinners is pretty damn appealing. 
Also, my insurance won't pay for it and that stuff ain't cheap!!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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6ix
Posts:485
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| 10/23/2014 10:02 AM |
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Agree with Dale about coumadin. I'm sticking with it. I have a device at home that I use to check my INR every 2 weeks. Far, far better than the multiple trips to the doctor's office every month! My therapeutic level is 2-3 but I don't race anymore.
Just had a little surgery last week and have been on a Lovenox bridge. The injections into my stomach suck but it's better than the alternative. I'm not aware of Vitamin K shots being used in the short-term such as during an emergency. That's news to me.
The article was very accurate about the lingering swelling after going through a DVT. My right leg is always larger now because the artery was permanently damaged. The valves aren't strong enough to push the blood back up. Fortunately, it hasn't caused me any issues.
Guess I was fortunate to escape my episode of PE (pulmonary embolisms) without any pain. Never felt a thing so it's only by luck that the doctors even noticed it.
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 10/23/2014 10:08 AM |
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| Vito K doesn't work right away, it just allows the liver to make the clotting factors Coumadin suppresses. In an urgent situation these proteins are transfused (IV). |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/23/2014 10:37 AM |
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Guess I was fortunate to escape my episode of PE (pulmonary embolisms) without any pain. Never felt a thing so it's only by luck that the doctors even noticed it.
Yup....me, too. Was diagnosed with the DVT the night before and was scheduled to see my primary doc @ 9:30 the next AM so he could teach me how to inject the Lovenox. Got up, had 2 cups of java, no breakfast and a couple of conference calls. Felt a bit light-headed and a small ringing in my ears. To this day, I think it was more the coffee w/ no breakfast than symptoms of a PE, but it was enough to get myattention due to the DVT.
Went to the appt early and they called an ambulance to take me to the ER. Bingo.....PE and a 2 days stay in the hospital, on complete bed rest. "If you stand up, you could die." OKey-dokey then. I'll just stay right here!!! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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jacques_anquetil
Posts:245
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| 10/23/2014 08:57 PM |
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| man, getting old and becoming more fragile sucks. |
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