Re: Terrified of clots...

[Guest guest]

Just some suggestions here and I would discuss all with your GP before

trying anything.

Vitamin E, if you have edema of the legs and ankles get compression hose

prescribed by your Doctor anywhere from $114 -$ 190 for custom this in

Canadian dollars. The hose help your legs to pump more efficiently. Also cut

the salt intake and keep the liquid to a minimum until your legs go down.

Keep legs elevated higher than heart as much as possible. Take an aspirin a

day for heart (thins the Blood), not Tylenol, just good old ASPIRIN (Bayer)

ASA can save your life at the time of heart attack. If you are on herbal

supplements of any kind stop at least 2 weeks prior to surgery a precaution

and most certainly tell your GP & Surgeon what you have been on. Hope these

hints help you all.

Love and Hugs to all

http://phoenixrisng.www6.50megs.com

http://ca.geocities.com/phoenixrisngca/blue.html

-- Terrified of clots...

Hello all,

I am in deep sympathy with Diane and her loss. I didn't know Larry, but I

can imagine he was a sweet caring person. I really physically hurt hearing

the account.

I must admit some of that triggered a huge scare for me. Here are my

questions:

1) Are there warning signs for clots? For instance, was Larry's short

breaths indications? IT seemed from the account they went on for a

while....how can one know?

2) What can they do if they ascertain you have one? I realize they tried

to revive Larry but is there any other interim thing they can do if they

even suspect one?

3) Preventatively, is there anything besides walking we can do? I'm almost

wondering if we need to watch our diet in some way or take some certain

vitamins in advance....does anyone out there know?

Thanks. I have lower leg venous stasis (blood does not pump back well) and

I am especially concerned about htis. So much so after Larry's account I'm

getting afraid to have the surgery. Of course, any encouragement welcome --

and info about chances for blood clots in normal life would be good to know

about...

_________________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

At 10:35 AM -0700 9/4/01, Hawkins wrote:

>...

>1) Are there warning signs for clots? For instance, was Larry's short

>breaths indications?

shortness of breath can ba an indication. so can excruciating pains

in the leg (deep vein thrombosis)

>2) What can they do if they ascertain you have one?

Not sure. My guesses: Administer blood thinner or TPA immediately

(but, I couldn't even get a job playing a doctor on TV). Or operate.

Once, I came back from a 20+ hour flight from China. We had to drink

at an official banquet the night before, and though I drank as much

water as I could on the plane, I was clearly dehydrated. When we got

to Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. area, I could not walk the

length of the midfield terminal to get from the plane to the mobile

lounge (peoplke mover) without my heard pounding like it was about to

give out. I called my PCP the next day, and he got me an emergency

visit with a cardiologist who got me an emergency series of nuclear

tests to see if I had thrown a clot into my lungs (I had not--my

guess is that this was an early bugle blast from the morbid-obesity

angel, a clarion call that I stupidly ignored for two years until I

had the DS).

>3) Preventatively, is there anything besides walking we can do?

Walk even more.

Wear compression hose for your lower leg venous stasis (I do).

>I'm almost

>wondering if we need to watch our diet in some way or take some certain

>vitamins in advance....does anyone out there know?

I don't " know, " but in the short term, I don't think there is much

you can do. You can take daily aspirin (81 mg/day, but ask you doc

first) and/or Vitamin E to thin the blood. In the hospital, they

usually give you blood thinners in your I.V. drip to make the blood

flow more smoothly through your system and to minimize the

chance/effect of clots. So, you'd have to stop the aspirin and/or

Vitamin E several days prior to surgery, else your blood could get so

thinned and unable to clot that you could bleed out.

Now, when it comes to the hospital post-op, WALK, WALK, WALK,as soon

and as often as you can, and use your breathing exercise tool every

hour. Some folk talk about exercising your lungs by blowing up

balloons pre-op.

>

>Thanks. I have lower leg venous stasis (blood does not pump back well) and

>I am especially concerned about htis.

So do I, or rather " did " I. 60 pounds after surgery, I can go for an

entire day without my leg or ankle swelling up. But, I continue to

wear compression hose (15-20 mm Hg) during the week.

>So much so after Larry's account I'm

>getting afraid to have the surgery.

A little fear never hurts. But, just think of your long-term

prospects for a life or desirable quality if you don't have the

surgical intervention. Then, take your choice: small chance for dire

consequences from surgery, but good prospects for a fine quality of

life ahead, versus degrading quality of life and premature death from

obesity and its co-morbidities.

--Steve

--

Steve Goldstein, age 61

Lap BPD/DS on May 2, 2001

Dr. Elariny, INOVA Fairfax Hospital, Virginia

Starting (05/02/01) BMI = 51

BMI on 09/04 = 41