Word of Caution for those who fly a lot

Alphawolf · 2003-12-21, 05:30 PM

I know some of you here fly long flights sorta often...

I ended up having deep vein thrombosis from my flight back home from Thailand (at least that was a large part of it) which, in turn caused blood clots...

http://ohp.nasa.gov/alerts/dvt.html

...And it DID go to my lungs causing a Pulmonary Embolism.

Ironically, people who are is good shape are *more* at risk:

http://www.airhealth.org/athletes.html

I woke up Thanksgiving day with what felt like a massive muscle pull on my right side. I didn't realize it was a blood clot in my right lung.

I finally went to the ER after I woke up 7 days later and my upper body was fine, but my leg was nearly paralyzed. I was in the hospital 8 DAYS. :-(

Man, did that suck. Now I must take blood thinning medicine for 3 months and get another CAT SCAN in 12 weeks to see if the clots have healed.

I was in pretty good shape weighing in the high 180's, OK shape- now 174lbs of flab. But at least I am living.

Not an "older person" thing either as I'll be just 33 in March.

In general, I don't feel the flight alone would have done it as I have 71,000 miles on Northwest airlines. It was a series of things...

I ended up getting hit with a wicked virus that kept me in bed muscles aching for 5 days before I had to fly home. During the flight, I just didn't move as much as I usually would.

My risk factors are high as blod clots run in the family and I had cancer 10 years ago. Adding into that the fact I just laid in bed 5 days prior to flight and didn't move coming back- boom.

Jim, from the radio show I know you don't like people whining, this is more or less a PSA.

Extreme John · 2003-12-21, 11:08 PM

God AW, this sounds like the worst shit ever, glad you pulled through, jeeez....

Freeway · 2003-12-21, 11:14 PM

I've seen alot of stuff about this on the news in the last couple months....
I just got off an 14 hr flight from denmark to LA and I made sure to get up every hour and take a couple laps around the plane and do some standing stretches by my seat

Alphawolf · 2003-12-21, 11:47 PM

Thanks, Man.

It's not really over though.

All the stuff in the hospital, heparin IV, Lovenox injections 2x per day in belly, and Coumadin 10mg per day is simply preventative from getting another clot.

Only the body can absorb the clot and there is literally *nothing* one can do proactively in order to speed along a recovery.

My leg was feeling a bit...'tender' I guess best way to describe it- today.

All this stuff is highly individualized to a person's body. It can take a couple weeks to heal, or couple months. The Coumadin amount is also adjusted to get the proper INR (International Normalised Ratio) level of between 2 and 3.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/talking/...clotting.shtml

I was slow to reach those levels in the hospital, but with the lovenox shots and Coumadin I hit 2.2 the day they sent me home.

The Lovenox shots are long lasting and have a feeling I'll need to boost my Coumadin level. Lovenox is CRAZY expensive:

http://www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/pr...280&trx=1Z5006

What sucks most for me is that going to the gym and doing deep squats and deadlifts was really 'my thing'. My legs were very strong- now like chicken legs.

And Attending doc said my right leg *may* never be the same. The veins in my right calve muscle still buldge out after a while on my feet- which is where most people report feeling it the most.

I *may* need to self inject Lovenox subcutaneously in my belly depending upon tomorrows follow-up visit:

http://www.thehospice.org/subcutaneous.htm

I'm still black and blue from those shots. <shrug> Gotta do what I gotta do.

Needless to state that this has set me back on my adult site and many other things BIG time.

Guess I am whining now, Jim.

Life throws some shit at ya now and again- it's all in how one handles it and comes out the other side that counts.

PS- It occured to me that hospitals should really fucking have Internet Cafe's! They charged me $4.35/day for a phone that could ONLY dial within 516 area code, and $4/day for a POS TV.

Hell, rent me a laptop and an Internet connection instead!

Oh, well- it was nice to rant a bit.

Alphawolf · 2003-12-22, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Freeway
I've seen alot of stuff about this on the news in the last couple months....
I just got off an 14 hr flight from denmark to LA and I made sure to get up every hour and take a couple laps around the plane and do some standing stretches by my seat

Hey Freeway, yeah- usually I do similar things...but I was so weak from the virus I got I hardly wanted to get up to go to the toilet.

The route NorthWest takes in JFK-->Tokyo 'bout 15hrs depending on wind [1.5hr till plane switch] then Tokyo to Bangkok 5hrs and change.

In general, planes simply don't go fast enough. I'd like my next flight to Thailand to be in an F-22 Raptor on super cruise. 1,000 miles an hour, baby.

Guess I'll talk to the docs and post around to see best way for long flights. Maybe going over Europe with an over night stop over would be safest. More expensive though.

Can get tickets from NY to Bangkok for $675-$800 on the typical route. Think it was over double that to go the other way.

And business class is $2k and don't think that would help much- like you state it's really getting up and getting the blood circulating. In one of those links I posted above a soccer player wore stockings and added a stopover to make sure he was OK.

Alphawolf · 2003-12-30, 01:31 AM

Figured to record my update in case the docs kill me.

Had 1st blood test today after two weeks of being on Coumadin 10mgs/day.

For some reason they didn't feel it was needed to do a blood test last week.

So, I go in to get results and it should be between 2 and 3.

Doc says it's EIGHT and they want to admit me to the hospital again!

Assholes. I requested a blood test last week...

Actually, the test score only maxes out at 8, so it may be higher.

What that means is my blood is super thin. They were concerned with internal bleeding. Would only take about 25% normal force to cause me bad damage. Like, if I hit my head even a little bit- my brain just explodes.

I asked what they would do for me in the hospital and he told me- really nothing. Just a precautionary situation. I understood that.

But I explained that there's no difference between me sitting around in my house or sitting around in the hospital.

Dude checked with his attending and they said it was OK for me to go home if I wanted. How kind.

So, I am more or less a walking water balloon. It IS a huge bummer to get bruises so fucking easily and they take for-fucking-ever to heal. Blood draws from my arm make me look like a druggie.

I need to be like a Bubble Boy next week or so.

finnbear · 2003-12-30, 07:47 AM

Shit! I'm glad to see that you're alive still!

I have flight to Bangkok two times - 11 hours for one way. We have straight flight from Helsinki (Finland) to Bangkok.

I'm an old pro drunk, and they serve booze for free, but you must go the bar, they don't serve to the chairs. Now I understand why. I can't sleep at plane, so I drank vodka all night. I had to get up and walk to the bar many, many times. When I was there before breakfast they watched me strangely - how can that dude still be on his feet and not look too drunk? Well, I can drink a lot of vodka if I wish...

I took couple of beers for breakfast, and then we were in Bangkok. After that we had another flight to Phuket Island. That was a quick one. No alcohol was served in that flight, but that was OK. We had time to ate and drink a couple of sakes at airport. Hot Thai Chili of course.

I'm really sorry to hear about your problems. I read about all those things before we went, but I didn't take as serious as I should. I hope you're become 100% well soon.

EDIT: Business class is shit. Chairs are almost as small as in tourist class. They have a plug for laptop (AC/DC) if you need it and they serve alcohol to chairs. You can also wait the plane in private suite before the flight and eat free lunch/dinner. Not worth of money you must pay IMHO.

Alphawolf · 2003-12-30, 10:47 AM

finnbear,

Sounds like your need for booze kept you moving and active.

Too bad I am the 'healthy' type and drink only sometimes.

11hrs is long, but not so horrible. Double that is what I need to do. Deep blood clots are more common than people think:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3328795.stm

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/...ter+of+lawsuit

Actually, on NorthWest airlines, Busness class is very spacious. It won't cost me anything on the long leg of the flight as I have enough air miles for a free upgrade.

Regardless, it's all about moving around every so often.

What fucked me was having a killer virus that stuck me in bed 5 days prior to flight and I just didn't want to move at all.

Now I'm super high risk for other clots so I must be very careful next time I fly.

Oh, yeah- forgot to mention I have a cavity that KILLS me when I forget and chew food on that tooth. But, I cannot do any Dental work due to this high INR level.

They say all things happen for a reason. I think they are retarded.

Alphawolf · 2003-12-31, 02:40 PM

This seems to be my medical history thread. LOL.

Got results from todays blood test back and INR level dropped to 4 after just 2 days and change of stopping Coumadin.

It needs to be 2-3 and it seems I was initially slow to react to all the blood thinners, but now very sensitive to it.

Another blood test Friday and probably a change in dosage from 10mg/day to like 2mg per day.

Probably blood tests every 2 days until I get between 2-3 in a stable manner.

I feel fine- it's just my blood thiness that isn't fine.

Happy New year everyone!

2003-12-21, 05:30 PM	#1
Alphawolf Don't come to Florida for vacation. We're closed. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 1,874	Word of Caution for those who fly a lot I know some of you here fly long flights sorta often... I ended up having deep vein thrombosis from my flight back home from Thailand (at least that was a large part of it) which, in turn caused blood clots... http://ohp.nasa.gov/alerts/dvt.html ...And it DID go to my lungs causing a Pulmonary Embolism. Ironically, people who are is good shape are more at risk: http://www.airhealth.org/athletes.html I woke up Thanksgiving day with what felt like a massive muscle pull on my right side. I didn't realize it was a blood clot in my right lung. I finally went to the ER after I woke up 7 days later and my upper body was fine, but my leg was nearly paralyzed. I was in the hospital 8 DAYS. :-( Man, did that suck. Now I must take blood thinning medicine for 3 months and get another CAT SCAN in 12 weeks to see if the clots have healed. I was in pretty good shape weighing in the high 180's, OK shape- now 174lbs of flab. But at least I am living. Not an "older person" thing either as I'll be just 33 in March. In general, I don't feel the flight alone would have done it as I have 71,000 miles on Northwest airlines. It was a series of things... I ended up getting hit with a wicked virus that kept me in bed muscles aching for 5 days before I had to fly home. During the flight, I just didn't move as much as I usually would. My risk factors are high as blod clots run in the family and I had cancer 10 years ago. Adding into that the fact I just laid in bed 5 days prior to flight and didn't move coming back- boom. Jim, from the radio show I know you don't like people whining, this is more or less a PSA. __________________ Regards, AW Weekly Pay. Sites That Convert. Start Pimpin' Today!

2003-12-21, 11:08 PM	#2
Extreme John Afro John says: "Touch The Extreme Afro & You'll Be In Extreme Pain!" Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,671	God AW, this sounds like the worst shit ever, glad you pulled through, jeeez.... __________________ September 6, 2007

2003-12-21, 11:47 PM	#4
Alphawolf Don't come to Florida for vacation. We're closed. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 1,874	Thanks, Man. It's not really over though. All the stuff in the hospital, heparin IV, Lovenox injections 2x per day in belly, and Coumadin 10mg per day is simply preventative from getting another clot. Only the body can absorb the clot and there is literally nothing one can do proactively in order to speed along a recovery. My leg was feeling a bit...'tender' I guess best way to describe it- today. All this stuff is highly individualized to a person's body. It can take a couple weeks to heal, or couple months. The Coumadin amount is also adjusted to get the proper INR (International Normalised Ratio) level of between 2 and 3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/talking/...clotting.shtml I was slow to reach those levels in the hospital, but with the lovenox shots and Coumadin I hit 2.2 the day they sent me home. The Lovenox shots are long lasting and have a feeling I'll need to boost my Coumadin level. Lovenox is CRAZY expensive: http://www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/pr...280&trx=1Z5006 What sucks most for me is that going to the gym and doing deep squats and deadlifts was really 'my thing'. My legs were very strong- now like chicken legs. And Attending doc said my right leg may never be the same. The veins in my right calve muscle still buldge out after a while on my feet- which is where most people report feeling it the most. I may need to self inject Lovenox subcutaneously in my belly depending upon tomorrows follow-up visit: http://www.thehospice.org/subcutaneous.htm I'm still black and blue from those shots. <shrug> Gotta do what I gotta do. Needless to state that this has set me back on my adult site and many other things BIG time. Guess I am whining now, Jim. Life throws some shit at ya now and again- it's all in how one handles it and comes out the other side that counts. PS- It occured to me that hospitals should really fucking have Internet Cafe's! They charged me $4.35/day for a phone that could ONLY dial within 516 area code, and $4/day for a POS TV. Hell, rent me a laptop and an Internet connection instead! Oh, well- it was nice to rant a bit. __________________ Regards, AW Weekly Pay. Sites That Convert. Start Pimpin' Today!

2003-12-30, 01:31 AM	#6
Alphawolf Don't come to Florida for vacation. We're closed. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 1,874	Figured to record my update in case the docs kill me. Had 1st blood test today after two weeks of being on Coumadin 10mgs/day. For some reason they didn't feel it was needed to do a blood test last week. So, I go in to get results and it should be between 2 and 3. Doc says it's EIGHT and they want to admit me to the hospital again! Assholes. I requested a blood test last week... Actually, the test score only maxes out at 8, so it may be higher. What that means is my blood is super thin. They were concerned with internal bleeding. Would only take about 25% normal force to cause me bad damage. Like, if I hit my head even a little bit- my brain just explodes. I asked what they would do for me in the hospital and he told me- really nothing. Just a precautionary situation. I understood that. But I explained that there's no difference between me sitting around in my house or sitting around in the hospital. Dude checked with his attending and they said it was OK for me to go home if I wanted. How kind. So, I am more or less a walking water balloon. It IS a huge bummer to get bruises so fucking easily and they take for-fucking-ever to heal. Blood draws from my arm make me look like a druggie. I need to be like a Bubble Boy next week or so. __________________ Regards, AW Weekly Pay. Sites That Convert. Start Pimpin' Today!

2003-12-30, 07:47 AM	#7
finnbear You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Finland Posts: 534	Shit! I'm glad to see that you're alive still! I have flight to Bangkok two times - 11 hours for one way. We have straight flight from Helsinki (Finland) to Bangkok. I'm an old pro drunk, and they serve booze for free, but you must go the bar, they don't serve to the chairs. Now I understand why. I can't sleep at plane, so I drank vodka all night. I had to get up and walk to the bar many, many times. When I was there before breakfast they watched me strangely - how can that dude still be on his feet and not look too drunk? Well, I can drink a lot of vodka if I wish... I took couple of beers for breakfast, and then we were in Bangkok. After that we had another flight to Phuket Island. That was a quick one. No alcohol was served in that flight, but that was OK. We had time to ate and drink a couple of sakes at airport. Hot Thai Chili of course. I'm really sorry to hear about your problems. I read about all those things before we went, but I didn't take as serious as I should. I hope you're become 100% well soon. EDIT: Business class is shit. Chairs are almost as small as in tourist class. They have a plug for laptop (AC/DC) if you need it and they serve alcohol to chairs. You can also wait the plane in private suite before the flight and eat free lunch/dinner. Not worth of money you must pay IMHO. __________________ My free porn sites Last edited by finnbear; 2003-12-30 at 07:53 AM..

2003-12-21, 11:14 PM	#3
Freeway Lord help me, I'm just not that bright Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 107	I've seen alot of stuff about this on the news in the last couple months.... I just got off an 14 hr flight from denmark to LA and I made sure to get up every hour and take a couple laps around the plane and do some standing stretches by my seat

2003-12-30, 10:47 AM	#8
Alphawolf Don't come to Florida for vacation. We're closed. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 1,874	finnbear, Sounds like your need for booze kept you moving and active. Too bad I am the 'healthy' type and drink only sometimes. 11hrs is long, but not so horrible. Double that is what I need to do. Deep blood clots are more common than people think: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3328795.stm http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/...ter+of+lawsuit Actually, on NorthWest airlines, Busness class is very spacious. It won't cost me anything on the long leg of the flight as I have enough air miles for a free upgrade. Regardless, it's all about moving around every so often. What fucked me was having a killer virus that stuck me in bed 5 days prior to flight and I just didn't want to move at all. Now I'm super high risk for other clots so I must be very careful next time I fly. Oh, yeah- forgot to mention I have a cavity that KILLS me when I forget and chew food on that tooth. But, I cannot do any Dental work due to this high INR level. They say all things happen for a reason. I think they are retarded. __________________ Regards, AW Weekly Pay. Sites That Convert. Start Pimpin' Today! Last edited by Alphawolf; 2003-12-30 at 11:01 AM..

2003-12-31, 02:40 PM	#9
Alphawolf Don't come to Florida for vacation. We're closed. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 1,874	This seems to be my medical history thread. LOL. Got results from todays blood test back and INR level dropped to 4 after just 2 days and change of stopping Coumadin. It needs to be 2-3 and it seems I was initially slow to react to all the blood thinners, but now very sensitive to it. Another blood test Friday and probably a change in dosage from 10mg/day to like 2mg per day. Probably blood tests every 2 days until I get between 2-3 in a stable manner. I feel fine- it's just my blood thiness that isn't fine. Happy New year everyone! __________________ Regards, AW Weekly Pay. Sites That Convert. Start Pimpin' Today!